The last day of August arrives, and make no mistakes that The End of Summer is coming down upon us, as the sun sits noticeably lower in the sky and 4 degrees C drop from the air temperature, and it's also my favourite time of the year. Absolutely ideal for walking as the heat of high summer no longer gets to you and the days are still long enough to not risk wandering into the fading light of Autumn, and all weather projections point to a glorious start to this fragment of the year, as I seek the trail over the High Moor of the Aire-Calder bracket that has been observed the most from afar without me going near it. Plus starting out from Halifax means I get in another route featuring a pair of tributaries of the Aire and Calder and to bag photographic opportunities with a couple more industrial relics, which have largely been forgotten about in my explorations this year, also, I'm back onto Saturday wanderings, so a day of recovery will be coming my way if today proves too challenging.
Halifax to Haworth via Ovenden Moor. 12 miles
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| Dean Clough Mills |
Ride out to Halifax under amazingly clear skies, hopping off the train at 9.45am, and making straight for the main roads that lead out to Northgate, admiring the industrial and commercial buildings that have endured and wondering whether it was urban planners or Nazi bombs that erased those that remain in fragments only. I don't make my crossing of Hebble Brook at North Bridge, instead heading under the sweeping overpasses of the A58 and heading into Dean Clough, just as the cloud cover descends and I don't get the quality of light that I had wanted to photograph the mill complex of what was the world's largest carpet factory, half a mile long and over a million square feet of floor space. Developed in the 1840s to 1860s and enduring in use until 1983, and since it has become a commercial and artistic centre, spread over the eight mill buildings and demonstrably one of the best examples of urban regeneration in the country. It's extremely unusual to find such an extensive site intact, and having the buildings looming up around you and stretching into the distance in both directions is quite a feeling, they may be largely unaccented in their styles, only one tower has Italianate features but the whole site has been scrubbed clean and Dean Clough Mills physically demonstrates the era when Britain was one of the world's economic power houses. It's clearly worthy of a future explore, but for now it'll have to live in slightly gloomy photographs, and it amuses me no end when a group of cycling lads scoot past me on the pavement and shout
'Out of the way tourist! There's nothing worth photographing in Halifax!' as I'd definitely contest that. Onwards to the passage beneath the A629. where a pub nestles beneath the overpass and then pull uphill to meet Shroggs Road, where a good view down Dean Clough can be obtained before heading out of town along the Hebble Valley. Once the retail parks and industrial units have passed, we are left only with a major sort of road the feels like it isn't going anywhere, as trees rise up both sides of the valley, and heather coated rock outcrops sit above the road, clearly this is a landscape that has resisted all attempts to pacify it, and residential areas grew up elsewhere, though there are bus stops along this road, but I've no idea where they are supposed to serve.
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| Wheatley Viaduct |
Meeting the Hebble Lane / Long Lane stretch where suburban Halifax has successfully encroached down into the river valley, does not assuage the feeling that this is a town that has developed in a rather odd way, with three distinct sections growing on the higher grounds with the green fingers of Hebble and Ovenden brooks separating them, with undeveloped high hills looming all around, also the town centre is far from the middle of it. Enough thoughts of urban planning though, I've got to get a hurry on whilst the sun is out again to get to my next feature, scurrying uphill to get to Boy Lane just as it starts to cloud over and the major remnant of the 1890 Halifax St Paul line can appear under the gloom, namely Wheatley Viaduct. It's somewhat disappointing to plan a route this way and to not get sunshine, but the ten arched curve of the viaduct stands proudly above Hebble Brook, and with old houses along the roadside below it, you could almost get a feeling of being in a landscape unchanged for a century if you have the imagination to ignore the ghastly housing development at the valley floor. That's probably the last of the major disused viaducts of the county, unless Lost Railways or Forgotten Relics can turn up on that I have managed to miss, and it's a bit of a shame that such a major relic is unlikely to drop onto my radar again whilst on my travels. Paths beyond lead over Hebble Brook, and the bridleway up to Ovenden Wood Road feels like it is ascending alongside a long storm drain, or at least a channel that lost its stream a long time ago. The road is an even sharper rise, and is cobbled too, unusual to find on a country lane that attracts motor traffic, and I'm not going to go all the way over the high top of Scout edge, instead choosing the bridleway that skirts its way around its slopes, offering a good view back over the viaduct and the adjacent Fountain Head brewery site, once owned by Webster's, Halifax's major brewer which had somehow escaped my notice. The feeling of this lane is of being far out in the country, slipping between farmsteads and attractive 17th century houses, but the reality is we're still not quite out of Halifax, as the tower blocks of Mixenden rise from the valley bottom, where even the highest floors of these are not sufficiently elevated to be higher than the valley sides, and beyond is the Mixenden Estate, not a pretty development, with the reservoir perched above it.
