Training walk 6 - Hebden Bridge to Hardcastle Crags and beyond.

This time, Centurion Rob, couldn’t make the walk, So Centurions Al and Simon, offered the opportunity to our better half’s to accompany us on this one.

What a weekend, it was one of those rare hot sunny weekends, temperatures up in the mid 20’s, not a cloud in sight. Of course having the WAG’s along, made sure that we were smothered in sun cream. Very wise too.

So, we gathered in Leeds train station, decked out in our shorts, awaiting our express to Hebden. For once, engineering works had gone in our favour and trains, were direct from Leeds to Hebden! So, we took the 9.02 from platform 11a, fully provisioned with tea and a sandwich for the 30 minute ride.
Arriving in Hebden Bridge station, which has been kept in the Leeds Manchester Train company colours from the 19 century, the station has not drastically altered since then, which is good to see. Makes a great change from the bus style shelters at most train stations.

Our route starts from the train station car park and goes across the River Calder ,through the park, across the Rochdale canal and up to Hebden Bridge’s main square, well its more of a triangle. From there, we cross Hebden Water and follow the path. It was here, that we encountered the mysterious durkey. A cross between a duck and a turkey. Though the WAG’s, (Lynsey and Barbara) insisted it was a Tuck. We follow the road until we come to Salem Bridge. We cross over Hebden Water yet again and follow the path up past the archery club and eventually come out at Midgehole and the Blue Pig club. Not sure why the 80’s film Porkies came into my head at this point!

We come to the start of Hardcastle Crags just another 200 yards further onward. Lynsey was most happy, to see the ice cream van arrive and begin to set up shop for the day. She knew that if she got through the walk, her ice cream would be waiting at the end! Descending to the stream, we come across a fallen tree, a victim of one of the many floods the valley witnesses. After a quick log hugging session, Simon comes across something, which rebuffs everything my mother told me about money growing on tree’s. Simon, feeling the need, deposited 2p with the money tree. Fingers crossed his investment will grow.

The path ends at Gibson Mill, which is good, because the ladies needed to pay a visit to Yorkshire most environmentally friendly toilets. A couple of banana’s , twix’s and a nettle emergency later, we set off. Following the ‘blue’ route, we soon came across the mill pond, which had some little ducklings and, obviously, we had to stop and see how cute they were… hmmm. We also found some nice damsel flies and even managed to glimpse a couple of Newts, though the photo hasn’t come out that well. Now, I’d convinced everyone, that due to the baking hot weather, there wouldn’t be much mud on this walk. Sadly I was soon getting a lot of stick from Lynsey and Barbara, due to the rather muddy path. Don’t worry, this’ll be it, Won’t be much more mud today. So we traipse along the pathway, following the stream, across a few bridges and we head up the hillside. The path, was obviously at this point, not often used. Unsure of the actual directions, path finder Al, decides to just follow the stream, until we come to crossing point. Out of the woodland and into the open moorland, the path was becoming more and more difficult to see, some would say, that it had in fact disappeared entirely! Here we come across a nice little sunny stopping point, sunbathers on the other side were enjoying the rays. Such a nice scenic place, we decided to finish off the twix’s and banana’s and apply a little more suncream.

Now, eventually we crossed the stream of death (lynsey’s name for it) and as I was utterly lost, but not wanting to let on, we went up a very steep 3-1 incline. It wasn’t a path!
but at the top, there was one, phew. So, after a confident “ I told you, the path was here, that hill was just a little short cut” we set off.
I don’t know where I went wrong, but at some point, I lost the real path (Again) It must have gone in a different direction. We ended up by the streams edge and doggedly following it downstream.
We were then stopped in our tracks by a vast area of bog. Oh dear. “you said they’d be no more mud” A few prods here and there, showed that there was no way around it. We’d have to walk through it and hope its not more than ankle deep. Barbara to her credit, was first to attempt the crossing, deciding that speed would be the better way. Faster than a speeding bullet, she was across. Ankle deep and mud splattered but across. We all followed her route and we all get caked in sticky gooey mud. “Some people pay for this”. It didn’t help. I was in trouble for getting them dirty. The ‘path’, after another 200 yards of mud, water, slippery rocks and twisted tree roots, came to a final end. Faced with walking in the stream or climbing up the 20 feet of embankment. One look at the faces told me It was up the embankment. Myself up first of course and I was shocked to find a well used path at the top.....

So, down the uneventful (not much fun) path and back to Gibson Mill. It was another mile and the icecream van, was still there, selling his Yorkshire Dales icecream.
Back to the Blue Pig (couldn’t see any) and retraced our steps into Hebden, arriving at the pub slightly redder, muddier and more tired than when we set off.