Walk Leader: Ian Wardle

Number on walk: 13

Distance: 15.5 miles

Weather: Sunny all day

We set off from Hebden Bridge climbing up, very steeply at first, through woodland and fields to Hebden Bridge Golf Club. We crossed the course to join the Calderdale Way which we followed for a short while before leaving it to climb up to the first trig point of the day on Crow Hill Nook. Here we met a walker coming the other way who very kindly took a group photo of us all. The views today were wonderful, so Heptonstall was very clear to see to the west and Stoodley Pike Monument stood prominently on the horizon and remained in view for most of the day.

We set off across Midgley moor, which was covered in flowering heather, heading for the stone vent shafts in the distance. These shafts (there are two) are vents on the aqueduct deep under the fell feeding water from Widdop to Halifax.

From here we climbed up to High Brown Knoll where we stopped for our first break of the day. We then dropped down to follow the Catchwater Drain to Warley Moor Reservoir which like most was very low. We skirted the reservoir to join a path we followed across Rocking Stone Flat where we stopped for lunch on Rocking Stone.  From here we dropped down into Luddenden Dean valley which we followed out to rejoin the Calderdale Way. We followed the Calderdale Way west and then a series of very steep paths, covered in blackberries which most walkers enjoyed, down to the Rochdale canal which we followed back to our cars.

Photos can be seen 'here'.