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| Haigh Cote Reservoir |
Press on as the track leads up the hill to Moor End Road, and striking out along Balkram Edge finally has us heading out into countryside, having ascended about 180m since starting out. Wainstalls is our next target, but before we get there, a fine view into Calderdale emerges before the Crossroads Inn, as unlike Airedale and Wharfedale, a broad apron of farmland sits around the 300m contour above the valley, giving the view a wholly different sort of feel. Take in the vista to Luddenden Dean and Midgeley Moor before pressing on to Wainstalls, which doesn't look much on the map, but is quite substantial as I pass through it, supporting a school and a factory, and I wouldn't have figured such a place would reside at this altitude, with Warley and Ovenden Moors only a short distance away, all very pleasant on a sunny day, but kinda frightening in winter, I'd guess. Find a sheltered spot to fold over OL21 and press on to the older corner of the village to strike across the fields, past the easily spooked horses and Moorfield Farm to cross the path of the Calderdale Way, and then on to find the path that leads to the Cold Edge dams, and despite the sunshine, the wind has started to make its present felt and taking a walk along the edge of Leadbeater and Haigh Cote reservoirs is probably not the best way to keep warm. This would be an attractive spot to stop for lunch, if it weren't for the lack of shelter and the warnings that the land around is very private indeed, so press on to achieve the edge of Ovenden Moor. The initial plan is to get in some moorland walking to get up to Cold Edge Road, but a peer over the fence shows lost of waist-height grass and no discernible path, so err cautiously and stick to the bridleway as far as the extremely ruined Moorlands farm, and take the route along the field boundaries, where the most challenging going is presented by a ladder stile that is pitched far too shallow to be of an use, before rolling up at Withens Head farm where the dogs aren't happy to have a guest and there are a lot of bras hanging on the washing line.
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| Ovenden Moor |
Reaching the road and the edge of Ovenden Moor at the 430m contour as the day clouds over again has me realising just how far the warmth of summer has slipped away as the wind tears across from the west and the chill digs into me, and a detour up to the visitor centre has an explanation of why the moor was chosen as the site of a major wind farm, it's consistently windy. Not much shelter to be had, and no real chance to walk amongst the wind turbines either when I'd hoped to photograph them white against a blue sky, but instead get shades of grey. I'll come out and say it here, that I don't think wind farms are a blight on the landscape, they add distinctiveness to hills and are a vision towards a necessary future, indeed, I find them kinda beautiful. Most of the folks who'd complain of their obtrusiveness aren't the sort of people who'd come up here anyway, ant it's a surprise to me how quiet the turbines are, only the faintest hum in my ears compared to the roar of the wind. Press on along Cold Edge Road, definitely living up to its name, with Warley Moor reservoir being our companion below as we take the track out of Calderdale, a trek of a solid mile, offering a view to the largely undistinguished moorlands to the south of the Calder, with only Great Manshead Hill showing distinctiveness, aside from the clearly identifiable Stoodley Pike, of course. Finding the slightest of leas to shelter from the wind provides my lunch spot, where more foot and cycle traffic passes than it did whilst I was walking, and soon find that the nearby layby is a prime spot for boy racers to pull doughnuts and stunts in their Ka's and 206s, maybe it's their preferred spot for watching the power-boating going on down on the reservoir too. Move on, letting Calderdale recede and wondering how Airedale will reveal itself, and again it all appears in a confusing order, with an unidentified hill standing prominent, plainly east of Ingleborough, but not Great Whernside or Buckden Pike, so was it Pen-y-ghent? Sadly it doesn't stay in the landscape long enough for me to be sure, as the track comes around the grassy edge of Ovenden Moor and the Worth Valley opens out to provide the scenery for the remainder of the day.
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| The Nab Hill end of Ovenden Moor |
There's been a lot of road walking for what is meant to be a moorland trip, even the unmetalled surface across the top is only slightly rougher than the tarmacked sections, so depart to pace the grass below the steeply declining Nab Hill end of Ovenden Moor, the point which is distinctive from a distance. Again, we head into long grass, but without much risk of getting lost as I aim for the wall that follows the contour, and it's pleasing to see that there's at least another 100m of moorland down in the direction of Leeming reservoir and its associated mill. Pass what looks like a standing stone with hook shaped grooves in it, but it actually turns out to be a gate post with a companion opposite for retaining poles in place of a hinged gate, and from there the long grass is departed to head back down to the lane and to cross the moorland drain that runs around the 380m contour and to then meet it again on the opposite side of the road, following its edge as I move down to the track of Far Peat road and realise that I have no real idea as to the purpose of these conduits. Cross the road again, and get to some more serious descending, following a track between ruined walls before being dropped into some rough grass without obvious indication of route, pacing the edge of a channel before long grass obliterates the path completely and I have to pick out the lightest of trods and use my poorly tested navigation skills to find the route off the moorland. I know that another moorland drain crosses the hillside at the 320m contour, so heading straight downwards will have me in the right direction, and meeting a small quarry gives me a reference point on my map, and I'm only one field awry from my destination point, and it's all access land so I don't need to feel bad about my wandering. Clamber over the gate that refuses to open and wander down to Upper Isles farm, where I can startle a flock of ducks, and on down to the nicely made-over Lower Isles farm, where a large hen pheasant can be observed at surprisingly close quarters. Depart the tarmacked access road to wander down the grassy rut that is Isles lane, and according to my map, this is was once the only access to the farms above and I wonder how any vehicle managed to ascend a track that requires baby steps to descend it.
