The Halifax Circular 17/10/20

14.5 miles, from Sowerby Bridge, via Warley Town, Newlands Gate, Warley Common, 

 Mount Tabor, Moor End, Mixenden, The Bank, Illingworth, Holdsworth, Holmfield, 

  Slack End, Swales Moor, Pule Hill, Pepper Hill, Claremount, Beacon Hill, Bank Top, 

   Whitegate, Siddal, Salterhebble, Skircoat Green, Long Wood, Scar Bottom, and Pye Nest. 

Just like last year, it's taken a bit of a while to get to my late season Urban Circular plan, as all those schemes between the Colne and Calder just kept on coming, leaving us with only a small sliver of the year left for us to tilt at the last long trail of the year, returning to Saturday walking at the conditions don't look favourable for either day of the weekend, and aiming for an early start as the changeable conditions on the Pennine fringe could easily take a turn at any point after we've laid down our start line at just after 9.00am at Sowerby Bridge station. Thus we depart from the north entrance, onto Holmes Road and immediately head for the Calder crossing between the mill sites at the valley floor, and head up the ginnel that drops us out onto the A58 Wharf Street, which is crossed by the pub on the corner, across from Christ Church as we join Tuel Lane, the short A6139 as it presses its way uphill out of the valley, over the deep lock 3/4 on the Rochdale canal and on past the Lidl store and the tower blocks that loom over the townlet. It's a stiff climb, as is well known in the valley, and there's going to be about 200m of it to do as we aim ourselves to the west of Halifax, on among the terraces and the old school which sit above the blocks of flats as we press on upward, meeting more than one false summit on the lane with frankly inadequate pavements as we rise up, past the Waiters Arms inn to meet the A646 Burnley Road, which has been the northern boundary to our field for the year so far, beyond which a suburban ribbon strings itself along the rising Blackwall Lane. We land in countryside proper as we meet Water Hill Lane, which continues the climb, giving us looks up and down the Calder valley as well as a look back up the Ryburn to the south, as gloom and the hiss of low cloud starts to blanket the scenery, while we still have an upward trajectory to trace as we head up, around the cricket field and  towards Warley Town, a still rural village beyond the reach of the town to the east, which has cottages with fine views on its lower half, ahead of the shaded passage around past Cliff Hill house and the Grange, with the main street, as such beyond. Here we find the Maypole inn, the chapel, and the drinking fountain in the middle of a small picturesque idyll that is really on for the scrapbook, with Warley Town Lane offering us our way onward, past the well concealed suburban accumulation to the village's north, and into the fields by the remote club grounds of Halifax Vandals RUFC, below the westernmost extremity of Halifax, the Norton Tower estate, perched above the tree and moorland clad edge of Camp End.

Halifax to Slaithwaite 11/10/20

15.3 miles, via Clover Hill Walk / Cat Steps, Savile Park, Birdcage Hill, Copley Valley, 

 Spark House, Harper Royd, Norland Moor Bottom, Butterworth End, Barkisland (Cross), 

  Ripponden Bank, Cob Clough, Cliff Lane, Heys Lane, Hall Green, Moselden Pasture, 

   Scammonden Bridge. Deanhead, Scammonden Reservoir, Scammonden Dam, Wood Edge, 

    O'Cot, Worts Hill, Ainley Place, Clough House, and Hill Top Reservoir. 

