| Event type: | Outing |
| Date: | 19th February 2025 |
| Time: | 10:00 |
| Group: | Intermediate Walking |
| Venue: | The Great Outdoors |
| Organiser: |
First walk of the Intermediate Walking Group.
Important : This is a slightly edited variant of the Strollers walk which I led back in October last Year, repeated because 1) it’s a splendid walk, and 2) there were only two takers in October – and it’s well worth a repeat with a larger group (hint).
Please note: For compatibility with Senior Bus Pass use, the bus timings for travellers from Todmorden are a little tight.
Buses:
591 (Halifax) – 9:36 from Todmorden, arrives Hebden Bridge 9:56
Then 596 (Blackshaw Head) - 10:08 from the stand nearest Hebden Bridge Cinema, arrives BH 10:26
We meet: Hebden Bridge, 10:00 on the Cinema steps for the 596 bus
OR
Meet at 10:30 at the Bus shelter in Blackshaw Head to start the walk.
The Walk:
From the bus shelter, walk left, just round the corner to a well marked path which climbs to Higher Back Lane. This green lane, somewhat rutted, takes us half a mile to a cross-track. Turn right here to descend to Brown Hill Lane where a staggered crossing takes us across a stream to Field Head Farm, some a half mile away.
Here we cross a substantial concrete strip track and continue our descent towards Rodmer Clough, passing Land Farm on our right.
Just beyond the Gates of Land Farm and at a pack-horse bridge over the Colden Water, we join a metalled road for a quarter of a mile climbing up to Edge Lane. Turning right we walk down Edge Lane for a few hundred yards, and look for a double galvanised gate on our left, with an adjacent staggered gap-stile. Cross this stile to climb a rough stony track, looking out for a green path on our right. Take this path, continue to climb, passing a derelict small dwelling on our left.
This path climbs up to a broad rubble track. Turning right we follow this track for only a couple of hundred yards, looking for a spring-gated gap-stile on our left, which gives access to Heptonstall moor. Briefly we pick up the Pennine Way, but as the brow of the hill (Fabulous views!) is gained, we see it as it marches away to the left towards Clough Head. At this highest point we turn right and in just a few yards we pass through a wooden gate on our left and climbing up to the field-side path on the other side of the ditch. The path in the ditch is boggy and stony, so is best avoided. We then follow the broad farm track from Long High Top down the hill, through a gate-side stile and then bearing right to Smithwell Lane and the bus stop at Knowl Top.
Buses here are on the hour and half past back to Hebden Bridge on the 596 via Heptonstall.
I will have to leg-it at this time as I have an unavoidable clash on Wednesdays now.
Refreshments can be found if you get off the Bus in Heptonstall – Towngate Tearooms, The Cross, and The White Lion – TgT will probably be open if refurbishments are complete – not sure about the pubs. There’s no shortage of refreshments in Hebden Bridge if you stay on the bus.
Please let ME know if you intend to come: graham.newiss@gmail.com, 07773-198029
PLEASE NOTE:
As of next month I will have to move the day of this group to the third Tuesday of each month instead of Wednesday due to the permanent clash mentioned above. I apologise if this is inconvenient for some of you but it can’t be helped.
It does mean that those who are also in the Strollers group can still do both groups with almost two weeks between the IWG and Strollers meet-ups.
PLEASE HELP: I need volunteers to devise routes and lead them. I will be unable to do May or June, and any other dates that Volunteers might offer would be gratefully accepted.
The stipulations are simple – walks not limited by terrain, but limited by range to approximately 3 miles. It’s your choice whether you wish to use public transport or not. Walks generally but not essentially located in the upper Calder Valley.