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| Lowertown Mill, Oxenhope |
Meet the edge of Oxenhope below the dam of Leeming reservoir, and wander into the village along Jew Lane, featuring some rather nice houses and a Triumph enthusiast displaying his Sunbeam and Stag in the afternoon sunshine, descending to meet what was the industrial quarter of Lowertown, with now made-over mills sitting next to the beck, and a flowing stream indicates our final arrival in the valley of the Worth. Take a detour so as not to be distracted by the fleshpots and hostelries of Oxenhope, detouring up Yate Lane to leave the mashed together building styles of the village to enjoy the shade and views uphill towards Black Moor, following the track of the Brontë Way to my final destination, and that's a long trail from Birstall to Padishaw, aside from the central section from Thornton to Top Withens, the Brontë connection feels pretty tenuous. There are more house to desire along here, indeed every house seem to have been nicely made over or has retained its period character well, and there are a lot of windows in theses houses, many more than in most rural area around the West Riding, indicating that the Worth valley has been both temperate and prosperous. Descend to the A6033 via Dark Lane, another track that lives up to its name, and descend towards Oxenhope railway station, but detour away from it as I meet the K&WVR's overflow car park and join the path by the side of Bridgehouse Beck following it as far as the bridge to make my river crossing and then rise to cross the tracks of the railway, just behind the carriage shed, finding a convenient bench to pause and water before hitting the long drag up to Haworth having descended all the way below the 200m contour. There's also the Railway Children walk following the paths around here, and this one follows the hillside ascent, just to frustrate the enthusiastic child as it's quite a hard pull, and I'm not immediately familiar with any of the locations passed so couldn't tell you if they were in the film or not. Continuing up beyond Marsh Lane, past the house with its own chapel, a look back show the Nab Hill end of Ovenden Moor looking much more like its profile viewed from afar, with the windfarm finally visible again, and it also pretty obvious that the high moors that seperate the Worth from the Calder really does have only three viable routes over the top and as I've already taken two of them and the third has the A6033 on it means that I have already exhausted all the walking possibilities up there, damned good view though.
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| Haworth Parsonage |
Press on past Oldoxenhope Farm, for some more wandering around cattle, and taking in the views toward the half of Haworth that could be called the 'New Town' residing at the valley floor, and up to the edge of Penistone Hill whilst the old town hides from view completely, and then all views are lost as the path meets a hedge of conifers to hide Hole farm from view. One more field to go until the path by Sowden's farm, and I do wonder if they have permission to fly the Royal Standard in their garden, perhaps they have royal visit that's being kept quiet? and then descend to meet the flagged path that leads down into the churchyard, previously visited only a week ago, but this time I'll wander on through the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels to meet Church Lane, to take a close look at Haworth Parsonage. It's not a very attractive building, harsh and austere are the best words to describe it and there are a hundred prettier houses in the vicinity, but it has a remarkable literary significance that cannot be denied, where else has a unique family of sisters who wrote without attachment to any other writers of their era. Of course, every where in Haworth claims some sort of historical affinity to the Brontë sisters, a bit like Salzburg does with Mozart, and that can be a bit grating if you are not a fan, but it keeps the town in business, and whilst the throng is a quarter the size it was last Sunday, this is still probably the busiest tourist town in the county. The Haworth Steam Brewery is filed for future attention and I descend Main Street, which is as unforgiving a slope as any in a town and do not envy those going up it, seeing that enforced tourist traps seems to be the primary thread of business in the shops, then swinging down to Butt Lane to roll further downhill past the old parish school, now redeveloped as Brontë Square, naturally. Meet the footbridge that leads over the end of Haworth Railway station, and even though the steam train is imminent, I'm feeling a bit too cheap to pay for a ride on the K&WVR, and instead make for the bus which I don't have to pay for, and finishing up outside the Conservative club just before 3.30pm, with another moor checked off my list.
Next on the Slate: The Bradford Millenium Way, within a single week!
1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 806.9 miles
(2013 total: 341.6 miles)
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