Ogden Water to Hebden Bridge Hike

The walk follows the Calderdale Way for the most part.

Leaving Ogden Water car park cross the promenade and turn left. Eventually the path turns right to pass in front of the Halifax Golf Club House, then keep with the stream and turn left at the end. Keep on this lane to emerge at a tarmac lane at Brockholes. Turn right at Brockholes soon to arrive at the houses at Stod Fold. Pass between the first houses then keep ahead between buildings towards a three barred iron gate seen ahead. Keep ahead with the wall on your left to cross a stile under trees and then pass through the wall into a large field. Keep to the left of the broken down wall to pass through a ‘pallet’ kissing gate onto a track. Turn left and within 10 metres turn right going steeply uphill (Hunter Hill).

At the top the path becomes a track which crosses rough land with a quarry on the left. The path exits via a kissing gate onto the Withens road. Cross the road and ignoring the bridleway ahead turn left for a few strides and then right towards a bungalow. Our path immediately turns right and drops down to pass to the right hand side of the bungalow following it round behind the bungalow and drops down to pass over a stile and drop down the field with the wall on your right. Half way down, the path passed through the wall and continues downhill with the wall on your left. At the bottom of the field, cross a stream by a stone slab bridge and cross the paddock rising to a gate. Go through the gate and turn left and within 15 metres turn right behind dog kennels. Follow the stone flagged path to go across a wall into a very overgrown area (there is a reservoir here, up to the right, worth a look).

At the end of the rough area, go through a gate into a boggy field, cross the field heading for the houses ahead (the old Moorcock pub). At the houses turn left then immediately right to exit onto the road. Turn right along the road and pass the houses on the right before turning left via a high stone wall stile. This leads to a boggy area where there is a boardwalk to help get across some of the bog. The path soon crosses a new wooden footbridge and soon exits, via a stile next to a gate, onto the Wainstalls road. Cross straight over the road and take the lane/track opposite. Just before reaching the houses ahead turn left (downhill) on a stony track.

This track winds down through farm buildings. Soon the path is made from bricks and it emerges onto a tarmac lane. Turn right for a few strides then turn left to take the ‘Hullet’ entrance following the Calderdale Way signs . Keep to the right of the neat buildings of the Hullet , and after passing through a gate at the end of a short lawned area drop down a lovely holly lined green way. A bench on the left down here is a good place to have your butties. The track enters woodland and you very soon turn right (downhill) keeping with the wall on the right to drop down to the stream near Jerusalem Farm.

Cross the bridge, turn left (uphill) to emerge at the Jerusalem Farm buildings. (Toilets here).

Leave Jerusalem Farm via the car park and turn right (uphill) up the road.

The road rises and passes a house on the left and a small cow shed on the right before rising again to reach houses. Here turn left (uphill) with the road (The footpath sign points right here, across the heather, to cut the corner off, but the road is better, the path being overgrown).Follow the road turning first right. Eventually the road ends at a house. Pass to the left of the house on a track with tarmac and grass in the middle. This rises for ¼ mile? to terminate at a large farmhouse. Use the high stile next to the metal gate on the left to cross over onto a grassy track. The farmhouse is on your right.

You are now approaching open moor land and the next bit is a bit difficult to explain.

Basically you go ahead, cross a very boggy area, pass through heather on a thin path and eventually (10 mins?) you will see a sunken way in front of you and also a path leads up from the right meeting at this junction. Keep ahead but to the left of the sunken way and our path turns 90 deg. left following a line of grouse butts. Looking down to your right you will notice the valley below has scattered houses and as the houses end this is a marker for your journey as the grouse butts will soon come into view.

It is important to locate the grouse butts because the start of the path is not very easy to locate.

Once on the path however it does appear more path like!

The path eventually leaves the grouse butts and you continue in the same direction for some time to rise to the top of the moor and then drop down to reach a wall corner.

Here you turn right for a few metres before crossing the fence by a stile on the left.

You are now on a sunken track. You follow this track for ¼ mile, firstly keeping left by the wall, then crossing the track to go down the left side of a field before returning to the track and exiting it via a stile.

Turn left here and soon turn right (downhill) towards the buildings at Billy Lane (The Hare & Hounds  pub – good beer and good food – hope its open).

Cross the main road and pass to the left of the pub – no I said pass to the left of the pub. Follow the road for ¼ mile until it reaches another road at the bottom of the hill.

Cross over and take a cobbled/stepped way down between houses on the left and allotments on the right to arrive at the road into Hebden Bridge.

Both Sue & I have walked this many times, but I cannot accept responsibility if you should loose your bearings, marbles or stop in the pub too long. Mention my name at the pub and the landlord will offer you “a free pint tomorrow”.