Sunday walking comes around again, due to Saturday inclemency and the promise of a much brighter day subsequent to it, and as we can still do inessential travel, despite the worsening Covid infection rates, busing and training it the log way around can get us to Halifax for a 9.55am jump off, alighting for a later start than usual under the brightest of late season blue skies, which illuminates the area around the Square Chapel and the Piece hall as we rise away up Horton Street, feeling like we've arrived in town ahead of all the regular local shoppers. Of course there are other reasons for the quiet, but that means I'm not going to look like so much of a stranger as we make our way up to the Royal Oak corner and angle ourselves away up St John's Avenue on the day's southwesterly trajectory, rubbing us right up against the town's old urban terraces that butt right up next to the Lloyds Bank offices, beyond Commercial Street, which gives us a nice contrast of Victorian and Modernist before we delve off into the suburbia which lies beyond Savile Road, where older villas and their estates got consumed in waves over the last century. So it's on among the semis on Well Head Lane, and thence into the more contemporary Lego houses on Central Park, seeking the Clover Hill Walk path as it traces its old course through the slight depression in the landscape, before we meet the steep rise of the cobbled Cat Steps path that leads us up into the terraced district to the east of Savile Park, which we approach via Clover Hill Road and Free School Lane, ahead of arriving by St Jude's church. We'll make our way down its eastern perimeter, along Queen's Gate, in front of the villas that have the prime location overlooking the expanse of grasslands and the avenues of trees, ahead of Wainhouse Tower and the Crossley Heath school, and in the current climate, it's good to see how many people have still come out to make use of it on a sunny morning, be it to jog, meet up with their dog-walking group or do a spot of circuit training in the fields beyond the lodge and chip shop, which we pass on our way to crossing the A646 Skircoat Moor Lane at its southern end. We are then drawn on, into the landscape of walled estates that have mostly had their gardens claimed by upscale suburbia, passing the Southwood Club and the Gleddings Prep School on Birdcage Lane, which provides our route off the town's plateau and into the wooded north bank of the Calder Valley, as we meet the path of Birdcage Hill dropping sharply downhill between the ancient woodlands of Long Wood and Scar Wood, before giving us some setts to carefully trace our way down on Woodhouse Lane.

Marsden to Halifax 04/10/20

13.5 miles, via Dirker, Sparth Reservoir, Slaithwaite Hall, Booth Hey Top, Cop Hill, Cop Rough, 

 Bradshaw, Pole Moor, Wilson Hill, Broom Hill, Moor Hey, Sowood Green, Holywell Brook, 

  Dean, Jagger Green, Broad Carr, Bradley Mills, Greetland, North Dean Wood, Copley, 

   Skircoat Green, Manor Heath Park, and Shaw Hill. 

Autumn, and the Late Season, is now upon us, which is frustrating as my walking brain is ready for the Summer, while my body is prepped for the season to be over ASAP, leaving me in an odd place as local lockdowns haven't pushed inessential travel off the permissible activities list yet, though Saturday falls from the schedule thanks to an all-day downpour, meaning that we are having to test out the weird public transport vicissitudes that come with needing to get out to the Colne Valley on a Sunday morning, travelling via busing it to Leeds so we aren't starting out with most of the morning hours already lost. So ride the express to alight at a whisker after 9.35am at Marsden station, where a familiar pall of low cloud hangs above the hills to the south and west of the town, which we won't be venturing into as our path aims us out of the north side of the Colne valley, starting out by joining Dirker Drive as it runs above the railway, among the council estate and on to the Plains terraces, which give us a look at the residential aspect of Marsden which has eluded us on many prior visits, ahaed of dropping over the metals via Planes Lane bridge and joining Marsden Lane as it runs east, along the suburban ribbon that spreads down the valley. The countryside soon take over though, beyond White Syke farm and the stream aqueduct over the railway line, placing just above the Narrow canal as we head downstream, ahead of passing around the north side of Sparth reservoir, one of the feeders for the navigation channel, which is as close as we'll be getting to any reservoir walking today after last weekend's excess of it, passing below the canopy of twisted trees as we rise up to meet the passage under the rails to meet the wooded lower reaches of Drop Clough, the deep groove in the valley side that prevents a straight forwards ascent to the northeast. Pass over the noisily running stream before we meet the ancient packhorse track which pushes up out of it eastern side, a pleasing runs of setts in a deep groove that wends its way up through the tree cover, an old lane that the modern world has mostly forgotten about, rising to a reveal over the Colne Valley, across from the sadly demolished Cellars Clough mills, and running us up to Marsden Lane, again, as it rises steeply up the side of Booth Gate Clough. It's steep pull to finally get us going in the direction that we wish to travel, revealing the sharp moorland nab of Booth Hey to the east of us, and passing the farm hamlet of Slaithwaite Hall to the west, feeling happy that there's no traffic trying to use this narrow track as we press on uphill, meeting the other walkers out in the morning gloom, as we rise to meet the high apron of fields above the valley, 100m up from its floor, as we pick a deliberately wandering route ahead, eschewing the option of available shortcuts.

