Walking Route Inspiration
Get some fresh Pennine air in your lungs with any one of our great Calderdale walks. Not only do we have wonderful rivers, hills, valleys and moorlands, but Calderdale was also the cradle of the industrial revolution, with mills and factories bringing wealth, prosperity and a sense of true community. Discover our wide range of walks around Calderdale, including routes you can follow on your own and guided walks to take you through the heritage of our historic location. Whatever you choose, there’s plenty of opportunities to get ‘happily lost’ in Calderdale.
Easy & Family
Friendly Walks
You can explore the landscape of Calderdale without needing to do a strenuous hike!
There are gentle walks on relatively flat routes (the canal towpath is an ideal gentle route with you being able to choose how far you want to go). A range of easier walks are on the 100 walks page of the Heart of the Pennines website (select easier and the area).
If you’d like ideas of ways to enjoy Calderdale’s outdoors with your kids and their little legs, then look no further than ‘Little Legs‘ – free online resources for walking and outdoor adventures with young children. Little Legs share their favourite walks, hidden gems and ideas, with easy-to-follow routes and lots of tips.
Mixenden’s interactive Wild Walk and History Hike are ideal for kids and their grown-ups! On the wild walk you follow 12 wooden markers around a circular 1km route through the woodlands. Each post has a QR code which you can scan to listen to voices bring wildlife to life, or share an intriguing snippet of local history.
The Calderdale Way is a 50-mile circular walk exploring Calderdale’s hills, moors and valleys. It follows old packhorse routes, through pretty hillside villages and historic old mill towns.
The route officially starts on the Calder & Hebble Navigation in Brighouse, but it can also be broken up into smaller circular walks, using the link paths from nearby towns and villages. The route and link paths are all waymarked with Calderdale Way waymarking signs to help you explore the landscape one step at a time.
Find everything you need to know to walk the Calderdale Way here.
There are so many walking routes in Calderdale, you’re spoilt for choice!
Hebden Bridge pioneered the UK initiative ‘Walkers are Welcome’ in 2007 with the aim of encouraging and creating a network of towns and villages that are welcoming to walkers. Now over 100 towns and villages across the UK have joined this community-led scheme.
Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden Walkers Are Welcome have gathered together over 100 walks on the Heart of the Pennines website. You can print them off, download them or purchase from local outlets. You choose the area and the type of walk you want to do.
Whether you are looking for short, easy walks or a more strenuous option, there are many walking guides (leaflets, booklets and books) about the Calderdale area available from: The Discover Halifax Hub (The Woolshops, Halifax), Mountain Wild (Crown Street, Hebden Bridge), Hebden Bridge Town Hall, Todmorden Information Centre and online from the Heart of the Pennines website. For a start, think about buying OS map OL 21 that covers the area or one of the smaller Yellow Walk Maps.
There are plenty of options if you prefer to walk with a group or with someone who knows the area and the landscape and heritage.
A programme of guided walks exploring the heritage of Calderdale is offered all year round by Calderdale Heritage Walks. The majority of these walks are centred on towns and villages, but some have a more rural feel exploring the old lanes, paths and settlements of our extensive countryside. Almost all walks take place on Sundays and cost £4 per person.
Calderdale Ramblers offer weekly walks through their website.
Halifax has a surprising and quite amazing music history. The self guided Halifax Music Heritage Trail celebrates this important cultural history of the town. From Dusty Springfield, Rod Stewart, Iggy Pop to Joy Division, Pulp, The Cure, The Jacksons, the list of artists who have played the town is long and diverse.
Bus walks make it easy to do linear walks and can get you up on to the tops without a big effort!
Download twelve great walks from the 901 bus which runs from Hebden Bridge up Cragg Vale to the Ripponden Valley (and onwards to Huddersfield), or get the booklet with twelve Todmorden Bus Walks using local buses.
More information about both of these on Heart of the Pennines website (select bus in the search box).
You can plan walks on your own by using the West Yorkshire Metro website.
The Pennine Bridleway runs for 205 miles (330km) from Derbyshire to Cumbria. The Pennine Bridleway runs roughly parallel to, but separate from the Pennine Way and offers access for Horse Riders and Cyclists in addition to Walkers.
The Mary Towneley Loop is a 47 mile section of the Pennine Bridleway with a variety of tracks, looping past Blackshaw Head, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Walsden. You will encounter open moorland, hidden reservoirs, ancient packhorse tracks sweeping into valleys with gritstone walls, mill chimneys and canals, all offering a glimpse of past histories.
It is easy to plan shorter walks using the Mary Townley Loop- a leaflet and map are available to download from the National Trails website.
A superb way to go walking in Calderdale – The Calderdale Way is a 50 mile (80 km) walk exploring the hills, moors and valleys of Calderdale. It is an ‘up and down’ journey with few level sections. However, the higher levels provide some exceptionally fine panoramic views and are well worth the effort.
There are numerous link paths which connect the Calderdale Way to the valley floor which means the route can be walked in several short stages. The walk encircles Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, following old packhorse ways across the open gritstone hillsides with sections of traditional stone causeway. The route passes through medieval hillside settlements such as Heptonstall, Lumbutts and Mankinholes and old mill towns on the banks of the River Calder.
Find everything you need to know to walk the Calderdale Way here.
The Pennine Way is a long distance trail that starts in Derbyshire and ends on the Scottish borders, offering 268 miles of some of the finest upland walking along the rugged backbone of England.
