Kirklees Way #6: Hepworth to Marsden 20/09/14

Self at Hepworth

Moving into the third day of a head cold is not the way to be going when you have the last day of a major trail on your schedule, but I'm not feeling too bad all things considered, there's certainly no restriction being felt in my lungs, so I feel that I need to get a move on as this is notionally the last weekend of Summer, and this isn't something I need loitering on my schedule any further into Autumn. Indeed, i am otherwise occupied for two of the coming three weekends, and if this day doesn't get walked soon, it could still be on my un-walked as the third week of October rolls around and who knows how the weather or my physical condition might be holding up by then? Anyway, I'm dubbing September as Completion Month, as I aim to get this trail done and another major walking target off the slate before Autumn brings the short and cold days that do not inspire me to putting down the miles with alacrity. So take an early start and onwards, for the 100 minute ride by rail and road to Hepworth and its distant corner of Kirklees, beneath skies that don't suggest the slightest possibility of sunshine, but also carry a forecast of no rain, still feeling brave enough to don only the gilet and to see if my dodgy respiratory system can handle the moisture laden air that will be hanging heavy today.

Kirklees Way #6: Hepworth to Marsden  12.7 miles

Morton Wood & Dean Dike

Head up to the Butchers Arms for a 9.40am start, and speed will probably not be of the essences today as my body is unlikely to feel spurred to it, and for the first time since starting out on the way, the route guide and I will be on the exact same page as legs 11 and 12 combine to form my day 6. Depart the village, among the farms and cottages along Upper Gate, looking like expensive commuter homes despite the distance from other towns, and you do have to wonder how somewhere so remote could be so soot blackened, and the village is left behind as I slither down a path to one of those horrible vertical stiles, which always seem to be encountered going down for some reason. This leads us out to the lane down to Dean Bridge, looking back to see the bus I rode in on still parked in its reversing space, before tramping the road down to the hairpin where it takes the steep route out towards Scholes, and I depart it to follow the path into Morton Wood to follow the hidden glade that rises around Dean Dike. Every one of these concealed woodland walks always comes as a surprise to me, regardless of where they might be, despite having found them all over the country, and the length of this one immediately raises it to the top rank, even though its is slick and sticky in equal measure after general wetness in the preceding week, and I'm sure some proper autumn rains could render it heavy going as the track rises and falls, in its initial stages, crossing the stream multiple times via stepping stones and footbridges. Good walking terrain, despite the legs already feeling wobbly, and the slickness on the wooden boards of the bridges proves more challenging than any of the natural going, eventually rising away from the stream, and being teased with apparent exits from the wood as the path follows the western branch up to the ruins of an old woollen mill, long lost to history before finally re-emerging to country civilisation among the cottages around Upper House farm, and rise to the road beyond once one local has had to restrain his dog that is ridiculously exited to find a visitor to its locale. Leave Upper Hose Lane to head over to Scholes Moor Road, via the field boundaries and tracks by Spring Head farm, taking in the oddly level farm land that dwells at this elevation, right on the edge of moorland altitude, before heading south with Boshaw Whams reservoir filling the depression off to the east, the first of many on today's trail, and the village of Hade Edge being our next target.

Holme Styes Reservoir

A look back sees the high hillsides above Hepworth already disappearing in the cloudy haze, and so I feel that the high hills of the district are unlikely to be forming a dramatic backdrop for this last day of the Kirklees Way, and once across Penistone Road, I can ponder the oddness of Hade Edge, surely one of the highest villages in the county, remote from anywhere in particular (and only a couple of miles from the Don Valley too) but still having its own suburban growth, chicken farms that ensure the smell can linger in the throat, and a village hall that hosts its own brass band, it is indeed true that as a city boy, I really do have no idea of what motivates country folk. No more steps will be taken towards the Holme - Don watershed, instead taking the lane out of the village and onto the field path that leads down through the grazing cattle towards Holme Styes Reservoir, the second one on the day and well hidden from view as the confers on the opposite banks hides the reflection of the sky until you are almost upon it. The path follow the track around its southern edge, and brings out other people onto the trail, despite the lack of obvious rights of way around it, and its a nicely quiet corner, where the fungi can grow to immense size without being trodden upon, and you could be forgive for heading off on a circuit of it as the departing path of the way is well hidden beneath the foliage. Even then, I'm not sure if the right path up the edge of Reynard clough is taken, and the sudden gaining of elevation gives the lungs and legs a stiff workout as I rise through a lot of damp heather to find another of the wayside art projects, though 'Three Arches' is largely obscured by an overgrowth of grass and could easily have been missed. The way meets a broad track, taking an obvious route out of the plantation above the reservoir casting a direct line towards Elysium farm, which the route guide declare derelict, but seem pretty well occupied to my eyes, and the wide and stony farm tracks provide relatively good and level going, but they strike me as dismally boring as they right angle out towards Copthurst Moor plantation and White Gate Road. Angling onto Ramsden Road, another track provides a bit more enthusiasm as a look to the north reveals the main body of the Holme Valley emerging, but little can be made out among the white haze and I start to feel that this day might need to be walked again as I am not getting the dramatic views that I should be seeing. The Crow Hill viewpoint confirms this as the way ahead appears through the mist, but he views towards Holfirth and Holmbridge are completely lost, and off to the south the shroud of clouds conceals the outcropping rocks at the top of Ramsden Cough, on the edge of Holme Moss, with only the merest suggestions of their dramatic appearance.

