Mary Towneley Loop #3 - Holme Chapel to Sandbed 25/05/22

14.4 miles, on the Pennine Bridleway, via Green Clough, Long Causeway, Sheddon Clough,

 Cant Clough Reservoir, Worthsthorne Quarries, Hurstwood Reservoir, Smallshaw Clough, 

  Rams Clough, Gorple Gate, Gorple Stones, Clough Head, Widdop Reservoir, Clough Foot, 

   Lower Gorple Reservoir, Reaps Coppy, Reaps Level, Edge Lane, Land Bridge, 

    Strines Clough, Brown Hill, New Delight, Bow Lane, Blackshaw Head (Cally Hall), 

     Marsh Lane, Naze, Cowbridge Wood, and Jumble Hole. 

Long Distance Trail
means Selfies!
#3 at Holme Chapel

When we travelled out to Calderdale, we brough with us a weather projection that suggested we ought to be having a decent spell in the mid-week, but as the days have borne on, we have gotten much less encouraging forecasts, so that it comes to pass that we have to choose the lesser of two poor days when the third leg comes around, despite having started out with as much flexibility as we thought we could provide, and thus we ride out on Wednesday, a day earlier than intended, wrapped up in all my available waterproofs as the Parental Taxi drops me off at Holme Chapel, en route to Mum’s get together with her Skipton friends at Boundary Mill, Colne. It’s 10.10am when we start up, an hour later than usual in the hope of getting in behind the weather, which is still sending in a persistent drizzle as we rise away from the A646, armed with my trusty indestructible Fuji camera (as my new Lumix isn't getting ruined this early in its lifetime) as we shift up Green Lane, not getting any views of the Calder valley and the scars on its south side as a damp haze bleaches out everything, with a sharp wind blowing in behind us as we rise on a familiar sort of 150m pull, passing up above Green Clough, quitting the old lane and striking across the field paths to encounter workmen digging up the old surface. They’ve certainly got a lovely sort of day for tearing up the turf and laying hard core in its place, just as I have for passing among them, pondering how well my boots might hold up against this damp turf as we come up level with the Coal Clough windfarm, which the clouds appear to be rising above as we take the horse-friendly detour path that avoids a testing passage along the Long Causeway road at the clough head, touching the first of many routes from last year ahead of us striking onto the moors below the obscured Hameldon Ridge, but soon drifting downhill again, into some welcome vegetation around the Sheddon Clough Limestone Hushings. 

Mary Towneley Loop #1 - Sandbed to Broadley 21/05/22

15.8 miles, on the Pennine Bridleway, via Callis Bridge, Callis Wood, Edge End Plantation, 

 Rough Head, London Road, Mankinholes, Lumbutts, Hey head Green, Rake End, 

  Salter Rake Gate, North Hollingworth, Bottomley, Summit Tunnel, Reddyshore Scout, 

   Owler Clough, Higher Calderbrook, Grimes, Turn Slack Clough, High Lee Slack, 

    Hills Clough, Watergrove Reservoir, Higher Slack Brook, Long Shoot Clough, Brown Hill, 

     Lobden golf course, Rushy Hill, Hopwood Hall, and Hindle Pastures.

Long Distance Trail
means Selfies!
#1 at Sandbed.

Late May means Spring Jollies time, and my first opportunity to get away from home at this time of year since 2019, and as we don’t have an obvious holiday locale that fits in with the year’s field of interest, and thusly we look to what we’d been hoping to do before a global pandemic got in the way, and that’s why we’re setting course for Calderdale with the plan we hatched for Spring 2020 (also carried in Summer 2021, but then put on reserve again, because reasons), namely the Mary Towneley Loop on the Pennine Bridleway, 47 miles over the fields, moors and valleys of the three river catchments on the West Yorkshire - Lancashire border. Taking a cottage with My Mum on the hillside above the A646 Halifax Road puts us in a good location for the initial start line, where the parental taxi won’t be needed as we’re only a few bus stops west of Sandbed, where the #590 service can be ridden for a 9.15am start, at the point where the Pennine Way and Bridleway tangle up passing across the valley, and we immediately strike south at Callis Bridge, passing over the river Calder and the Rochdale canal, and hit the rising path that leads up to Callis Wood, giving us a fine view over Charelstown before we disappear into the trees, switching back with the hard track and also wandering off of it as we elevate. Before we can reach the high apron of fields above the valley, we drop down to pass over Beaumont Clough bridge and then rise along the perimeter of Edge End plantation to reach the track that leads across the open plots of Rough Head, directing us towards Stoodley Pike on its high perch, while Blackshaw Head and Heptonstall appear on our reverse horizon, and the bridleway endeavours to keep us low-ish as we come around to Kinshaw Lane, taking us by Swillington farm and onto the passage of London Road, 100m below the high monument. 