Smithy Bridge to Marsden 26/09/20

12.4 miles, via Hollingworth Lake, Rakewood, Booth Hollings Mill, Longden End Brook, 

 Thorney Bank, Rag Hole, Piethorne Reservoir, Hanging Lees Reservoir, Cold Greave Clough, 

  Rapes Highway, Readycon Dean Reservoir, Broad Greave Hill, Haighs Gutter, Little Moss, 

   Castleshaw Moor, Millstone Edge, Brun Moor, Cabe Whams, Warcock Hill, Carr Clough, 

    and Netherley. 

Since we were last out, a whole lot of new lockdown restrictions have been put in place, both locally and nationally, but as there aren't any being placed on non-essential travel, and as I still trust my socially distanced judgment, we're going to continue as planned as increasing Covid infections aren't going to get in the way of me finishing my Spring slate of walks, at the very end of Summer, as the sun threatens to shine down on us, but the turning of the Autumn season means the need for early starts are not necessary now, despite the distance to travel. So me land for our last trip in Greater Manchester for this year at 9.35am at Smithy Bridge station, still a considerable step away from Rochdale in the wrong direction from our route as we set course for our fourth and final trans-Pennine route, heading back up the lane to Hollingworth Lake as the morning sunshine bathes the village in a weird sepulchral tone thanks to the sun being blocked by a single dense cloud in the otherwise blue skies as the uphill path sets the tone for the day. Arriving on the Lake Bank shore of the lane has me surprised how busy it feels for so early in the morning, until you realise that it's nearly 10am and a perfect time for a brew to be taken by the other visitors in the cafes that face the The Beach and the boating club, and we'll pace our way on to continue the circuit that we started last week, by crossing the car park to meet the perimeter path, starting out from the slipway that has been taken over by the local geese and ducks, before pacing east alongside the gardens on the north side, observing that there still seems to be rowing activity going on, despite the lake being officially closed to leisure boating. We are led on below the northern dam, the Lake Bank itself, containing the water from escaping down to the canal and river Roch below to the north, passing the main valve tower as we come around to the Wine Press once again, this time clear of many drinkers as we retrace our path on the eastern bank, over the Hollingworth Bank Dam and on southwards, taking care not to be tempted onto the northern reach of the Pennine Bridleway as it splits off and we carry on down to the edge of the nature reserve, and the beginnings of our route into the western face of the Pennine ridge. Rakewood Road leads us alongside Longden End beck as it flows down from the hills, between the field where the local geese reside in vast quantity and the reservoir's feature campsite, nestled among the low foothills that surround the outlying farmstead and cottages, as we move away from the local tourist traffic, on a route that will have the low sun in our face for a while, towards Rakewood hamlet, the last significant settlement that we'll be seeing in a while as we set course up onto the Greater Manchester face of the moorlands.

Mytholmroyd to Smithy Bridge 19/09/20

12.2 miles, via Hoo Hole, Dauber bridge, Cragg Vale, Cragg Bottom, Cragg village, 

 Bank Top wood, Sykes, Wicken Hill, Saw Gill, Turvin Road, Blackstone Edge reservoir, 

  Cowberry Hill, Lydgate, Whittaker golf course, Ealees Wood, Ealees, Littleborough, 

  Hollingsworth Lake & Nature Reserve.

