6th January 2023 - High Brown Knoll and Sheep Stones Edge
Walk Details
Distance walked: 9.4 miles
Total ascent: 1889 ft
OS map used: OL21 - South Pennines
Time taken: 5.5 hrs
Route description: NT Hardcastle Crags car park-Hollin Hall-Nook-Lumb Bridge-Old Road-A6033-Naze End-High Brown Knoll-Midgley Moor-Crow Hill-Churn Milk Joan-Sheep Stones Edge-Calderdale Way-Delf End-Pecket Well-Lower Crimsworth-Wadsworth War Memorial-Pecket Well Clough-NT Hardcastle Crags car park
The start of the year has seen a trial change to my work hours, and in exchange for an extra 30 minutes each day I'll get every other Friday off, the first of which happens to be today. Which is just as well given that the forecast for the weekend isn't looking too good. Today won't be best of winter days either, and with that in mind I decided to stay in my local South Pennines area and drive across the moors to Hebden Bridge for a walk on the moors above Calderdale. All of the route was familiar to me from past walks, though I've never done this exact one before. I set off from the National Trust Hardcastle Crags car park with a little bit of blue sky and sunshine around, but this didn't last long, and by the time I reached the trig point on High Brown Knoll it was dull and overcast, the cloud had lowered, and light rain was falling. This didn't last long, and it did brighten up by the middle of the afternoon, the sun breaking through the clouds every now and then to light up the moors, on what was a mild and breezy day.
From the NT Hardcastle Crags car park I walked north up the track past the estate office at Hollin Hall and up Crimsworth Dean to the ruin of Nook. Here I left the track and took the bridleway down to Lumb Bridge and up to Old Road, which after a short walk south along I took a bridleway on the left up to the A6033. After crossing the road to the bridleway opposite I followed this up the hillside and to the trig point on High Brown Knoll, where I stopped for lunch. Lunch had, I resumed by keeping on the bridleway and following it south down the eastern edge of Midgley Moor above Luddenden Dean until I reached a footpath up to Crow Hill Nook, which I took, and once there I had a short climb to the top of Crow Hill. After taking in the view I returned to Crow Hill Nook and took the footpath west past Churn Milk Joan towards Sheep Stones Edge, then took a path up to the trig point above. From the trig point I made my way down to the western edge of the moor and onto the Calderdale Way, which took me north and west along the edge of the moor to Moor Side, where I left the trail and took the bridleway north along the edge of the moor to Delf End, from where I took a bridleway down a track to Pecket Well and the A6033. After walking down the road past the Robin Hood Inn I took a bridleway on the right down into and then up out of Pecket Well Clough, then a footpath on the left across the hillside to Lower Crimsworth. A footpath down the hillside from here took me to the Wadsworth war memorial and the bridleway back down to the car park.
Total ascent: 1889 ft
OS map used: OL21 - South Pennines
Time taken: 5.5 hrs
Route description: NT Hardcastle Crags car park-Hollin Hall-Nook-Lumb Bridge-Old Road-A6033-Naze End-High Brown Knoll-Midgley Moor-Crow Hill-Churn Milk Joan-Sheep Stones Edge-Calderdale Way-Delf End-Pecket Well-Lower Crimsworth-Wadsworth War Memorial-Pecket Well Clough-NT Hardcastle Crags car park
The start of the year has seen a trial change to my work hours, and in exchange for an extra 30 minutes each day I'll get every other Friday off, the first of which happens to be today. Which is just as well given that the forecast for the weekend isn't looking too good. Today won't be best of winter days either, and with that in mind I decided to stay in my local South Pennines area and drive across the moors to Hebden Bridge for a walk on the moors above Calderdale. All of the route was familiar to me from past walks, though I've never done this exact one before. I set off from the National Trust Hardcastle Crags car park with a little bit of blue sky and sunshine around, but this didn't last long, and by the time I reached the trig point on High Brown Knoll it was dull and overcast, the cloud had lowered, and light rain was falling. This didn't last long, and it did brighten up by the middle of the afternoon, the sun breaking through the clouds every now and then to light up the moors, on what was a mild and breezy day.
