Calderdale Way #3: Todmorden to Heptonstall 06/10/12

Self in Todmorden

Having mostly shaken off my bout of what I think must have been Fresher's Flu, I return to the trail, assuming that a walk of just over 9 miles shouldn't be all that strenuous. I ought to know better of course, as the rote guide warns of this being the hardest section of the walk and I know that one of the paths I'll be ascending is one of the most brutal gradients I've ever attempted and that there really are no easy paths in Calderdale. So out comes my new stick, to aid me on the ascents and descents, and feeling hopeful for another good day on the trail as the morning sunshine blazes through and the sting of a cool Autumn morning greets me as I arrive in Todmorden, ready to hit the apex of the Calderdale Way, and to start on the eastward stretch.

Calderdale Way #3: Todmorden to Heptonstall.  9.3 miles


Dobroyd Castle

At 9.20am in Todmorden, it feels like I have gotten up before everyone living locally as the town feels deserted and the sun only just manages to peak over the hillsides, and the route takes me down the A6033 as far as the local Morrison's and heads out of town up Dobroyd Road, over the Rochdale canal at bridge 30a and over the railway by a foot crossing. No trains to dodge there and the ascent starts in earnest under the cover of trees up the cobbles and gravel of the lane, having the stick does make me feel a bit easier on my feet, though most of the problems I have in the early sections of any day's walk are due to me being overloaded with excess liquids in my bag. Onward past Dobroyd Castle gatehouse and to Stones Road, where an imperious cat is regarding me with suspicion as I take in the view towards Gauxholme and Walsden, and around the hairpin bend to emerge on the lane that overs views over the Todmorden end of Calderdale and getting sight of Stoodley Pike, which will be keeping us company today. We're high above Dobroyd Castle, a castellated mansion of the 1860s, which seems to be an outdoors activity centre judging by the sounds of kids out on the boating lake (at this time of day and year? the mind boggles...). The lane ends and leads to a field walk between the local farmsteads, offering views north and east that are all good for the scrapbook, before we reach the apex of the Way at Todmorden Edge Farm, which is also the top of this hill and from there the descent starts back to the valley floor. The concrete path is frighteningly slippery, the walled path is moist and soaks my trouser legs and the path down through Ewood Wood (!) is about two feet wide with a 50 degree slope down to the left and every footfall lands in a mix of dark mud and mulch. Atmospheric as you like, but not the best going and it's definitely hard to keep a good pace up through it, and hitting the real road is a relief as we can descend on a firmer footing, around Centre Vale park, and pass through the chlorinated blast of hot air coming out of Todmorden leisure centre. The Fielden Centre looks like one of the nicest community halls anywhere, and the second crossing of the Calder could easily be missed as it passes in a channel by the roadside.

Whirlhaw Stones

Hello A646 and we're back in Todmorden again, having walked 2.5 miles but are only about half a mile from where we started out, but it's away from the town we head, past the Hare & Hounds, a pub car park I know from my Bridestones Moor ramble in 2008, and we leave the main road at Stoney Moor Road to leave suburban Tod behind, and start out onto the steepest farm track that I know. All steady going until the bridge carrying the railway out to East Lancashire, and then the ascent picks up along to Stannally Farm, and the gets sharper still and hairpins twice without letting up until you pass above the tree line. Pause for water and push on as the views improve of valley and gritstone outcrops both, passing Stoney Moor farm and hitting the high lane that follow the 320 metre contour. Plenty of breath is gasped in at this point, and that is still one of the most singularly unpleasant uphill paths that I've walked, I'm sure there are far, far worse, but for now it'll do for me. The high lane isn't particularly easy going from here, rather too many puddles for my liking but a stick is handy for probing your way along, and the fun rock outcrops of Bridestones Moor have to be bypassed, a further 80 metres up the hill, and our route takes us around Whirlhaw Stones, a distinctive crimson patch of moorland easily identifiable from the valley floor There's less drama in the gritstone outcrops here, but it's a good spot to take your beers to enjoy the view above Todmorden, if you're willing to haul yourself all the way up the hillside, of course.


