Only a few days into it and it already looks like the Autumn of 2021 is going to be throwing us weather that is just as inconsistent and unpredictable as the alleged Summer did, as gloom comes on when a white cloud day was projected for its first Saturday, much more mediocre than the forecast would suggest, which is a real shame as we need a few more good walking days before the inevitable fade of the season as we've three more trips over the Calderdale - Airedale moors to get in, and some residual warmth and no rain would be most welcome for them, thank you very much. The promise of the morning seen in Morley has already passed as we arrive in Calderdale, alighting the train at Mytholmroyd at 9.10am, as a wall of low white cloud is slowly drifting downstream from the west, looking to obscure everything from view as we aim a new trajectory out of the village, directly north, which means that early paces will match those taken before as New Road leads us beyond St Michael's church and over the Calder to Burnley Road, where the A646 is crossed ahead of us joining Midgley Road by the Russel Dean store. Uphill we immediately press over the Rochdale Canal, past the Clog Mill and the local school on its perch ahead of the lane starting to trace the descending wooded clough, finally getting off the road as we meet Dark Lane, which could be mistaken for a driveway to some high cottages before is starts its own snaking path uphill between high walls, giving us some elevation that ought to give us some grand views backwards, but the world seems to be ending to the west, as greyness bleaches out the horizon with the cloud hanging heavy at moorland altitude. A lightly teeming rain also falls, ensuring that the going underfoot is damp, saturating my trews in the long grass as we find our way onto the higher and rougher Stony Lane path, shadowing the fall of Foster Clough as we elevate ourselves above the valley, already wondering if it was wise to come out on a day like this, as we'll be at altitude for the full run to distant Airedale, as while Cragg Vale can be clearly defined on the horizon behind us, the moorland tops to both sides of it linger below a deepening pall of distinctly unfriendly cloud cover, below 400m, which gives me every reason to pause.
Sunday 26 September 2021
Mytholmroyd to Bingley 25/09/21
Sunday 19 September 2021
Colne to Keighley 18/09/21
Burnley Manchester Road to Burnley Central: 1.2 miles, via Centenary Way and St Peter's.
It feels like we've been waiting for the entirety of Summer for Summer to arrive, and now it actually feel like it's arrived, it's already done, as are my Jollies, thus starting out from Morley again as we return to the long trips on the train, looking to complete this three legged excursion around the western edge of the expanded field of experience in the East Lancs valley, heading out with my left foot's sole stuck together with one off-brand Compeed plaster and knowing that even with a 7am start from home, it's going to be a three hour trip to the starting line. As is familiar by now, the connection options in Burnley are awful, and thus to make best use of a wasted hour, it's best to alight at Manchester Road station and walk across the town again, alighting at 8.50am to find that the way up to the A682 is indeed a challenge, rising up the long allegedly level access ramp which adds minutes to any westbound connection, before we set a course around the east end of the town, hitting Centenary Way beyond the traffic island to head over the flyover that we passed under last time out, looking west to the town and its Town Hall, framed by Pendle Hill as we also pass over the canal. Looking east, the best, and indeed only, views to Boulsworth Hill and the Hameldon Ridge can be had over the roofs of Tesco and the bowling alley, ahead of the descent down to pass behind the police station and courts complex, before we come up to the eastern end of St James's Street, in the shadow of The Culvert and its embankment, and carry on up Church Street, passing below the high rising St Peter's Centre, the only tall building in the entire town, located in a loop of the River Brun, across the way from the closest batch of enduring terraces and townhouses in the town, around the bottom of Ormerod Street. Past the oldest schools in the town, we meet Burnley's parish church, St Peter's, located in it's yard in another twist of the Brun, and looking to celebrate 900 years of its recorded establishment in 2022, giving some ancient history to a town that doesn't suggest much before the 19th century, passed around as we join School Lane, passing below the old Grammar School on the way up to Active Way, which is crossed as we seek the alternate path to Burnley Central station, between the Anchor and Prestige retail parks which hasn't been cut off due to the dereliction of the Adelphi hotel, landing at 9.20am, meaning the last train trip of the morning will only require a half hour wait, and then we can lead you into the day's scheduled programming...
