A weekend drops from the schedule because of foul weather, and it couldn't have come at a better time as work is starting to leave me feeling perpetually run down and I need a spare day to recharge for the coming week and to focus myself for the final push of the season, as I've got three more trips to fit into four weekends and only two weekends of 'free' travel left. Another trip out from Marsden is in order, doing Colne to Calder again, and I set out an hour later than planned, hoping to have allowed time for the early morning mists to have cleared, and feeling like I owe Kirklees district an apology, because in all these month of having rail access to anywhere in West Yorkshire, I have made only two trip into this area, and both of them have been focused on walking out of it. No journeys have been made in the direction of Slaithwaite, Meltham or Holmfirth, and I didn't once ride the line to Penistone, plus obvious targets like Castle Hill and Black Hill avoided my plotting, and I'll have to make my promise to make it up to the district and wander into the unknown paths of Kirklees next year, where my attention will hopefully focus in a direction that isn't north and west.
Marsden to Mytholmroyd, via Slaithwaite Moor, Moss Moor Edge, Blackwood Edge
& Great Manshead Hill. 14 miles
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| The Colne Valley |
This isn't supposed to be long day on the trail, and I guess a 6 hour window is adequate as I depart Marsden at 9.45am, rising over the canal and railway to rapidly find myself in new territory as I ascend the steep track up from Dirker Drive and it's good to get the lung-bursting effort in early. Rapidly pass above the houses that are surely inaccessible in winter, and onto an even steeper rough track that requires careful steps on wet turf and also offers expansive views over Marsden (bigger than you'd think) and right down the Colne valley, and I can feel a bit of positivity as pale sunshine floods the scene, acknowledging unknown hills to the south that can still offer me new experiences when the next season rolls around. Past Huck Hill farm and the rate of ascent slows as the 300m contour is passed, and the track into the moorland fields is extremely wet, requiring a retreat to the slippery paved sections for progress on unsteady feet as the views flatten but more high points reveal themselves, including the aforementioned Castle Hill, and I feel a need to get a move on as the clouds gather to the south. The track onto Slaithwaite Moor is never in doubt, but it is terribly wet, amazing just how much water can be retained in moorland grass and regular stops are needed to find the driest route, even walking along the top of the ruined stone wall in places, which would surely appal those who look after our countryside. Excellent colours to be had too, finally getting that shading of green and brown with a golden top, the colour you would expect on a grassy moor, and the path improve once on the Shaw Heys section of the National Trust Marsden Moor estate, offering a more defined surface and duck boards to cross the streams, and beyond that a hard gravel surface is gained (as well as an incongruous bench) for easy progress to the moorland dam that encloses Cupwith Reservoir, which has no obvious valve working or sign of Yorkshire water ownership, oddly. The high point of the moor rises behind it, but we'll be peaking at 385m, some 40m below the top of Cupwith Hill, and we pass out of the Colne Valley and move into the Blackburne Valley meeting the high moorland road, so hello again to the A640, still light on traffic and not obviously going anywhere.
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Scammonden Water
& Deanhead Reservoir |
It's somewhat gloomy on the high road, but that doesn't stop me meeting dag walkers venturing onto the moor, or meeting a jogger coming over from the west and I immediately think that this is one hardcore dude as a look on the map will reveal no obvious place that he could have come from. Still, the top offers views to the hills above Slathwaite and down the valley towards Elland, and Moss Moor isn't that distant either but our trail will have to traverse the valley before we can get there, so steps are take down the track to Watermans House, where devastation seems to rule, getting a view of the reservoirs that dominate the Blackburne valley. Scammonden Water is the big one to the east, familiar to anyone who crosses the M62, but we are heading downhill rapidly across the fields down to Deanhead reservoir, secluded among the steeply rising valley sides that surround it and the clough is feeling nicely remote as I wander across the dam residing at 300m, a good spot to break for elevenses before finding my way up the other side. It's way too steep to assault directly, so the footpaths zig-zag up hill, and initial attention is drawn to a pair of ruined farmsteads, clearly long lost to history and interest in them has me not paying attention to the path and I wander well off piste into the long grass before spotting the corner that I missed, at least having had the best view down the valley before I have to back track. Choose to walk above the groove in which the path lies, staying out of the long wet grass for as long as possible and to enjoy the views before I need to pass through the gate, and that leads up to next corner (well signposted) and the ascent follows another moorland groove up through the long grass to the top of the hill to meet Saddleworth Road above the 380m contour, and it might have been a quarter mile as the crow flies but it took around 50 minutes to traverse the clough, so this 'short' walk suddenly feels like it is going to become very time consuming.
