Blake Dean

I wasn’t sure where to walk today I’d spoken to Melanie and she thought Jumble Hole Clough may not be a good idea with it being so muddy.  At least by lunch time it had faired up although driving over Cockhill the mist came down low. Yet when I dropped down to Pecket Well the mist rolled away and it wasn’t too bad.  I was still making my mind up where to go. As I dropped down into Hebden Bridge I decided to go over towards Widdop at Clough foot I would have two options – either going around the Gorple Moors or Blake Dean.  When I got to the parking place I decided to on the Blake Dean option being slightly shorter and not quite so wild a walk hopefully.  Although I had never done this walk before.

I set off and turned down the path sign-posted Hebble hole. 

 Down I went at a fork I took the right flagged path down to the valley bottom of Graining Water.  It was very pretty, but the wrong way.  

So I had to trek all the way back up the path again. 

 Instead I was to carry along the hillside on a thin path and past the outcrops of Ridge Scout. 

Eventually the path went down the hillside to a stile onto the road. I was facing the site of Blake Dean Baptist Chapel – the burial ground along side is still there. 

From here I dropped down the road and going left to a stile with some very steep steps down to Alcomden Water.  It was very broad and fast today. 

  I should imagine in the summer its just a gentle stream ideal for paddling in. Crossing the footbridge I climbed the hill to come to a flat pathway – this was a railway cutting built in 1901 to carry materials to Walshaw Dean. 

 From here I turned left up the hill – through a couple of fields and onto a lane.  Now I was heading back towards the car and the wind was in my face. 

 Hard work walking and my eyes were streaming with the wind.  This was now a long walk along the access road.  I followed this down the valley over a stone arched bridge up the other side where there were a group of teenagers out walking too.  They were having a break having come from the opposite direction to me. I continued left past a plantation and back to the road and my car.  Good walk but nearer 4 miles than 3.5 and with the wind against me all the way back it had been hard work. Think it will be lovely to do this again in the summer.