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...

Todmorden to Colne (low route) 15/09/21

15.3 miles, Patmos, Lydgate, Vale, Cornholme, Portsmouth, Ratten Clough, Copy Pit,

 Holme Chapel, Cliviger, Walk Mill, Townley Park, Burnely Wood, Burnley, Danehouse, 

  Reedley, Brierfield, Whitefield, Nelson, White Walls, Primet Bridge, and Boundary Mill.

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.

Hebden Bridge to Nelson 04/09/21

15.2 miles, via Calder Holme Park, Wood End, Lee Mills Bridge, Midgehole, Shackleton, 

 Walshaw, New Laithe Moor, Alcomden Bridge, Greave Pasture, Greave Clough, The Sod, 

  Hey Slacks, Boulsworth Hill (Lad Law & Abbott Stone), Bedding Hill Moor, Will Moor, 

   Deerstones Moor, Upper & Lower Coldwell reservoirs, Walton's Monument, Castercliff, 

    Marsden Park, and Netherfield. 

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.

Todmorden to Colne 28/08/21

16.7 miles, via Cobden, Willow Bank, Hole Bottom. Whirlaw Stones, Stony Lane, 

 Mount Cross, Stiperden Bank, Stiperden Slack, Hoof Stones Height, Black Hameldon, 

  Hare Stones Hill, Gorple Gate, Clough Head, The Brinks, Flaught Hill Tom Groove, 

   Hey Slack Clough, Boulsworth Hill (Lad Law, Weather Stones, Little Chair Stones, 

    Little Saucer Stones, & Great Saucer Stones), Pot Brinks Moor, The forest of Trawden, 

     Hollin Hall, Trawden, Winewall, Cotton Tree, and Colne Field.

Another August weekend proves to be unusable thanks to another bout of unseasonably awful weather, which at least allows me a clear couple of days to be domestically sociable as My Mum travels Up Country on a flying visit, though it frustratingly denies me the opportunity to abuse my Parental Taxi privileges while I continue to tilt at the passage over the northwestern hills of West Yorkshire, so enforced rest comes on as I quietly curse out what has been easily my most disappointing Summer so far, at least until the long Bank Holiday break turns out to be the first warm one in six. Thus we get back to early starts on our trailing, and alight at Todmorden station at 8.20am, arriving in the upper reaches of the Calder Valley under the brightest of skies, a sight which we've really missed and will enjoy all day as we start out descending, down Station Approach and finding the shortcut path that I knew existed beneath Todmorden viaduct, taking us down to the A646 Burnley Road by the bus station and the new branch of Aldi, turning up the valley to follow the road into the quarter of town, nominally Cobden (or Patmos) that we haven't seen too much of previously. Past the shopping parades and Todmorden Community College, we get a frontage of townhouses along the main road, and we manage to distract ourselves from out intended route out of the valley by missing our northward turn as we traipse past the cricket field, crossing by the lodge house of Centre Vale park and rising into the landscape of post-industry and terraces, up West Street and Blind Lane to get back on track with Victoria Road, taking us under the railway as it rises up the Copy Pit line, and get our ascent really going as we hit Meadow Bottom Road. Rising up the clough of Willow Bank with short terraces flanking the road, we soon land by the site of Todmorden Laundry, with one cottage using its former chimney as a turret house of sorts, beyond which the lane starts a twisty path up hill, passing around the cottages and farmstead that have been dug into the rising hillside, and getting some early shade as we elevate up towards Hole Bottom, giving us some respite from the breath-testing ascent before we tangle up with the Calderdale Way path as it takes its turn up through the trees.

Mytholmroyd to Brierfield 14/08/21

15.2 miles, via Hawks Clough, Crow Nest Woods, Hebden Bridge (Fairfield & Hebble End), 

 Heptonstall, Slack, Clough Hole, High Greenwood, Black Dean Bridge, Clough Foot, 

  Widdop Reservoir, Great Edge Bottom, Tom Groove, Rapes Clough, Thursden New Bridge, 

   Broad Bank, Holt Hill, Lane Bottom, Haggate, Marsden Height and Catlow Row.

