Paths, or causeys as they’re known in these parts, are paved with flags that have bowed in the middle through use. Our forebears and their packhorses in the industrial revolution did an awful lot of walking. Their legacy is an intricate network of footpaths for today’s energetic and curious hiker.
The majority of this route is wooded, making it ideal for early spring or autumnal days.
There is variety too in the form of meadows and panoramic valley views as you pop up and out of Colden Water clough on the approach to Blackshaw Head, as well as the final easy stretch beside the Rochdale Canal.
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Take your costume for a dip in the small waterfall in the clough at grid ref SD 9746 2814.
This spot is perfect for a packed lunch − you may spot a heron like me − as is the pretty clapper bridge a little further along. Houses are studded within banks of trees at seemingly inaccessible elevations. Lumb Bank Cottage, which you pass, emerges out of nowhere while a mill tower looks like it might have imprisoned Rapunzel. Some of the route runs along the top of old mill dam walls with warning signs of steep drops, all of which adds a frisson of exploration.
Staups Mill in the woods of Jumble Hole Clough features an old stone with ‘JH 1812’ etched into it. John Horsfall owned the building but it was built in the late
18th century. The cotton mill ceased operation when the dam above it collapsed in 1896 and the towering ruins were truncated for safety reasons four years ago.
The bustle of bohemian Hebden Bridge on a sunny evening comes as a pleasant contrast to the isolation of the walk. Look out for stickers in the style of blue plaques in house windows specifying the names and occupants of residents in 1916.
THE WALK
1. Take a walled footpath (easy to miss) that starts opposite Mytholm Close, off the A646. Just after Spring Villa fork right and steeply uphill. Soon, just after a channel crosses the track, fork left. At a second fork, just after a small garden office, bear right along an embankment that joins a path coming in from the right.
2. Pass Lumb Bank Cottage and along a steep walled path. At a lane junction descend to the left. Where the lane bears sharp left turn right onto a bridleway. When a chimney comes into view fork left and downwards. Stay on the path as it winds up from the river past a ruined mill. At a T-junction of paths turn left and upwards. As the path bears sharp right continue ahead following the waymarker. At the next waymarker fork left, descend steps and return to the riverside.
3. Cross the clapper bridge and fork right to ascend steps. At the track at the top turn right and soon turn left up steps between a wall and fence. At a house turn left onto a gravel track for 20m then turn right up a fenced path. Pass over a step stile and gently ascend across meadows. Cross a track and continue your ascent past five stiles and a hand gate to reach the road at Blackshaw Head.
4. Turn right for 20m then left onto the Calderdale Way, which is initially a lane then a flagged path beside a wall. At the end pass through a gate and over a stile then another one just to the left of an old house. Pass Apple Tree Farm then a farmhouse. As the track bears right turn left and over a stile onto the Link Path.
5. At another Link Path waymarker turn right. Descend into the trees and cross a footbridge. Pass to the right of Staups Mill ruins. Ignore paths leading off to the left and right. Cross sandbags and just before a house visible through the trees fork left and downwards.
6. Continue your descent on the track leading away from the house. Where the track bears sharp left continue ahead. The track becomes a path and takes you to the left of another house. Continue ahead as the path winds its way down to a tarmac lane between two houses. After Mulcture Hall where the path bears sharp left continue ahead.
7. Soon turn left to cross the footbridge over the railway. Cross the A646 and continue ahead down Burnt Acres Lane. Turn left at the canal bridge to join the towpath to Hebden Bridge. At the first bridge after the Stubbing Wharf pub turn left from the canal then immediately right up Stubbing Drive. At the end continue ahead down a path, turn left over a footbridge and continue up a path to the A646 opposite Church Lane.
COMPASS POINTS
Start/finish: Grid ref SD 985273.
Distance/time: 8.4km/3.5 hours.
Accessibility: Lots of ups and downs as well as uneven paths and some big drops. The route is complex so follow the instructions closely.
Maps: OS Explorer OL21 South Pennines and OS Landranger 103 Blackburn & Burnley.
Parking: Church Lane in Mytholm, just to the west of the town off the A646. Alternatively, car parks in Hebden Bridge although on sunny weekends you may struggle to find a space.
Map link: bit.ly/YLHebdenBridge
EAT HERE
The Bay Tree, Hebden Bridge
Try selections of finger foods such as cheeses, dips, crackers, roast vegetables and charcuterie, served on boards. Typical specials include steak and ale pie, a truffle shuffle haloumi burger and the blue moo burger at £14/15. Milkshakes and vegan menu available. See Facebook.
For a break about half-way round, visit the New Delight Inn, a traditional village local near Blackshaw Head. At the end of your walk you could buy a pizza from Sam's Pizzas on New Road and eat it in the memorial garden opposite.
The Wavy Steps Bar and Kitchen, Hebden Bridge
Quirky, lively and welcoming pub in the town centre with a pretty riverside setting. A carefully selected range of craft ales, wines and cocktails complements the food, which features gourmet burgers and Sunday roasts. Occasional barbecues and live music. See Facebook.
Get rambling: Paul Kirkwood, 62, has been walking and exploring every corner of Yorkshire since he relocated here in 1994. He says: ‘Yorkshire boasts the finest walking routes of any county in the UK because of the extent and rich variety of its countryside. In my Yorkshire Life features I cover off some of the classic routes, but also try to introduce readers to corners that they might not be aware of. The opportunities for trying something new where we live are endless.’
WALK
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