Troller's Gill

I’ve been wanting to do this walk for about two years but until today it has never been the right time.  I stopped off in Skipton and bobbed into Cotswold Outdoors and saw these beautiful green summer walking boots on a shelf with my name on them saying “buy me” – so I did.

No time like the present to try them out.

I found my way to Skyreholme okay and parked up on the little stone bridge just by the telephone box.  The first directions said go through a field which when I looked was full of cows so that was a no no.  As I read further I realised I could skip that bit of the walk and headed towards Parcevall Hall.  Here I turned left over a stile into a field to follow a beck upstream.  There were a few people in front of me and one or two heading back to the road. I carried on upstream until I came to a junction of paths here I took the right hand path to curve around the hillside eventually opening up to show me the Gill. 

It’s a small narrow ravine with a limestone streambed that was dry today.

The path was just to keep going up through the limestone streambed to eventually arrive at a ladder stile onto open countryside.   

Further on there was another ladder-stile to climb and just beyond a small bridge left over the steam - but my route was to continue up to an old spoil heap, ruined building and an old lead mine entrance.

From here a green path took me right up to the top of hills and to a gateway on Black Hill Road.  Here I turned right heading in the direction of Simons Seat.  This was a long walk on a track to eventually come to a junction where I took a right and followed this road back down to Skyreholme.  Really please I’ve done this walk.  As  a bonus on the way back at a road junction a there was a tractor rally going past.

 Only disappointment I didn’t see any Trolls in Troller’s Gill. Just over 4 miles on hot day. Home for tea and toast.

Sutton Clough

Lovely day and the temperature was going up but tonight was George’s Gang Show so I didn’t want to risk being late back to get over to their house for 6.30pm so I picked this walk as I already know the route and it’s not a long drive there and back.  Set off up into the woods and spotted this nicely carved stone.  Funny how you can do a walk several times and then spot something you’ve never seen before.  

It was pleasant walking up through the woods the trees giving shade and making it just that bit cooler.  The bluebells were still out and there were hundreds of Wild Garlic which had a really strong smell. 

Because of the dry weather the stream at the bottom was only small, I have been when it’s been a lot faster.  

Because the bracken hadn’t started growing too much it was a lot easier to find the steps down to the water today – and it was a lot easier to find stepping stones across as there was so little water.  I climbed up through a dell full of bluebells to enter a field where there are always cows. There were just two black ones today.  Then I crossed over the road into the farmyard where the mad black and white dog was dashing about and barking frantically on the end of a long chain.  You could hear it before you saw it and I had to keep to the opposite side of the farm yard to stay out of its reach.  At the other side of the farm the track where its normally quite muddy was bone dry today. I past the derelict building and headed up to the farm at the top of the hill. 

Here there were two peacocks – unfortunately they weren’t displaying their tail feathers today but still nice to see.

  There were lots of sheep and lambs in the field passing down below a house, they normally run away but these didn’t move.

As I walked across a small gated track it was fully of some sort of alpine balsam which looked like a pretty pink/purple bed. 

Back down to the main Eastburn Road I crossed over to go down Green Lane.  Last time the field on the right was just brown – today it was all new houses with cars on the drives.  As I went further on there was the house with an extension – like the same size as the house itself with a huge roller door in the gable end.  Every time I’ve wondered why they’d built this.  Today it was open and inside was a large classic wagon E reg all beautifully restored and shiny.  Mystery solved.  Good walk 4 ¾ miles and still enjoy this walk.  Time for tea and the Gang Show.

Elland Park Wood

 I’ve kept looking for walks around Halifax area and they seem to be thin on the ground. Finally found one from the Yorkshire Post this walk is supposed to be good to do in May as its through woods full of bluebells so now was the right time to do it.  The start was easy enough to find although the car park was quite small behind a unit that seemed to make wooden pallets.  The directions were fairly straight forward – back to the main road and across to a track up into the woods.  Up by a house I turned off onto a track into the woods proper. 

There were lots of tracks criss crossing the woods and it looked as though some of the paths were used  by mountain bikers but my directions were to keep fairly straight through the woods. Have to admit the bluebells were beautiful and when the bluebells disappeared the wild garlic took over. At the end of the woods I came to a red brick cobbled road. 

It must have taken thousands of bricks to make this road.  Following the road uphill I turned off over a stream up some steps and into a field.  At the top of a field I came to a farm track.  At the end it was lucky I looked back and spotted the stile – down a field and marked as part of the Calderdale Way.  Going down the field I stopped to look across the valley and the farmer appeared on his tractor.  He stopped and asked if I was lost.  I said no was just admiring the view – then I thought I’d best be on my way. 