The first weekend of August is lost due to neither day being able to present a viably large window of decent weather for trekking over the Pennines, with rain particularly blighting the latter half of the Saturday, and thus our disappointing Summer continues with us being almost halfway through the month before we can get out again, full of intent to seek out the way to the only road that could honestly be described as a mountain pass in West Yorkshire, over the top of the northwestern high lands and into the East Lancs valley once more. We'll start this trip from Mytholmroyd, just so we are varying up our start lines and putting down a bit of distance before we are compelled onto the uphill lane, alighting at 9.10am and setting a course westwards along the floor of the Calder Valley, seeking a path that makes the most interesting possible passage along the straight mile of the railway line, which means descending to Cragg Road and cross Cragg Brook via the footbridge in the shadow of the viaduct that leads us over to the flats of Elphaborough Court, which are passed among to join Thrush Hill Road, where we pass under the narrow tunnel to the north side. Thence left, down behind the housing block on Erringden Road to meet the first footbridge, which elevates us over to the south side again, leading us into the Nest Estate, with its enduring 1940s vintage prefabs, and its path through the central close before we turn to the railway once again, passing over the stone Paddy Bridge, which doubles as a farm access route, which lead us back to the suburban edge of Caldene Avenue at Hawks Clough, where another turn takes us over the rails for a third time, over the footbridge leading to the Great and Little Stubb farms. Pass among them before another farm track drops us down, taking us under the railway via the Stubbs lane underbridge before we meet a rough path that shadows the railway west, through the trees and above the industrial enclave at Calder Brook before we meet Carr Lane and pass over the railway for the final time in this quarter, settling us onto the track of Crow Nest Road, which leads us below the steep ban of woodland at a short remove from the railway's side, where morning sun teases us with an appearance above the canopy before we meet the outlying houses that sit beyond the site of what used to be Hebden Bridge's gasworks, just a step or twelve east of the end of Wood Top Road and the railway station.

Hebden Bridge to Burnley 31/07/21

14.7 miles, via Calder Holmes Park, Hebble End, Mytholm, Rawtonstall Bank, Pry Hill, 

 Blackshaw Head, Well Hill, Pole Hill, Hawk Stones, Stiperden Bank & Bar, Coal Clough 

  Wind Farm, Long Causeway, Mosley Height, Mere Clough, Red Lees, Brunshaw, Turf Moor,

   Burnley Town Centre, Sandygate, Barracks, Central & Manchester Road stations.

As we find ourselves on the cusp of August, you might have the hope that we have something like a Summer climate in the air, but we're not seeing anything of the sort as we approach the high season objectives around the moors to the northwest of Calderdale and over the English Watershed into East Lancashire, instead of sunshine and warmth,we've got a cool and white cloud-y sort of day to face, hopeful that the proximity to the Pennines is not going to bring the rain at altitude as we join the old road out of the Calder valley for a proper trek into the unknown. We're not up with the lark today, instead riding out to Hebden Bridge for a 9.15am start, in the hope that predicted rain on the far side of the Pennines might have blown itself out by the time we get there, aiming ourselves towards the high roads by keeping low initially, departing the station to make a passage through Calder Holmes park, where its gloomy and early enough to only have dog walkers for company as we track its paths over to the side of the Rochdale Canal, where we cross Bridge 17 to follow the towpath west, past Blackpit Lock and over the Calder aqueduct. There's light drizzle in the air as we make our way along the back of the factories and terraces of Hebble End that are squeezed onto the narrow island between the river and the canal, keeping to the path until we meet the site of Calder Mills, where we split off to Robertshaw Road, taking us over to the other end of the ranked terraces in this space to follow Stubbing Holme Road as it follows the channel of the Calder, markedly narrower here as it flows down from its confluence with Colden Clough, where a footbridge takes us to the north side again, and up alongside the interceding stream channel. This leads us up to Bank Foot Bridge, where we land towards the western end of town, crossing over the A646 King Street to get on our route properly, starting our ascent of Church Lane as it passes behind the old folks home complex and into the district of Mytholm, passing the church of St James, which confirms itself as Hebden Bridge's parish church, on the closest plot of level ground large enough to accommodate it, as well as passing the local school and starting our climb in earnest as Bank Terrace and Glen View Road start their steep, twisting course uphill between the terraces and semis that cling onto this hillside, among the rising woodlands.