My (very) late Summer Nine day Weekend lands, and I'm not feeling the huge need to use it all up putting down as many miles as possible, even with the opportunity for a holiday away being not really plausible in the circumstances, as the walking can take a bit of a back seat to more important business, though the trans-Pennine routes can continue along slightly more modest distances, especially as we have a route to approach that has been travelled many times over the years, but never on foot, and getting that off of my slate of unseen routes needs to happen before this year fades. There's absolutely no need for early starts now that we have burned off all the long routes for the year, the extra hour of rest being appreciated before we ride away for a 9.10am departure from Mytholmroyd, not under the friendliest of skies but hopeful that a nicer day will arrive as we get towards the top of the day, and thus we set off south, past the shoulder of Mutton, the village green and over Cragg Brook to get to the real start line of the day, the bottom of the B6138 Cragg Vale ascent, the longest road gradient in England, rising almost 300m over 5 miles, from the bottom of the Calder Valley to the Lancashire Border. I'm going to test this as a speed ascent, and the early stretch, taking us out of the village, beyond the old firehouse, my regular base on Cragg Road and the Royd Ices factory at Hoo Hole don't give the suggestion of a workout to come, but as we open out into the greenery of the valley, and press on up to Dauber Bridge, the shallow but unrelenting ascent starts to make itself felt, and even an early hour its obvious that I'm not going to be the only one testing the climb, as multiple soloists and groups of riders pass on their bicycles, testing themselves on a route given extra exposure by the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France. Of course this is a path already paced this year, albeit downhill, so on the way up all that was seen in July is seen again today, from the caravan park, the Clough Foot farmsteads, the high banks of Hollin Hey Wood, and the deep and wooded gouge formed by Cragg Brook ahead, though the topiary hedge dragon by Moorfield house is a new one, and experiencing any route as an ascent is always good for the variety, and the route up as far as the Robin Hood inn has been traced before, on a dark evening when the Shoulder was closed because of one of its floods, and thus it's nice to trace the path again in daylight. That's us up as far as Cragg Bottom in what feel like no time at all, where route have already brought us twice this season, but there's fresh pavements to tackle once we've passed the Peter Row terrace and the way down to Castle Mills, finding that this hamlet stretches some way further up the road, with new residences with a view having spread on the declining side of the lane from the builders yard to the old Wesleyan chapel, to afford views over to the western valley side where we travelled up and down in preceding weeks on routes that I just cannot trace on this occasion.

Littleborough to Halifax 12/09/20

18 miles, via Gale, Summit, Warland Gate, Bottoms, Walsden, Gauxholme, Salford, 

 Todmorden, Millwood, Lobb Mill, Spring Side, Eastwood, Sandbed, Charlestown, Calderside, 

  Mytholm, Hebden Bridge, Hawksclough, Mythholmroyd, Brearley, Luddenden Foot, Friendly, 

   Causeway Head, Cote Hill, Granny Hill, and King Cross.

After so many weeks of complaining about this season's weather, it actually looks like Summer might have an End of note, which is nice to consider as the morning shadows lengthen and the early chills set in, indeed rising with the lark to travel start to feel a trifle unnecessary when the days are taking to some time to warm through, but when a long trip is in the offing, it seems wise to still make best use of the day, and having finally made this year's triumphant arrival in Lancashire, it's already time to get out of it, via possibly the lowest impact trans-Pennine route in this quarter, with my light boots donned for a welcome change. So it's ride the rails out to Littleborough for an 8.30am alight, setting a northbound course that immediately has little for me to do with regards navigation, giving us a raw mileage sort of day after the more complicated moorland walks prior to it, departing the station yard to Railway Street and crossing over the modest River Roch as we go, turning onto the A58 Halifax Road by the imposing Wheatsheaf inn and passing the snow and ice alert signage for the high road passages, right by Holy Trinity parish church, just ahead of the turn onto the A6033 Todmorden Road, which has us done with corners for a while. It's upstream with the Roch that we are headed, along the same passage as the canal and the railway, though the depth of the valley is hidden by the low rises of terraces and industrial units stretched along the roadside, offering us little to indicate that the South Pennines and the Rossendale Moors loom large to either side of us, though the climb does start to feel more pronounced as we head on, as we pass into the urban hamlet of Gale, with its Fair View terrace perched over the roadside and the fields starting to angle steeply beyond. Once past the Grove dyeworks redevelopment, and in the vicinity of nearby Calderbrook, whose stray terraces and village school sit by the roadside, we've risen high enough to get a dramatic sort of location around, revealing the cloud brushed hills to the east and looking across the valley to the imposing and derelict Rock Nook cotton mill, sat above the railway as it starts its gouge through the hills, with the aqueduct containing the Roch running above the cutting while doubling as a canal flood run-off. The main point of engineering interest is found beyond, across from the Sladen Wood cotton mill, namely the L&YR's 1.6 mile long Summit Tunnel of 1841, presenting quite the dramatic image with its southern portal, still in regular use despite the petrol train fire that closed it for much of 1985 (giving it a record of the World's longest when constructed, and site of possibly the largest underground transport fire too), a length which we will be tracing as we head on, through the hamlet of Summit, the last such settlement in this corner Greater Manchester, which is looking pleasing and stoney at the roadside as we pass through.