From the NT Hardcastle Crags car park I walked north up the track past the estate office at Hollin Hall and up Crimsworth Dean to the ruin of Nook. Here I left the track and took the bridleway down to Lumb Bridge and up to Old Road, which after a short walk south along I took a bridleway on the left up to the A6033. After crossing the road to the bridleway opposite I followed this up the hillside and to the trig point on High Brown Knoll, where I stopped for lunch. Lunch had, I resumed by keeping on the bridleway and following it south down the eastern edge of Midgley Moor above Luddenden Dean until I reached a footpath up to Crow Hill Nook, which I took, and once there I had a short climb to the top of Crow Hill. After taking in the view I returned to Crow Hill Nook and took the footpath west past Churn Milk Joan towards Sheep Stones Edge, then took a path up to the trig point above. From the trig point I made my way down to the western edge of the moor and onto the Calderdale Way, which took me north and west along the edge of the moor to Moor Side, where I left the trail and took the bridleway north along the edge of the moor to Delf End, from where I took a bridleway down a track to Pecket Well and the A6033. After walking down the road past the Robin Hood Inn I took a bridleway on the right down into and then up out of Pecket Well Clough, then a footpath on the left across the hillside to Lower Crimsworth. A footpath down the hillside from here took me to the Wadsworth war memorial and the bridleway back down to the car park.
Route map
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Leaving the NT car park I take the track north past Hollin Hall and up Crimsworth Dean...
The head of Crimsworth Dean as I reach the ruin of Nook
and looking down Crimsworth Dean
On the path down to Lumb Bridge
Lumb Hole Waterfall..
Heading up to Old Road
On Old Road above Crimsworth Dean
Looking across Crimsworth Dean to Shackleton Knoll from the bridleway up to Hebden Bridge Road..
..and Naze End ahead on the other side of the road
Views across Crimsworth Dean..
Looking back as I reach Naze End, to Crimsworth Dean and to the moorland above Hebden Dale in the distance
Heading for High Brown Knoll. The weather has taken a turn for the worse, the cloud has lowered and there's light rain falling.
The moorland on the other side of Calderdale has disappeared into the clag
Looking back to Naze End
At the trig point on High Brown Knoll
Leaving the trig point I take a bridleway towards Luddenden Dean
Views of Luddenden Dean as I follow the bridleway south along the eastern edge of Midgley Moor.....
Leaving the eastern edge of Midgley Moor I take a footpath up to Crow Hill
Brightening skies over Calderdale from Crow Hill. Looking southwest to Stoodley Pike.
and southeast and south to Norland Moor, the moorland around the River Ryburn and Cragg Vale, and to Blackstone Edge..
At the guide stone of Churn Milk Joan
Looking back to Crow Hill
From Churn Milk Joan I head west towards Sheep Stones Edge
At the trig point on Sheep Stones Edge. Stoodley Pike and Staups Moor to the southwest on either side of Calderdale.
and Norland Moor and a different Crow Hill on the other side of Calderdale
Heading down the moor towards Hebden Bridge to pick up the Calderdale Way
Great moorland colours in this all too brief bit of sunshine
Hebden Bridge in the valley below as I reach the edge of the moor..
..and head north on the Calderdale Way
The sun briefly breaks through the cloud again..
Looking back to Sheep Stones Edge
Views south across Calderdale from the Calderdale Way above Commons Farm..
Passing the top of the bridleway down past Slack Farm to Old Town
On the bridleway down to Pecket Well..
After crossing the A6033 through Pecket Well, on the bridleway across the top of Pecket Well Clough
On the footpath to Lower Crimsworth
Looking back to Pecket Well with High Brown Knoll above
Looking down Hebden Dale from the Wadsworth war memorial above Midgehole
The Wadsworth war memorial
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On the bridleway down Pecket Well Clough
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I return to the NT car park at New Bridge