Tagged by "Calderdale Way"
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Todmorden (Calderdale) to Queensbury Bradford
(route)
SD937242 Todmorden (Calderdale) to Queensbury Bradford
Map required Explorer OL21 (South Pennines)
Leave Todmorden going east along the canal towpath, and keep along the towpath for about half a mile until you can cross over to the south side using a road bridge.
Walk up the steep hill between the houses to the small hamlet of Kilnhurst.
Shortly after leaving Kilnhurst watch out for the grave of Billy Holt’s horse Trigger on the left hand side of the path, at Oldroyd take the path on the right which goes south east into the wood.
You emerge from the wood on a narrow lane below the village of Lumbutts, keep left along this lane to pass the water wheel (good photo) eventually you arrive next to a pub the Top Brink Inn.
From the pub take the narrow tarmac lane passing the church on your left and pick up the green lane which branches right just as the road turns to the left. This lane passes Healey Dam on your right and then picks up the Calderdale Way.
Follow the Calderdale Way, and join the Pennine Way as far as Stoodley Pike, don’t forget to climb the monument; you don’t need a torch as there is only one short place on the steps where the daylight does not penetrate.
From Stoodley Pike follow the Pennine Way for about 500 Metres and when it turns left through a stile at a very wet patch, keep straight ahead joining the muddy Lane turning left along the side of a wood.
At the junction of four paths take the grassy track across Erringden Moor to Broad Head.
Be careful to take the correct path here, you want the one which passes spot height 258 and then descends at the side of a wood passing Daisy Bank to arrive at the B6138 in Mytholmroyd.
Walk down this road in the direction of Mytholmroyd until you reach the Railway bridge which crosses above the road, turn right just before the bridge to head in the direction of the Station, don’t go onto the platform but keep walking parallel with the railway lines, and pick up the permissive path which begins at the far side of the station car park and runs eastwards on the south side of the railway line. Remain on this path and cross over the railway line and the river and the canal to cross the main A646 road at Brearley.
Straight opposite you on the north side of the road is a wide track leading uphill at the left hand side of a pair of houses. Take this track, which quickly narrows, steeply uphill turning to the right more steeply still, after passing Scout Wood to emerge onto the road and turn right in the direction of Midgley village.
Walk through this attractive village for about a quarter of a mile, until you reach a fine water trough next to a bus stop on the left hand side. Turn left up a cobbled lane at the water trough, and then keeping left to pass through two clusters of houses to regain the Calderdale Way running along the edge of the Moor.
Turn right here and keep to the Calderdale Way, crossing Luddenden Dean at Wade Bridge,(camping here at Jerusalem Farm 01422 883246) climb the hill from Wade Bridge on a nice path which passes along the bottom edge of the wood above Ridings until you reach Upper Saltonstall.
Leave the Calderdale Way here and walk along the narrow road eastward to Katy Well Bridge (there is a good pub here which sells food) cross Katy Well Bridge and mount the stone steps which leave the road on the left. Climb this grassy track above the ravine soon arriving at some more stone steps on the right which ascend to a stile leading into a field.
At the top of the field you reach a narrow lane, turn right here and in about a minute you see some steps on the left which you ascend to a stile into another field. At the top of this field you squeeze through a narrow stile and turn left up the road to pass a school on a road junction. Turn left here and cross the road, to immediately turn right up a lane with a mill on your left, at the top of this short lane turn left up the wider road and ignore the narrow road on the left to pick up the start of a green lane at spot height 339.
Follow this lane in a north eastern direction across a muddy junction, eventually to rejoin the Calderdale way at Hunters Hill.
Remain faithful to the Calderdale Way passing through Upper Brockholes and head in the direction of Bradshaw. When you reach Bradshaw there are a couple of places on the Calderdale Way where you may have doubts about where the path goes, well I am going to clear those doubts for you.
After passing South Peat Pits and crossing the road at (NGRSE074297) and entering a track you are confronted with a blank wall and a busy farm yard to your left, don’t hesitate turn left into the farm yard and pass through a gap in a new fence to the right of the main buildings and cross the field in the direction of the church, you are on the right of way. At the far side of this field you will find a stile and a narrow footpath passing alongside a bungalow and coming out onto a main road. Walk about 20 yards left along this road and turn right into a large yard in front of a house, keep the wall on your right and quickly arrive at a stile into a field which you keep going down in the same direction to emerge through a gate onto a narrow lane. Turn right and then almost immediately left between two houses, this is the second place where you may be confused as you are stood facing a large gate which appears to enter a private garden. The gate has always been unlocked, so enter the yard, and cross it to your right to reach a nice grassy track which passes behind some farm buildings.
Turn left behind the farm building and quickly right, and down this twin walled track keeping straight ahead where the Calderdale Way turns to the right through a narrow stile.
Walk down the track with a stream running on your left, to pass through a stile and cross a larger stream which runs from left to right across your path. Keep straight ahead and climb the gravel track up the hill, to turn right up a tarmac track in front of two memorials to members of the Steele family who own the land. At the top of the hill when the road turns left and a telephone mast comes into view; look for a narrow footpath leaving the road on the right to pass over a stile back into open country. There are good views from here only spoiled by the industrial complex in the bottom which has sprung up in the last ten years.
Once over the stile you are on a wide track which drops down the hill and then turns left to pass around the edge of a large valley. Follow the track around the northern edge of this valley, and then keep left as you near the back of some houses, to take a footpath which runs along the right hand side of the last house on your left.
The footpath take you out onto Roper lane in Ambler Thorn village, turn right down Roper Lane and left when you reach the main Bradford to Halifax road, to find a bus stop to Bradford on your side of the road and the bus stop to Halifax on the opposite side.
During the week and on Saturdays buses run in both directions every ten minutes.
576 - Bradford - Queensbury – Halifax
Regards
Mick Melvin
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A linear walk following the Calderdale Way from Sowerby Bridge to Brighouse.
(route)
Take the 9.31 train from Bradford Exchange Station to Manchester Victoria and get off at Sowerby Bridge Station. Follow the link path which starts from the Station, climbing up through Allan Park and Ryeburn golf club to arrive on Norland Moor. Join the Calderdale Way at Clough Moor Bridge and remain faithful to it, passing through Clay House Greetland, Southowram and Cromwell Wood finishing along the Calder and Hebble Navigation towpath into Brighouse.
Return to Bradford on the X6 or the 363 bus back to the Transport Interchange.
Find timetables or plan your journey with www.yorkshiretravel.net
Regards
Mick Melvin
