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| High and Low Through Mud and Snow |
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Date : 24th January 2010
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Leader : Trevor Whittaker |
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Report by : Phil Bedson |
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Photos © : Phil Bedson |
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| The clapper bridge across Torver Clough | |
A fine rain was falling as Trevor Whittaker led a dozen Hyndburn Ramblers off on a nine-mile walk from Mytholmroyd. Leaving the car park on the main road we took a side road to go past the rail station and, at a bend in the road, took a small lane off uphill on our left. We made our way along a small enclosed path which in turn led into a small wooded area. At a junction with a drive we took a parallel path leading into a field before striking out uphill along an enclosed lane which gave us our first taste of the boggy conditions underfoot. The rain had stopped and a brief rest at the top preceded the next leg of the walk through another wooded area before we emerged onto a lane. A ‘gentle’ uphill drag took us up to some well hidden steps in a garden which in turn led up to the curiously named Owlet Hall Farm. A drink stop was undertaken on the huge lump of natural rock which had been landscaped into the drive.
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left:
The upwards heading boggy lane - looking downwards! |
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right: If you go down to the woods... |
The farm track was followed until we arrived at a stile into a field and we then headed for the ruin in the distance. The views from here were 360° and one could only surmise as to why the last tenants who left Deacon Hill farm to deteriorate ever wanted to leave. Joining High Lane we made our way to Coppy Nook Lane which we followed to its juncture with High Stones Road. Snow drifts littered the sides of the lane, and the fields, as we made our way past Catherine House with its curious chimney which was apparently a drying barn in days of old. We continued on our way as the drifts were getting deeper, so deep in fact that as we hit the days high point we climbed a gate just by walking over the drift covering it! It was downhill all the way to the B6138, which had to be crossed, and a steep and slippery set of steps took us even further down to our lunch spot by the banks of Torvin Clough.
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left:
The chimney of Catherine House |
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right: There's snow stile here!! |
Reluctantly we had to leave this picturesque setting with its clapper bridge although our way forward meant we would accompany the lively water back down the valley. The wooded path was gently undulating but quite boggy in places and upon entering a field which was more swamp than field the word ‘Yuk’ was heard more than once. It didn’t last as we joined the lane into Cragg Vale where an impromptu diversion the wrong way was taken up to the gatehouse of Cragg Hall with its distinctive jigsaw cut jobe stones. Resuming the walk the right way we passed the local church of St John before a track led us round to a fieldpath where we once again joined the water’s edge. As we continued we came across the remnants of the local industry which had long since vanished. The path was elevated between the river and a millpond and as we went all manner of ruins could be seen amongst the trees. Arrival at a bridge crossing the river gave us a wonderful (probably reproduced) water wheel in the original waterwheel housing which in turn gave us a great spot to have a brief break.
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left:
Reflections |
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right: The waterwheel |
We once again entered a woodland as we began the final leg of the walk although a bit of an optical illusion made it look like we were walking at an angle of 40° to the horizontal. Even the trees were growing at an angle. The concessionary path from the next bridge was again through the trees and easy going and before long we had joined the track which would lead us back onto the B6138 at Dauber Bridge. Crossing the road we took a set of steps up to a small gate which to our surprise rejoined the route at the corner from where we ‘struck out uphill’ for the first time. From here we retraced our steps back to the car park where everyone thanked Trevor for a wonderful walk, albeit a little hilly and a little muddy.
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| The illusion of walking on a slope | |
| OS EXPLORER |
SOUTH PENNINES OL21 |
START POINT |
SE 014 260 |
| WALK LENGTH |
7.4 mls / 15 km |
TIME |
3 hrs 45 m |
| MAX HEIGHT |
353.66 mtrs |
MIN HEIGHT |
89.82 mtrs |
| HEIGHT ASCENDED |
453.05 mtrs |
HEIGHT DESCENDED |
453.05 mtrs |
This map is for reference only and MUST NOT be used to do the walk.
Please use the correct OS map for all these walks.
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