The Pennine Way enters Calderdale at Blackstone Edge, passing Stoodley Pike, dropping down into the valley at Callis, climbing back up to Colden and over the moors to Widdop. Walkers often say this stretch is one of the best on the whole route.
The route is well serviced with local buses.
To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Pennine Way, Hebden Bridge Walkers Action created a waymarked loop to Hebden Bridge and back to the Pennine Way via the ancient village of Heptonstall. The Hebden Bridge Loop makes a wonderful and moderately challenging 6 ½ mile circuit of the fantastic landscape surrounding Hebden Bridge.
The Todmorden Centenary Way is a twenty-mile circular route that can be joined at any point and walked in any order which goes through upland pastures, woodland, open moor and steep sided valleys around the market town of Todmorden. It offers a series of day and half day walks of various lengths or a whole weekend’s walking.
The Centenary Way can be joined at any point and its sections walked in any order. Walks can be devised to suit all abilities and link paths enable circular walks to be planned with the option of using public transport.
A guide to the route is available from several outlets listed on the Heart of the Pennines website.
The Rochdale Canal runs for 33 miles between Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale, all the way to Manchester. It runs through the Upper Calder Valley passing Luddendenfoot, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Walsden.
The canal is close to train stations at Sowerby Bridge, Mythomroyd, Hebden Brige, Todmorden and Walsden. There is a towpath all the way which makes it a great flat walking route, suitable for buggies.
You can walk short sections by using regular local buses to get you to the start and finish of your walk.
More information about walking the canal is on Heart of the Pennines website.
The Calder and Hebble Navigation runs for 21 miles from Wakefield to Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire. It has 27 locks and a number of flood locks.
There is a towpath all the way which makes it a great flat walking route. You can do short sections by using local buses to get you to the start and finish of your walk.
The Stanza Stone route was developed as part of Ilkley Literature Festival. Along the route there are poems by Simon Armitage about weather which are carved into the landscape.
They are such a surprise when you come across them. We have one in our area on the Pennine Way at Lighthazzles quarry near Blackstone Edge and one just to the North on Oxenhope Moor.
Cromwell Bottom is one of the richest areas in Calderdale in terms of biodiversity, boasting over 130 species of plant, 200 species of birds, large numbers of mammals, amphibians and lots of invertebrate life. Anyone, adults and chiildren interested in nature, needs to visit Cromwell Bottom.
The area is mainly woodland with a really good network of paths. There is also a wheelchair and pushchair accessible route. There is a car park at the reserve and a regular bus service from Halifax bus station.
The 121 foot (37 m) high Stoodley Pike Monument dominates the skyline above Todmorden, sitting atop Stoodley Pike, a 1,300-foot (400 m) hill on the Pennine Way. The monument was designed in 1854 by local architect James Green, and completed in 1856 at the end of the Crimean War.
The Pike can only be reached on foot and there are many walking routes to it from Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.
Walking guides to all these routes available from the Heart of the Pennines website.
Sheltered from the moorland wind, this deep wooded valley is an enchanting mix of wood, water and stone.
The National Trust has put in some superb waymarked walking routes suitable for all abilities. It’s a great place for children – crossing the river on stepping stones and spotting birds, insects, amphibians and if you’re lucky, deer! Hardcastle Crags offers a completely different experience throughout the year – from the icicles of midwinter to the carpet of bluebells in the spring.
The early 19th century Gibson Mill is situated within the site. A tour of the mill tells the history of the valley and the mill over the past 200 years. The mill also has changing exhibitions throughout the year.
Gibson Mill is 100% self-sufficient in energy, water and waste treatment. It has a hydro-electric system, solar photovoltaic panels and a log-burning stove fuelled by wood from the estate.
You can also rest and recharge at the Weaving Shed Café, serving delicious ethical and locally-produced food and buy the perfect gift or memento in the shop located there.
Hardcastle Crags is open all year round from dawn until dusk, admission to Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill are free.
Dogs are welcome (including in the café and mill) if kept under close control.
You can download maps and directions for the waymarked walks in the Crags from Heart of the Pennines website or use the QR codes on the information board at the Blue Pig, Midgehole.
GETTING THERE
You have two options to get to Hardcastle Crags:
By car – there is parking at Midgehole and Clough Hole (fee applies)
Walking – there is a route from Hebden Bridge on good paths with a bit of road walking. It will take you about 45 minutes. Download directions from Heart of the Pennines website.
Ogden Water offers excellent opportunities to escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Ogden Water is a very popular destination for picnics, walking, family outings, and nature activities. Why not enjoy a picnic at our picnic tables whilst taking in the stunning views.
There are hourly buses to Oden Water from Halifax bus station.
There is a lovely flat footpath around Ogden Water and three longer walks from the site. Friends of Calderdale Countryside have produced a detailed guide which is available at the Ogden shop and from the Heart of the Pennines online shop.
Calderdale’s parks are great for fairly flat walking on good paths and you can combine a walk in the park with woodland walks and canal towpath walks.
Shibden Park, Halifax
Manor Heath Park, Halifax
People’s Park, Halifax
Savile Park, Halifax
Wellholme Park, Brighouse
Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge
Centre Vale Park, Todmorden
When you’re enjoying Calderdale’s countryside, please follow The Countryside Code.
Town and Village walks which explore the heritage of the area are available from the heart of the Pennines website.
