All The Gear But No Idea: Hardcastle Crags & Crimsworth Dean

Hardcastle Crags & Crimsworth Dean 28-04-2019

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Route: New Bridge, Hebden Dale, Foul Hill, Gibson Mill, Hardcastle Crags, Walshaw Wood, Walshaw, Horodiddle, Calder / Aire Link, Coppy, Lumb Hole Waterfall, Crimsworth Dean, Bridge Clough, Middle Dean Wood, New Bridge

Date: 28/04/2019
From: Hebden Dale

Parking: Hardcastle Crags
Start Point: Hebden Dale
Region: West Yorkshire

Route length: 5.7 miles (12.7km)
Time taken: 03:30
Average speed: 2.9 mph
Ascent: 550m
Descent: 526m

Summits: None

Other points of interest: Gibson Mill, Hardcastle Crags, Lumb Hole Waterfall, Crimsworth Dean

We trekked over to one of our more local haunts this weekend, the wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags, close to Hebden Bridge. It's another area managed by the National Trust. The Hardcastle Crags area comprises the valley of Hebden Dale and Crimsworth Dean which meet at the car park and are bridged by the low Shackleton Moor which separates the two valleys to the north. A walk along Hebden Dale, over Shackleton Knoll and returning via Crimsworth Dean is an obvious route for a fine spring day. While not long, there would be plenty of interest along the way.

The undisputed highlight of the two valleys today were the wonderful carpets of bluebells which were putting on a fine show and can be seen from the car park as you enter. An information shed provides a number of different trails to follow but they all ultimately lead to Gibson Mill. We wound our way through the woods until we reached the mill.

Bluebells greet us as we enter the woods of Hebden Dale

Bluebells in Foul Scout Wood

Sara follows one of the many paths through the woods

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Bluebells on the side of Foul Hill

Bluebells

Stepping stones over Hebden Water

Hebden Water

Approaching Gibson Mill

Lord Holme Mill (or Gibson Mill as it is now known) was first opened as a cotton mill by Abraham Gibson in 1800 and was one of the first mills of the Industrial Revolution. The mill was driven by a water wheel and produced cotton cloth for nearly 100 years. After it shut down as a working mill, the building became a mini holiday centre or “entertainment emporium” with a café, dance hall and skating rink catering mainly for day-trippers who visited what became known as “Little Switzerland” until what seemed like its final closure in 1945. After the Second World War, the mill fell into disrepair and was acquired by the National Trust in 1950.

Gibson Mill

Hebden Water

Now, Gibson Mill is 100% self-sufficient in energy, water and waste treatment. It has a hydro-electric system, solar panels and a log-burning stove fuelled by wood from the estate. The best and most photographed side of the mill is the view across the millpond.

Gibson Mill

The millpond

Beyond the mill, we followed an access road to Hardcastle Crags itself, a stack of gritstone rocks that sit in the middle of the valley. A short hike to the top gives some interesting but limited views - the stack is lower than the valley sides.

Climbing Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Dale

Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Dale and a distant Shackleton Moor

The top of Hardcastle Crags

Hardcastle Crags

We returned to the path which winds further along the valley, gaining height above the river before dropping down as it enters Walshaw Wood. At Rowhsaw Clough, we left the shady valley up a steep climb to the fields of Walshaw farm. A fair bit of work has been invested into the path here; while it looks steep on the map, newly constructed steps ease the climbing. Once at the farm the views really begin to open up.

The path at Walshaw Wood

Walshaw Wood

Heptonstall Moor

The Calder / Aire Link at Walshaw

The Calder / Aire Link

At Walshaw Farm, we joined the Calder / Aire Link bridleway which, as its name suggests, links the Calder Valley to the Aire valley via the intervening moorland. From the farm it runs below the knoll of Shackleton Moor, rising gradually to a height of 350m before dropping more steeply towards the top of Crimsworth Dean. From here, it is well worth a diversion to Lumb Hole Waterfall. Though it had been quite dry, the small waterfall and its packhorse bridge are beautiful.

The valley of Graining Water

Descending into Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean

Stoodley Pike

Lumb Hole Waterfall

Crimsworth Dean

Above Lumb Hole Waterfall

Packhorse bridge at Lumb Hole

This beauty spot has been well known for decades, and provided the inspiration for a poem by Ted Hughes titled “Six Young Men”. He wrote the poem about an old photograph of six young men taken at the waterfall. All six men were killed in the First World War.

The six young men at Lumb Falls

Away from the waterfall, we continued southwards along the upper reaches of Crimsworth Dean. This charming valley is a SSSI, dotted with old listed buildings and more serene views of Calderdale. We entered Middle Dean Wood where a myriad of paths can be taken. The clearest (or best-marked) follows a series of yellow waymarks through Middle Dean Wood. By the time we emerged from the valley, it was warm and sunny, making for a pleasant few hundred metres back to the car park.