Underhill, Holme

Having hugged the boundary of it, the route enters the Peak District National Park, bringing a reminder that it is much closer to home than the distant corners of Derbyshire, and the stony path settles into a groove as it starts to descend again, gently but still providing a surface that is uneven enough to be challenging, angling again at the edge of Riding Wood before slipping onto a grassy track, leaving you wondering what might have gouged up the track so badly. The path eases as it drops down to the car park and lane above Ramsden Reservoir, #3 on the day, and you start to get the impression that none of the water supply has to travel very far to get to its destination in Kirklees, and as the path moves to cross the dam of the reservoir, we can look right to have the length of Brownhill Reservoir stretched out below us, and that's #4. Rising through the perimeter wood, you start to wonder just how many arms the Holme valley actually has, as we have been on the up hill and down dale since entering it, and attention is drawn to the west as the clouds attempt to hide Holme Moss from view, and even though very little of it can be seen, you get the feeling of something very big and remote being concealed. The track drops to cross Rake Dike, branching off from the reservoir and providing another of those secret waterfalls that is very hard to photograph, before rising out from the tree cover to rise along the field edges towards Holme, and the first thing to grasp you as the village appears is the house to your left, named Underhill and almost completely beneath the ground, I'm pretty certain that I recognise it from an appearance on Blue Peter or Tomorrow's World at some point in the early 1980s. The only way into the village is along the A6024, Woodhead Road, thankfully free of traffic, and this is the last outpost of civilisation at this end of the valley before the bulk of Holme Moss takes over to the west, now feeling much more apparent above the collection of farmsteads and cottages that sit up here, surely a village for only the hardiest of souls. One that has been here for quite a while though, judging by the gates preserved by the small playground, featuring stonework dated back to Norman Times, it also marks the last viable point to beat a retreat, as the moors await me on the trail, and I'm thankfully still feeling pretty good, so I pass the end of leg 11 and head onto the final stretch, focusing attention towards Digley reservoir (#5), cover feature of my ancient E288, and distant across many fields divided by too many squeeze stiles that were not designed to be used by folk of my short stature.

Digley & Bilberry Reservoirs

Eventually meet the perimeter path that is still some distance from the actual shore, encountering a large walking group coming the other way, which isn't something I've seen a lot of outside of the Dales, and a nicely located bench gives me a good spot to lunch and to look out over the surface of the youngest of the local reservoirs, constructed in 1952, and also admiring the exposed rock strata on the far bank as I consume all of the food in my bag to charge me up for the final push. Set off on the perimeter path, taking careful steps as it descends down stepped rocks towards the shore level, avoiding many dog walkers on the ascending path, running down to the massive stone dam of Bilberry Reservoir (#6), probably built so large to contain a relatively small body of water as it had previously been breached in 1852 and 1944, and it fits neatly into Marsden clough, which stretches westward, deep into the Pennine moors, with the Black Hill end of Holme Moss rising beyond it. The moorland walk awaits once the sharply turning path out of the clough has been ascended, and I'm thankful that a decent rural track it underfoot, walled on both sides as it rises parallel to the valley below, and the weather starts to feel like it might close in, but the watering holds off, and I'm thankful that I am down here and not 500+m up on Black Hill, which looks like it is suffering whiteout conditions. This is one of those tracks that elevates you over 150m without you really noticing, only looks back to the receding reservoirs illustrating the height gain, and its not a moor that feels too remote, as the A635 Greenfield Road rumbles away high up the hillside, and three groups of farm buildings along the way could provide shelter in a worst case scenario, and whilst the first pair are predictably derelict, Goodbent Lodge looks positively inviting with its bay windows and tidy paintwork, despite its proximity to the 400m contour. The good track is left behind above the point where Marsden clough divides and the path rises above the northern fork, Reap Hill Clough, following a grass track as it runs along the perimeter of the woods above the valley, muddily crossing the streams running into it, and thankfully avoiding the moorland groove through which the Way once ran as a new route has been cut through the drier ground amongst the oceans of bracken. The only real stretch of moorland walking comes after that, following a wall and then ascending the last 50m or so over rough grass to the crossing of the A635, and the Holme - Colne watershed, coming up to the roadside where a refreshment van dwells in the lay by, and I'm not sure if they can really make a living from passing traffic in this location, and don't aid them any by not grabbing a bacon roll and a mug of sweet tea whilst my body is feeling like it could really use them.

