A walk up Stoodley Pike

After looking around Heptonstall and grabbing a bite to eat I set off on my walk up to Stoodley Pike, a 1,300-foot (400 m) hill topped with a monument, which lies on the Pennine way in the South Pennines close to Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. I’d decided to follow a route published by the AA, although I did vary a little from it.

Setting out from Hebden Bridge, passing the train station, I was soon climbing up a quiet country lane.

As I climbed up through the woods I could look down on Hebden Bridge at the bottom of the narrow Calderdale valley

Coming out of the woods by a telecoms mast,

the route continued up hill through the open fields

with the sun beating down with no cloud cover and now out of the shade for most of the route I was glad I’d decided to wear my wide rimmed Aussie hat !

Looking back I could see Heptonstall village on the other side of the valley

and looking ahead my objective came into view, silhouetted by the bright sky

After a while I turned off the path through the fields to continue on along some quiet country lanes

passing a number of traditional buildings, some working farms but many had been converted into (no doubt expensive) homes

There weren’t many other people about on this stretch of the walk and no noise other than the bleating of sheep and the call of curlews and other birds.

Getting closer to the Pike now

which was quite busy with other walkers, most of whom seemed to have come up from Todmorden. (I angle my photos to avoid the “crowds”)

Good views from the top

The 121 foot (37 m) high Monument on the top of the hill commemorates the Napoleonic wars. It’s actually the second structure, replacing the original tower, completed in 1815 and paid for by public subscription, which collapsed in 1854 after a lightning strike.

After a short stop to take in the views and refuel, I decided to continue along the ridge for another mile. The peat is quite eroded. It’s a busy path, popular with people coming up from Todmorden but also part of the Pennine Way

Having had quite a long dry spell I didn’t have to wade through a muddy morass.

I thought about descending the hill taking the path down towards Todmorden and then following the bridleway that traverses the foot of the hill, but it was sunny, with hardly a breath of wind and very pleasant on the top of the hill, so I turned round and retraced my steps back towards the monument

I retraced my steps back down the hill,

turning off to follow the Pennine Bridleway in the direction of Hebden Bridge

after a while turning off the bridleway to take a path through some pleasant woodland towards the town

before hitting a cobbled track

and being watched by some curious locals

It was the day after Good Friday!

I was getting close to Hebden Bridge now

After descending the steep hill I was back on the Rochdale canal

I picked up some cold drinks from the Co-op, then carried on along the towpath back towards the station

I only had short wait before my train arrived that would take me back to Wigan. 90 minutes later, I was back home.

Another good day out. The train is making this area very accessible without a car, avoiding an awkward drive across the busy M62 and down narrow roads, and also avoiding the bother having to find somewhere to park. I think I’m going to be spending more time exploring the area in the near future.