The path came out onto a small road by some rugby fields.  There must have been an important game on the road had cars parked along it from end to end and there was a large crowd on the sidelines watching the game. After walking along the road a few yards I took a path down through a field.  Then I had to come back up the field – should have crossed it instead of going down it.  The stile was at the top.  Then I could go down – entering some woods and following a path emerging onto the A629.  Didn’t like this bit had to cross the busy road and after trailing up and down the road a couple of times I couldn’t find the path down to the canal so had to go along side the road till I could turn down at a roundabout and pick up the tow path there.  Then it was just a steady walk along the towpath back to the start where I’d parked.  This canal was very quiet.  On the way I passed ducks and geese with their ducklings, and goslings –  I think now was the best time of year to do this walk.

a swan sitting on her nest (it was huge – never seen one before)

past the Woodside Flour mills ruins – one of the largest flour mills in Yorkshire

and a racing track for model racing cars. This was a good 4.5 mile walk and I’m glad I did it while the bluebells were out.

A Ramble in the Harden Valley

This was a walk with Bingley Walking Festival.  Originally I’d been going to go on a Ride 2 Stride walk up around the Three Peaks but it was a very warm day and I wanted to do a few things at home so this walk from Bingley suited me as it didn’t start until 1pm.  There was about 30 of us on this walk so a good turn out. It started by going through Myrtle Park – across the river and across Harden Beck via the old pack horse-bridge. 

Up Beck Lane we took a path on the left crossing the beck again and made our way through the golf course.

From here there was a steep ascent to start with then at a crossing of paths on Black Hills we took the path veering slightly right. This is a permissive pathway, so is not marked as a Rights of Ways on O.S. maps. However, half way through there was known locally as the St David’s Folly or Harden Grange Folly. It’s a monument built as a ruin – a folly – by the Ferrand family in the 19th Century. Carrying on the path we came out onto Harden Lane.

Up Harden Lane we turned right after the cottages along Cherry Tree Row – the entrance to the path is by the field gate. We walked through Cragg wood arriving at a static caravan park. We went left to Goitstock waterfall. 

Past the waterfall we came to an old mill now converted into luxury apartments. 

After crossing a main road and going through a stile we followed the beck reaching the Hewenden viaduct, going under the arches we walked to the top! We walked along the viaduct into Cullingworth we walked on a pathway bringing us to Catstones Moor and across to Ryecroft Road. From here was a hard pull up the road to the quarry where we turned onto Harden Moor. 

 Here we took a path right arriving at a farm known as Ether Glen eventually coming onto Keighley Road.  From here we entered St Ives Estate and followed the path through to Altar Lane and back down to Bingley. 

The time was now 6.45pm and we’d walked 10.25 miles.  I was ready for home and tea. An excellent bank holiday Monday walk.

Rylstone Fell

The last time I walked up here was 15^th October 2016 so quite a while ago and because of the time of year and short days I just walked to the cross and came back down in a short loop.

  Today I was going to up and across the moor to the Cracoe Obelisk/war memorial and back down.  Originally it was known as Rylstone Man but it was changed to a wooden crucifix to commemorate the 'Peace of Paris' in 1885. Weather conditions took their toll on the Rylstone Cross in the decades that followed and it had to be replaced several times until the wooden structure was changed to a stone one in 1997. Rylstone is now more famous for the Calendar girls who published a calendar in 1994 to raise money for Leukaemia. The walk passed the church in Rylstone Centre before turning up a track that leads through a narrow pasture then up past a plantation and a steep moorland track by a wall up to Rylstone Cross I stopped here for a drink and a sandwich, It had been warm work up the steep path.

Before heading east to the Cracoe Memorial, a stone obelisk built to remember those that lost their lives in the First World War. The mile long walk along the top escarpment between the two points – the cross and the obelisk is well worth the hike up. 

The views were fantastic today  looking across Barden moor towards Upper Barden reservoir and back across to the quarries around Cracoe.

 The walk loops back down the fell on a sunken way made by sledges carrying stones from the hills.  The path then got even steeper to level out in a boggy section by some sheep pens.  From here I went through a gate onto a grassy green track – Fell Lane.  

Looking back up at the memorial it seemed a long way a way.  

Just before the main road there was a back lane back to to Rylstone this walk was 6.5 miles and the sun had shone all the way round, so glad I’d remembered to put my sunscreen on – no itchy spots I hope. I just love these hills and views.