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Booth Wood Reservoir
& Stott Hall Farm |
Moss Moor extend way out to the west from here, offering no tracks of any kind for the walker, but it's only a short wander over to the hill crest to enter the valley of the Ryburn, meeting Moss Moor Edge and gaining a whole new vista, looking downstream towards Rishworth and Ripponden, with Rishworth Moor dominating to the northwest, and the familiar sights of the M62 and Booth Wood Reservoir residing below. You are not going to get a feeling of solitude or remoteness with the motorway roaring away, but the path is devoid of life, and follows a wall as it roams downhill again, with a lot of long grass and uneven surfaces to negotiate, with that familiar profile of Moss Moor Edge revealing itself as I go. The trail will be sticking to the more civilised edge of the moor as it swing east to head down to High Moss barn at the 300m contour, not that I don't have to extricate myself from some very sticky mud before meeting the level track that leads alongside the motorway, and I'll again wave to the passing traffic before passing beneath it on the track that leads to Stott Hall farm, that famous one which sits between the carriageways, where the local sheep can view me with suspicion. It's nearly 100m down to the bottom of Booth Dean Clough, and I'll be following the road down rather than the more direct footpath, as that allows me to wander up to the top of the dam of Booth Wood reservoir, a rarity in concrete rather than the common earth embankments, and then to travel 70m further down hill, successfully getting around the locked gate on the access road before hitting Smithy Lane. Standing below the dam in the narrow valley makes me realise the necessity of building it in concrete and it's the only one that I have ever seen water spilling over the top of when it has reached capacity, not today though, it is merely looking massively imposing as I move on to ascend back up 70m to meet the A672. Follow the main road up to the information board to note that the reservoir was constructed in 1971 to supply water to Wakefield, but I won't be lunching here due to an excess of flies, and then I can't find the path that I think should lead me uphill and have to go as far as The Turnpike (another ideally placed lunchtime pub) before following Pike End Road before finding the footpath that leads up behind Rishworth Lodge, another hunting lodge with a Gothic feel.
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Baitings Reservoir
& Great Manshead Hill |
It's to the edge of Rishworth Moor that we next head, taking the farm track up to Boan Cottage and then across the fields of sheep to the wall crossing that leads onto the grassy edge of the moor and my arrival has me falling in a ditch when I discover the banks provide no traction whatsoever. My shaky legs clearly needs rest and recharge, so pace on over the top and the 360m contour pretty quickly to meet Blackwood Edge and the steep descent into the main branch of the Ryburn valley, and the path wanders in a wacky fashion when the map suggest it traces the wall straight downhill, and it's careful steps down to a point where the wind drops and I can sit down for a sheltered lunchbreak. Admire the view, with Great Manshead and Baitings reservoir at the centre, and look out over Rishworth Moor, showing a bold orange shading, and lament the fact that I don't have enough walking season left to go over the top from Ryburn to Roch, before setting off down hill again. On through another mudslide, before crossing the fields to Blackwood Farm, upsetting the sheep dogs and scrambling over an impassable gate as I go, down a very vague path to the broken gate that drops me onto Long Causeway (another road name that shows up everywhere) and bottoming out at Hutch Brook at 200m. Then it's follow a walking party of Mums and Daughters up to the chapel at Parrock Nook before taking the track to Lower Wormald before cross-countrying over the rise to Higher Wormald and Upper Schole Carr and descending to the concrete high dam of Baitings Reservoir, which seems to describe an S-shaped curve, which should be ridiculously unstable if my understanding of engineering is correct. Follow the permissive path along the southern edge of the reservoir, yet another that sits well below capacity, looking towards Great Manshead with increasing interest and listening to the roar of water pouring in at the northern shore, also greeting the last bunches of other walkers that I will be seeing today. Emerge from the shelter of the trees to cross Baiting Viaduct over the western edge of the reservoir, and it's been fenced off to prevent motor access meaning it must have been safe on those occasions that I was driven over Back o' th' Height. Rise to pass under the power lines that stretch out over Rishworth Moor and then out onto the A58, one of the few main roads in the country that feels like it hasn't changed at all since the 1950s, and then it's westward to find the path to Great Manshead Hill.
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| Great Manshead Summit |
The permissive path over Yorkshire Water's aquifer starts on the edge of Greenwood Clough, and it's an immediately challenging mudslide to the crossing and up the slope to the path on its eastern bank, a seemingly unnecessary detour that probably avoids even stickier going at the base of the clough. Along the wall edge past Manshead Farm, where someone is aggressively putting paperwork on the bonfire judging by the quantity of embers drifting across the landscape, and the path to the beck crossing at 300m is horribly carved up, completely lacking a walkable surface which is a common problem on rotes that are not actual PROWs. Follow the clough over marshy grass up to the next crossing where the path swings north and sets a direct course for the summit, and I don't welcome stile crossings over a pair of wire fences before hitting that pitch that isn't friendly to my tiring legs and despite the sight of rocks sticking out from the long grass, I'm not sure if this is going to be a false summit or not. I can't manage a hurry up to the top, the 60m to the plateau edge taking a good quarter hour, focusing on the guide cairn and taking views south to see the day's trail emerging with the rising hills, but the cairn arrives and with it relief as the panorama to the south is enhanced by the sunshine breaking through with that autumnal hue. Its a fine 300 degree panorama to the south, showing all the high points from Emley Moor transmitter, all the way round the Marsden hills and Rishworth Moor, Blackstone Edge and Rossendale, and around to Stoodley Pike and Cragg Vale, yet another modest hill that offers the best sort of viewpoint. The actual summit is not too far along, or up for that matter, only 417m and providing the scope northwards to the hills above Calderdale, with Crow Hill offering itself as a nearby diversion, but as I pause to water and snack, I realise that the map is offering me at least another two hours of walking to get to the finish line and this modest day is never going to get a 4pm finish, so due course will have to be set towards Ovenden Moor and Soil Hill on the distant horizon, with no scope for deviation as I'm forced to walk against the risks of fading light and oncoming rainclouds.