Lockwood to Littleborough 05/09/20

16.3 miles, via Yews Hill, Crosland Moor Bottom, Paddock (Foot, Brow & Clough), Royds Hall, 
 Cliff End, Longwood (& the Edge), Salendine Nook, Mount, Outlane, Gosport, Stainland Dean, 
  Firth House mills, Knowsley Hill, Ringstone Edge reservoir, Withens End, Booth Wood, 
   Pike Clough, Rishworth Moor (Pike End, Blackwood Edge, Dog Hill, Green Withens Edge, 
    Flint Hill Drain, Rishworth Drain, & Old Packhorse Road), Blackstone Edge Moor 
     (Aggin Stone, BSE Pasture & Roman Road), Lydgate, Gate House, and Durn.

September arrives with us still deep in our schedule of Spring walking plans, and with me wondering if this garbage Summer is actually going to offer us something that resembles The End of Summer as we shift over into markedly cooler days and lower angles of sunshine in the shifts of the season, not that it really matters as I have a slate of four walks to get into that had been intended as a prelude to a Summer of burning as many Trans-Pennine route as possible between West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, a plan that we can only nibble at now before we start to run out of long enough days, a mere month in the future. So our routes Over The Top for this month start in the vicinity of greater Huddersfield, still travelling early as we alight at Lockwood at 8.15am, with the day promising to be chillier than it is bright, landing on the Holme valley side again, though just barely, as glimpsed as we pass under the railway for the downhill view before starting off northwards, up Winton Street to make our way over the top of the terrace-clad Yews Hill, along its eponymous top lane and down Moorbottom Road before splitting onto the footbridge path that leads back over the railway, revealing the north portal of the tunnel that penetrates it. We then move on into the Colne Valley through the tangle of terraces which lead us out to the bottom of Blackmoorfoot Road, a familiar corner of Crosland Moor Bottom, crossing the A62 junction by the Griffin Hotel and diving downhill via Birkhouse Road to meet the Narrow Canal, by the IronWorks flats, and the River Colne, both crossed in short order among the Paddock Foot industrial zone and under the shadow of the iron spans of Long Royd viaduct, and our long ascent away starts as we rise up Shires Hill road to meet Market Street, a major suburban lane of West Huddersfield. We seek the interesting green lanes and split levels of this town though, so we quickly slip away down Brow Road, which is Colne Valley leafiness incarnate beyond the Wren Street corner, with the few suburban arrivals getting that countryside feel in  the heart of the town, concealing that fact that it was once wholly terraced on the length of its sweep around to the rise over the railway line to Manchester in its deep cutting, with us progressing on up Clough Lane to the Paddock Clough traffic island, home to both the Angel and Royal Oak inns. Get back onto a clear trajectory as we rise onto Longwood Road taking us on through the terraces and house of the Royds Hill estate, past the old Co-op store on the Quarmby Road corner and on up through the runs of terraces that sit above the valley side, before we drop some through the corner of Cliff End, which gives us some upstream views towards Scapegoat Hill, and is in usefully close proximity to the former Longwood & Milnsbridge station before we are angled along Vicarage Road, and into the dry valley of Ballroyd Clough.