{"id":1006408,"date":"2022-10-13T19:51:08","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T18:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.half-daywalker.com\/?p=1006408"},"modified":"2022-11-04T11:38:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T11:38:57","slug":"mytholmroyd-stoodley-pike-and-cragg-vale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.half-daywalker.com\/?p=1006408","title":{"rendered":"Mytholmroyd, Stoodley Pike and Cragg Vale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I enjoyed a varied walk last week, and, as I made my way to West Yorkshire, I hoped today would also provide some interesting and varied walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a stunning October day, with clear blue skies, warm sunshine, and no wind. Tee shirt weather! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an hour to drive to Mytholmroyd from Cheadle Hulme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk is 7.8 miles with 1330feet (405m) of ascent. It could be made at least a mile shorter by parking on the B6138 near where the route crosses it on the way out and back. I would do this if repeating the walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took 3hours 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes for lunch at Stoodley Pike, meaning that on this occasion I was out for considerably more than 5 hours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a good walk for dogs who like to run off the lead. There\u2019s much woodland, some farm tracks, but also some moorland walking where care would be needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk is on OS Explorer Map OL21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I parked on the roadside on Scout Lane, outside “The Chapel” use postcode HX7 5JQ.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ascent Via Hoo Hole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the car, I walked up Hall Bank Lane, turned right and followed a path through a pleasant wood, before dropping down to the B6138. Crossing the road, it was immediately a climb uphill, with great views up Cragg Vale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was an ancient tree-lined stone track to follow in parts.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The views down towards Mytholmroyd were equally good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After tackling the steep climb, I emerged at the edge of the moors, and soon found a wide track that would lead me on towards Stoodley Pike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It had become hot work climbing out of the valley, and it was necessary to remove coat and jumper!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At Erringden Moor, te path I’d planned to follow didn’t really exist on the boggy ground, so instead I followed the path along the “Boundary Stones”. There weren’t many of them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At last, I got my first view of the monument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stoodley Pike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It wasn’t long before the scale of the monument became apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This monument, built in 1854, replaced an earlier structure, started in 1814 commemorating the defeat of Napoleon\u00a0and the surrender of Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a spiral staircase up to the viewing platform. I took a 180 degree panorama shot. Amazing views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Feature Image at the top of the blog looks down to Hebden Bridge, though I loved this view of the sunlit moorland slopes, the low sun casting interesting shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I stopped here for lunch too, and took a final picture of the structure as I headed away to the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Withens Clough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I made good time now, going downhill. I was soon at Withens Clough Reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beyond the reservoir is a delightful lane along the side of the clough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the foot of the clough is The Hinchliffe Arms. Looks lovely, but wasn’t open till 4pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cragg Vale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The route back followed Cragg Vale. There are regular information boards along the way as the vale clearly has a significant industrial heritage. There are many bridges, weirs, old mill races, mill buildings… and sunbathing cattle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s very pretty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the boards is at the site of a derelict water wheel of a paper mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was a helpful diagram explaining the basics of a waterwheel’s operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was only one point where the path briefly rose into the woods above the brook. It was quite precarious!<\/p>\n\n\n

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In the woods, the sun glistened through the trees as I looked back to the brook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had to cross a new bridge over a small tributary; it was fairly clear what had done for the previous bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Soon enough, I was back at the B-road, crossed over and made my way back to the car, enjoying the view up to the gentle hillside on the opposite bank of Cragg Vale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Well, what a glorious day to be out and about! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just a really good walk, with plenty to keep the eyes and the mind interested throughout!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Finally….<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A new Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott album is out this week. It’s called N.K-Pop and is full of typically Heaton compositions! Here’s the rather melancholy Who Built The Pyramids?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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