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| Highland Cattle on Water Stalls Road |
It's a long pull over the Manshead upland, with the slightest of leas between its two higher points, but a nice walk, bathed in a golden glow from the seasonally coloured grass, slightly spoiled by the regular wet spots and dark mud, but with the shifting afternoon sunshine and varying views down into Cragg Vale and Calderdale, it's a good walk and once again, I've got the whole hillside to myself. The path eventually sidles its way down the farm track that doesn't appear to go anywhere, and joining this surface brings us down to the edge of the moorland, and that also brings up the Starfish bunker and the track of the Calderdale way, also marking the point where my brain starts to wish that it was in the pub, unfortunate when I know the finish line is still a long way off. No descending into the valley or taking the lower routes as I determine to stay above the 350m contour for as long as possible, retracing the Calderdale Way along the high bridlepath that goes on for much longer than it feel like it should, and my legs aren't finding a higher gear for the late-day stretches. Spot the points familiar from the last time I came this way, from Catherine House to Withens Clough reservoir, and also recall that the path junction was a muddy nightmare in September 2012 and guess that it will be even worse after the rains and the previous week and the fact that all the cattle that graze these hills seem to herd over this one spot for maximum churning. Sure enough this particular corner is muddy as all hell and particularly odd that all the cattle in the area are Highlands, especially docile despite the horniness, and can be easily shooed from the track and I'm not force to take evasive manoeuvres when ankle deep in mud and filth. After encountering a herd on Flasby Fell last year, I guess the Highlands might be late season feature, but I've never seen so many in one spot, not even in Scotland, and I do have to wonder is their copious hair soft or coarse? or surprisingly greasy like a sheep? Never gotten close enough to find out! Plough on along Water Stalls lane once the cattle have dispersed and it's water themed name is well earned as it regularly flooded to ankle depth and my leaky boots don't enjoy it at all, so relief comes when a hard surface is gained, leading to High Stones round and the beginning of the decent.
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| Stake Lane & Calderdale |
First stretch is a footpath down through one of those woods that doesn't appear on the map for some reason, and it's dank and airless going before emerging onto a virtually unwalkable track down past a fishing pond, and the direct path continues on down Aaron Hill straight towards Moor Side farm, a pretty obvious path trough the heather and long grass. The difficulty with this path is the ground turns out to be about a foot lower down than the apparent surface that you are walking on, another of those trail grooves, and this provokes much stumbling and disappearing into the undergrowth as the sunlight starts to fade, and my tired legs fail to see the funny side of the situation, feeling great relief when I can get back onto the farm tracks. The bridlepaths don't seem to promote straightforward descents in any direction, offering odd corners and diversions off the best surfaces, and I'm deeply unimpressed when a stretch along a broken wall ends with a barbed wire fence blocking the way, and I have to do my best flexing to squeeze around the fencepost without doing myself any damage. The following track is horrible and barely qualifies as a path at all, and gate signage claims that it is only a permissive right of way at the discretion of the landowner, but I'll have it that OL21 claims otherwise. Anyway, back on the even track of Miry Lane, below the Nab End quarry and above the last and unexpected moor of the day, descending below the 300m contour to meet Stake Lane and the descent to the Calder Valley, finally getting the looming masses of Midgeley Moor on the opposite bank and a look up to Heptonstall through the blue-tinged haze of the gathering gloom. The descending track is around 180m down in about half a mile, so worryingly steep all the way, starting out on rock and turf before shifting onto cobbles, which are ridiculously slippery, before finally hitting the tarmac, and for all the pain it gives me calves, it is a track which offers some good views over Mytholmroyd as you go, revealing itself to be a lot bigger than I'd acknowledged. Descend into a previously unseen corner of the town, with full sight down to the railway station as the church chimes for 5pm, and that convinces me that I'm due a wait before I can ride home, but roll up to find that the train is running late and I don't think I've ever been so delighted by that turn of the events.
So homeward bound, with sore legs after a moderate day turned into a long one, with 14 miles taking longer than 16.5 miles did on my previous trip from Colne to Calder, and an accurate plot of the day's route shows up that my original distance done by a rough plot was somewhat short, claiming only 12.8 miles. I guess I must be losing my touch, lucky that the season is almost at its end, as I think I'm going to need a mental and physical recharge.
Next on the Slate: Calder to Worth (again)!
1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 904.7 miles (2013 total: 439.4 miles)
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