Wessenden Head Reservoir

So summit of the trail met at 451m, and the white fuzzy cloud which shrouded the Holme Valley and Black Hill is left behind, and altogether better conditions sit above the Colne valley, the cloud still thick but keeping well off the hillsides to give a much clearer aspect, and as we start off along Wessenden Head Road, for brief moment the high point of Meltham Moor, West Nab, rears into view before the whole bulk of that high hill is lost as the track follows the Pennine way into the valley of Wessenden Brook, and a wholly unfamiliar bunch of hills rise in the west, comprising the large area of Marsden moor into which I have never ventured. More reservoirs are the tale of most of the remainder of the day, the first of which Wessenden Head (#7) is small but can be artistically framed by the installation feature at the top of the valley, and it's a long walk down to it's edge, and the brain starts to go to the pub as it thinks 'all downhill from here' when it should know that river valleys and reservoirs rarely present the easiest of going, and also be aware that it is still a solid 4 miles to the finish line. The path takes a rollercoaster route in the long gap down to the next body of water, rising and falling as the path slips into a couple of interceding cloughs, and I'm surprised how quiet it is out here, as I'd have expected to find a few more people out to have a stretch from Marsden or sampling a stretch of the Pennine Way, and arriving above Wessenden Reservoir (#8) has the view mostly obscured by a wall of bracken as I take the long drop down to the level of the dam, but enough can be seen to confirm that this batch of reservoirs are being maintained well below capacity. The yellowing moorland grass passes as the track becomes firmer as the route continues down the valley, with trees erupting down by the stream, and rocky gashes are cut into the valley sides by more streams pouring in off the increasingly purple moorlands, and if you pause, the only sound on the air is the sound of these various cascades, with no wind or human noises to interrupt them. The Pennine Way departs on its crazy path northwards, and the valley narrows to accommodate Blakeley Reservoir (#9), and it has pretty dramatic aspect as the path rides high above its sides, clad in bracken and trees, and I find a bench next to a rocky promontory where I can stop for watering, feeling like my battery is starting to discharge, happy that I've gotten this far and the route isn't going to offer any more evil surprises, but also feeling that coming out was clearly a mistake as I'm going to be at about 50% once today is done.

Marsden Mechanics Hall

A good feeling comes on as I set off again, though, as the next turn in the valley reveals the hills on the other side of the Colne valley, so the finish line isn't too far away, and it's taken a long time to appear too, so paces quicken slightly as I drop past the dam and roll out onto the long walled track alongside Butterley Reservoir (#10), the last and largest of the bodies down the Wessenden Valley, where the outer edges of Marsden reveal themselves above the dam, and a dramatic view emerges behind me, looking so much better than it did when viewed from afar two months ago. Voices travelling on the breeze startle me for a moment, until I locate them as belonging to local kids down on the reservoir shore, out to enjoy their own alone time and the path hits its only really worrisome spot, as it slides below a rough rock face, just opposite the dam, the valve tower and the hugely scaled run off channel, which make you realise that a relatively small river catchment can still acquire a huge amount of water in the right conditions. Finally arrive on the road again, and Binns Lane is to be followed to the town, when it looks like the descending path down to the stream and mills might be the more interesting route, but as I move along by the stone terraces, the other end of Meltham moor, Deer Hill, rises above us, giving warning that that particular upland is going to be a pretty challenging task for the future. Take right by the ground of Marsden FC, where the team are receiving particularly profane encouragement from the side-lines, and I pace on among the newer houses in the best imitation of the local vernacular as the skies seem to gather ever more threateningly, taking left onto Peel Street by the park and crossing the A62 next the New Inn (not to be confused with the Old New Inn) and down onto the main drag of the town, where the crowds of shoppers and revellers come as a bit of a surprise, and the building to draw attention is the Mechanics Hall, with its clock tower. There are many pubs to draw the attention if I were to be seeking a pint to celebrate closing the loop, but the town seems to crawling with stag groups and folks out on the lash, and it seems that few places would cater for a tired and stinky walker on an occasion like this, so cross over the Colne, just to prove that it does run through this town, and up the final pull along Station Road, the mild sting in the day's tale to roll up to Marsden station and close the circle at 3.40pm. That's been a slow day, but a good one seeing is it feels like my battery is flat, and I've missed the targeted train, but it won't be a long wait for the bus, even though the rain finally comes on minutes after my arrival, and despite my poor condition, 2014 self looks back to the trepidatious 2012 version who though the Kirklees Way might be a bit too challenging and to say '75 miles o'er hill and dale? A Doddle.'

Self at Marsden, again.

Next on the Slate: Over the top to finally make a claim on Pendle Hill.


1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 1324.7 miles
(2014 total: 411.5 miles)

(Up Country Total: 1229.1 miles)

(Solo Total: 1109.2 miles)

(Declared Total: 1116.5 miles)