Stoodley Pike from Law Hill

East Whirlhaw Farm is one of the nicest looking farms I've so far encountered on my walks, complete with Border Collies peering out of the hayloft, and there's more of those serious gritstone walls to accompany me as an unwanted descent starts down Scrapers Lane, where many notices indicate a missing dog and that we are at the perimeter of Cally Hall farm. An unwanted descent is followed by an unwanted ascent, and you wonder why the path couldn't have found a route higher up the hillside, so field walk for a way until you meet Todmorden Golf Course, a fine way to ruin a bit of high land. I fail to trace the path and so walk along the edge of the fairway, fancying myself as Michael Douglas in 'Falling Down'. Hey Head Lane is met and the farm at East Hey Head has a fibreglass elephant and gorilla in its yard, to lend it a distinctive flavour, and then field walk until the path crosses a bridleway heading downhill in a deep cutting, and strangely cross a patch of uncultivated moor at Law Hill. The path appears easy to trace beyond there, apparently following the contour, but it's much more up and down than that, so nab a spot for lunch before negotiating a couple of becks cutting down the hillside, getting through carved up fields and negotiating around farms, noting that many farms in these parts have few windows in their north-facing walls, indicating that the builders of the past had good sense in their souls. A track with completely broken down walls is an awkward obstacle as we carry on up to the lane which joins Eastwood Road, another bit of horrible going, ending in a bog.


Great Rock

My route guide says 'carry on to Great Rock' and I wonder what that might mean until I realise that it is a direction that needs to be taken quite literally as it is a Great Rock, a huge hunk of gritstone lunging out into the landscape at the end of the lane, Quite unexpected and home to some ambitiously carved graffiti. The path goes north, away from shadowing the Calder, to pass the home of more Llama farming and ascending to offer views down to Hebden Bridge and sight of the church in Heptonstall, our destination which is still quite distant. We cross the edge of Staubs Moor, for more fun marshiness and the day finally takes a turn for the cloudy as we descend to cross Hippins Bridge, and this starts to feel like a frustrating detour until you realise the alternative was taking a much steeper passage of further down Hippins Clough. Blackshaw Head is our next target, found by going around the farms and ascending their field boundaries, and it's the first settlement of note since we left Todmorden, and it's really not much of a village if truth be told. The ascent continues across the Long Causeway and more field walking offers views towards the farmsteads of Colden and Slack, and off into the high moors beyond. As we descend, again, my legs start to feel like they've had enough for today, but there's still more walking to be done, and the paths beyond Shaw Bottom Farm have us running into both the Pennine Bridleway and Pennine Way in short order.

Colden Clough

Descend to cross Colden Water, and sharply ascend the other side to meet a path that hugs the top of the woods and seem to be made of slabs sticking out from under the wall, and that all feels a bit precipitous until we can move out of the trees and onto firmer ground. The sun comes out again as this farm track is followed, which teases us with glimpses between the trees down into Colden Clough but never quite giving us a proper look. At Slater Ing Lane, the view finally comes up and it is a breathtaking one, with the trees starting to light up with autumnal colour, you'd probably expect more colour at this time of year but our wet summer seems to have kept the trees green for much longer than usual. The view is lost as the lane move back to the tree line, and off Green Lane the path wanders into the forest in quite the most vague way, with only the slightest indication of direction, the route guide tells you to keep to the upper edge and that's good direction as you would instinctively avoid the boulders and head down the slope otherwise. The path emerges into the open after a while and if the previous view of Colden Clough was applause worthy, the view from here is due a standing ovation. You find yourself perched above gritstone outcrops with Colden Clough to your right and the heavily wooded sides of the Calder valley ahead of you, the edge of Hebden Bridge below and Stoodley Pike high in the distance. It's a path to savour, and just as well because I've been going really slowly and it feel like a remote view that hardly anyone has seen until you realise that the houses on the bottom edge of Heptonstall are just over the wall to your left.


The Best View, Ever!

I could happily sat there to savour the view for hours, maybe I will find a reason to picnic up here in the future, but for now I'll have to bid the view farewell, and take the footpath into Heptonstall. I couldn't say I was one over by the recent building on this side of the village, but the old village is as gorgeous as any, though it is in the oddest of places, abandoned high on a hill above the Calder, but the tourist are out in force to make the place seem busy after all my hours of solitude, The things to see here is the pair of churches of St Barnabas, the abandoned medieval one and its Victorian replacement, and the octagonal Non-conformist chapel, all things worthy of an explore when you have time available. Time for beer in The Cross Inn? Nope, it's 3.40pm and my legs are sore as they've ever been, this was probably the single most painful day of walking of the year (but also one of the best) and I'm in no mood to take the long descent into Hebden Bridge, I'm going to let the bus take the strain for me!

To Be Continued...

1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 383.4 miles