Friday 17 September 2021
Todmorden to Colne (low route) 15/09/21
Four days into our week away, and it's already apparent that deciding to dump my original walking plans has proven to be an excellent idea, as taking time out for rest and relaxation has been a much better idea that trying to pound out the miles for three days of the week, which has resulted in giving us time for two trips for dinner out (Sunday Roast at the Shoulder of Mutton, and Tuesday night date with My Calderdale friends in The Old Gate), plus lunch with My Sister on a flying visit from Bolton and another visit due from My Mum's frinds in Skipton due for Thursday. Thus we are feeling like walking plans are being fitted in around the social calls, and only having one midweek trip on the slate, makes that a whole lot easier, again not needing access to the Parental Taxi to get to my starting line in Todmorden, riding the #592 bus to land at the bus stand at 9.15am under the viaduct on Burnley Road, with the A646 being our way ahead, the main trajectory that we'll be taking out of West Yorkshire to seal another long boundary extension onto our field of walking experience as we travel to visit all the end points of our recent trips across the hills to the East Lancs valley. With our destination being the exact same one that we last travelled towards from here, we'll match that route for the first steps, through Patmos (or Cobden) as we head out of town past Aldi, the Todmorden Community College and the cricket field on the main road before that route peels off north and we continue on a steady northwesterly, on the wrong side of the road to get any decent views across Centre Vale Park, going by the House That Jack Built, also passing the Hare & Hounds inn from Sunday's trip before heading on into the narrowing upper Calder valley. Beyond the grounds of Todmorden High school, we meet the bottom of Stoney Royd Road, our limit of experience on the Burnley Road since the Calderdale Way brought us this far in 2012, and thus everything will be new from here as habitation quits the steeply wooded south side of the road and a council estate lurks in the last spot to the west of the town where one could have been accommodated, where the views north head right up the valley side to Orchan Rocks and around to Whirlaw Stones, lurking high above the town.
Monday 13 September 2021
Hebden Bridge to Todmorden 12/09/21
It's been such a rough summer for keeping up with my planned walking schedule, that even before we got to my Late Season break away, I'd already decided to junk my plans for the week away, putting the Mary Townley Loop of the Pennine Bridleway onto the list of things to do in a future walking season, as what I really need right now is to feel like I'm getting to catch up on the excursions delayed because of the three weekends lost from this past month, especially as trips to the far side on the Pennies are going to start getting tenuous once the days start shortening. So I travel away with My Mum, as we seize the first real opportunity that we've been given to travel away from home for a while since this age of Covid descended on us, not getting to far away from home as we ride out to Hebden Bridge on Friday evening, landing us in a convenient place to be nearby to family and friends in the hereabouts, and taking a let in an Airbnb house, a classic Calderdale Under-Over, owned by a Norwegian family and used as their hytte, in as handy a location in the town centre as could be desired. Walking lands on the schedule come Sunday morning, avoiding the crowds of Happy Valley Pride weekend as we rise for a 9am start, descending from our base to the end of market Street to do a bit of a tour of the unseen paths of Hebden Bridge before we get going properly, walking up past the Co-op to the Hebble End bridges to join the canal path eastwards for a few terraces before dropping down Fountain Street to cross back over the Calder via the footbridge, then sidling along Central Street to cross the footbridge over Hebden Water that links the I&N school with Riverside Juniors on Holme Street. Passing the Post Office and the Trades Club, we rise to pass over the canal again at Bridge 17 and take our path through Calder Holmes park, and rise to Station Road, to be as close to the station as possible before we pick up the route that we'd had on the slate for August Bank Holiday Monday, which takes us over the canal for the third and final time, and onto the A646 as we can then follow the New Road - West Gate - Market Street alignment across the heart of town, long before the revellers and day-trippers get going, allowing us to quietly examine the town ahead of the throng.
Sunday 5 September 2021
Hebden Bridge to Nelson 04/09/21
August Bank Holiday Monday also gets dropped from my walking schedule, not solely because of the mediocre weather, but due to the fact of being laid up in bed for 10 hours of Sunday with an absolute bastard of a headache behind my eyes, as if all the experience of the preceding day out overwhelmed me completely, completely blowing the already busted flush that was August 2021, and so as we head into the final third of this year, we have to start looking to force in the walking long walking days on the High Moors, regardless of the conditions, just to get them paced before the days get too short. That's where we find ourselves as September starts, alighting at Hebden Bridge at 8.15am, and setting out northbound, trying to find footfalls that haven't been made through this town already, which means passing through Calder Holmes park on the north side path and rising over the canal via the bridge into the formal garden by the Picture house, and thence crossing the A646 New Road to head up Bridge Gate, where the marketeers are already breakfasting in the many cafes and our path takes us over Hebden Water via St George's Bridge, the 1510 packhorse bridge that's one of the most enduring structures in the valley. Take a left onto Hanging Royd Lane, behind the town hall complex to trek on among the terraces and factory units that occupy the only significant area of flat ground in the town, which leads us up to another crossing of Hebden Water via the Victoria Road bridge, and another twisting turn or two among th terraced streets that start to stack up on the hillside, feeling puzzled that a riverside path in the town does not exist, only located at the end of Spring Grove where the Foster Mill packhorse bridge leads us across again and into the green passage upstream. The local cricket field is hidden in this riverside glade, as are some allotment gardens and the village bowling club, all crammed onto whatever flat ground they can find upstream from the town, alongside the river that churns away over the riffles and pools that have been contained by built-up walls along both banks, clearly trying to manage the flow of the many valleys that feed water into this single channel and into the Calder, a feat to be admired as we we move our way up to the Lee Mill bridge, where a suburban enclave has been developed on the mill site.