Bronte Way #2: Thornton to Wycoller 24/05/21

16 miles, via Thornton Cemetery, Well Heads, Denholme Clough, Black Edge, Thornton Moor, 

 Stony Hill Clough, Leeming Reservoir, Back Leeming, Oxenhope (Lower Town), 

  Old Oxenhope hall, Haworth, Penistone Hill, The Slack, Bronte Bridge, The Height, 

   Buckley Green, Ponden Reservoir & Hall,  Whitestone Clough, Silver Hill Bank, Jarnel,

    Watersheddles Reservoir, Cross Bent, Smithy Clough, and The Atom.

Long Distance Trail means Selfies!
#2 at Bronte House, Thornton.

For leg #2 of this trip across a Chunk of West Yorkshire's literary history, I've got my Parental Taxi in attendance, so there's no need to make the frustratingly long bus ride via Bradford Interchange to get out to Thornton, as Mum can drive me out here, getting in behind the rush hour traffic, and not putting her out of her way at all as she can continue on to visit friends of hers in Skipton without having to put much more than a dozen miles on the round trip from Morley along the way of acting as my shuttle, like she would normally have done if we were having normal Spring Jollies. So alight on Thornton Road at 9.45am, and scurry back up Ball Street to mick up the trail once again at the Bronte House, where Rev. Bronte recalled as having spent the happiest years of his life (mainly because all the members of his family were alive whilst residing there), before we set off with the trail up Market Street, taking in more of this pleasingly rural vintage village, as we roll up to the Black Horse inn on the West Lane corner and rise up to meet the suburban spread of the village above, taking us past the Thornton Mill redevelopment and up to the chapel and Sunday school on the James Street Corner. Cross here and rise to the path on Reservoir View, the last terrace in the village at this altitude, and enter the equestrian fields and meadow beyond, perched up the valley side above the tapering west end of the village, affording come fine views up and down the valley, as well as to Thornton viaduct as it descibes it less than straightforwards passage up from the south, before we enter Thornton cemetery and trace its wide promenade path across its width, between the raked terraces of graves up and down the hillside. A rough track and field path guide us on, from Bottom of the Row farm, and up to Close Head farm, as we look down to the passge of Well Heads tunnel, its portal hidden in the wooded pit below, and still no closer to being revived than int was in 2013, and we'll start on that year's route again as we rise up to Well Heads hamlet, with its stone terraces stretching down from the White Horse inn, atop the rather blasted feeling ridge that rises between Thornton's valley and the next one over to the north.

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.

Hadfield to Marsden via Black Hill 03/08/19

15 miles, via Padfield, Runal Intake, Devil's Elbow, Torside Crossing, Torside Reservoir,   
 Crowden Great Brook Clough, Laddow Rocks, Grains Moss, Dun Hill, Black Hill, 
  Black Dike Head, Good Bent, Dean Clough, Wessenden Head, Hey Cote Hill, 
   Hey Brinks, Rigg Shaw, Rams Clough, Binns and Bank Bottom.

After my Summer Jollies, it seemed wise to take a weekend off, as I'd been going at it on the trail for every weekend since the middle of April, and once back in work we experienced the most horrifying temperature spike, pushing temperatures up past 30C, which were then followed by the most dramatic shift downwards as the last weekend of July came around, more than 12C cooler and with both days blighted with rain that fell for many hours, scuppering any plans for getting out regardless of how modestly they might have been scaled. As it happened, we probably wouldn't have gotten out as it was, as an impromptu drinks get together was had on the Friday evening of the 26th July with my good friends IH & AK as we needed to have one last turn around with M&SW before they move away to Edinburgh at the end of August, which was a nice break from routine and had me snoozing off the booze for much of Saturday as the rain pelted down in a way that seemed entirely inappropriate. As M&S had scheduled up a final session for the next Saturday along, being available for that would be appropriate having enjoyed 23+ years of friendship with them, but a return ticket to Hadfield was starting to burn a hole in my pocket, with the August weather looking just a weird as July's, getting in my statement walk of the year, the one with West Yorkshire's actual summit in it, had to take priority, involving a 2+ hour trip out to the part of Derbyshire that isn't threatened with being underwater after a week of storms, a journey that would be so much easier if we could get the TPEs to stop at Guide Bridge and not have to make the connection at Manchester Piccadilly. So alight at 9.40am, feeling that it's slightly odd that it should be here, about as far south as is possible, that I have chosen to make my contact point on the west side of the Pennine divide, admiring the once mainline station that now sits at the lonely end of its branch line, starting out be retracing steps to the Trans Pennine Trail, admiring the views over the suburban rooftops to the moors to the north of Longdendale before passing under the old Woodhead Line at Platt Street bridge. This leads us into Padfield, among the old terraces and newer arrivals that have clustered around the largely still industrial site of Hadfield Mill, rising with the long uphill terraces of Post Street, which seem to be the way of such things on the west side of the Pennines, heading up past the former Wesleyan Chapel to meet the old rural village on Padfield Main Road, around the Peels Arms inn and displaying a whole wad of rural charm on the lane up to the Whitehouse Farm B&B.

Holmfirth to Hadfield 13/07/19

13.8 miles, via Hinchcliffe Mill, Holmbridge, Holme, Lane, Holme Moss, 

 Heyden Brook valley, Heyden Bridge, Woodhead Reservoir, Crowden, 

  Torside Reservoir, Hollins, Rhodes Wood, Valehouse Wood, and Tintwistle. 

After six weeks of pushing the boundary of my Field of Walking Experience southwards, and using the High Season weekend to probe the upper reaches of the Don Valley, like I'd promised to do, it's time to shift focus and start to looking westwards, so that I might start pressing westwards, so that we might properly investigate the Holme valley while Summer is still in business and can get in the long days of travelling before the days shorten too much, and having made such a big noise about all my approaches toward western Kirklees, my first day of travelling from within it will actually be striking for a finish line far beyond it. An early start is essential, predictably enough, but not just because of the length of the trip, but also because I'm NIW for the week and My Mum is travelling up so we might get some issues with regards my legacy and inheritance sorted out, and so it's away on the earliest of plausible trains and then off on the nearest available bus to land in Holmfirth for an 8.50am jump off, which comes after the necessary use of public conveniences as there are not going to be many places for comfort breaks on today's trip. July ought to be bringing the joy of the season, but the projections for the day have gradually rendered it mediocre, with little chance of sunshine in the day's first half, and thus we're off under gloomy skies, but wholly tolerable warmth, as we note Holmfirth's memorial pillar to the Treaty of Amiens of 1802, a rather premature monument to peace with Revolutionary France when 12 years of the Napoleonic Wars would start only 14 months later, placed opposite the bus stands that have been the focus of all our visits so far, before we make for the opposite bank of the Holme, which takes us up the politely dressed shopping parades of Victoria Street. Even before regular opening hours, the town feel busier than it ought to be, and thus the people need to be shed from our path as we strike westwards on Huddersfield Road, the other main street so far unseen in this town, as it leads past Holmfirth's market and mill, to the division point of the A635 - A6024 where the choice of moorland routes needs to be made, and admiring the landscape of weavers cottages and modest factories that still look the part of a town that originally thrived because of the domestic production of woollen goods, rather than heavy industry.

Todmorden to Haslingden 06/09/15

My Faithful Companion of 5+ years,
Dead but not yet Buried.

Late Summer Jollies come around at last, and I might have started with a eulogy for my green walking hat, my near constant companion over the last four years of rambling, badly damaged in the laundry after having finally gotten too disgusting to wear, but it's still coming with me despite two severely frayed seams and significant shrinkage, it deserves to see both coasts in 2015, as well as my tilt for 2,000 miles before I'm 41. So load up with My Parents, and spend Saturday heading over the top to Lancashire, and making a surprisingly short trip to Finch Cottage, Primrose Hill, near Mellor high on the edge of the Ribble Valley, conveniently placed for three of my drop off points on the trail to the Irish Sea coast, but not really well placed for the start. Fortunately, a ride can easily be obtained back to Calderdale from Blackburn, thanks to the reinstatement of the Todmorden West Curve and the atlternative route to Manchester Victoria, so my folks don't need to have a long early morning odyssey back to Yorkshire before I can get going again.

11.4 miles, via Todmorden Moor, Bacup, Rossendale & Rawtenstall.