Introduction
In the planning discussions for next year’s walks for the South
Manchester Group of the LDWA, Bridget came up with the concept of walking the
Stanza Stones Trail. This is a 47-mile route from Marsden, the birthplace of
Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, to his present home town of Ilkley. Six of
his poems have been carved onto gritstone outcrops along the trail, each
reflecting on a different aspect of water. As part of the reconnaissance
programme, David and I offered to accompany Bridget across the moors on the
first of her journeys. The logistics were an interesting exercise with the
favoured option being to let the train take the strain. So, in between strikes
and crew shortages, we booked our e-tickets and met on Piccadilly Station early
one Wednesday morning for the first stage of the walk.
Wednesday 19th October 2022 Marsden – Hebden Bridge
Snow and Rain
An early train to Piccadilly
enabled David and me to enjoy a cup of coffee before rendezvousing with Bridget
for the 08.30 TransPennine train to Marsden. The weather was fine with a
minimal risk of rain. Only the wind would become an issue. Just after 9am the
three of us were climbing the steps from the platform at Marsden station,
gravitating downhill to find the Huddersfield Narrow canal. A pleasant amble
along the towpath brought us to the visitors’ centre at the basin comprising
the end of the Standedge Tunnel which, at 3 miles in length, is the longest
deepest and highest tunnel in Britain. Crossing the canal and zig-zagging up to
the main road, we found the route up a farm track and then onto the open moor.
A steep grass trod ascended straight up Pule Hill where the views from the
memorial cross were spectacular. A narrow path took us across the moor to the
western edge overlooking Redbrook Clough. A wide grassy track descended into an
old quarry where a careful search revealed our first Stanza Stone, consisting
of four lines of the poem ‘Snow’ carved into a gritstone boulder.
The quarry workings were exited
down a long straight incline, the original track of a winch railway. Following
the Standedge Trail to the Carriage House, no longer a pub or hotel, we crossed
the A62 and set out across more disused quarry workings to join the Pennine
Way. Much of the path over White Hill is paved with old industrial flagstones.
It came as a pleasant surprise to find a café in a shipping container sited
beside the A672 near Windy Gap transmission station. A quick bacon butty enabled
us to keep our sandwiches for later on this long day’s walk. Outside the wind
was really letting this place live up to its name, blowing us across the M62
footbridge and along Blackstone Edge. Picking our own route through the
overgrown quarries below the Edge, we emerged onto the waterworks path near the
White House. Resisting the urge for a second refreshment break, we staggered
onto into the gale towards the Rain Stone, the second Stanza Stone, comprising
the entire poem ‘Rain’ carved into a long low gritstone edge on the far bank of
a steep-sided leat crossed via an old stone clapper bridge.
The wind was really strong
alongside the reservoirs, making progress in a straight line rather difficult. Round
the end of the reservoir, the wind blew us out onto open moors at the end of
which stood the tower on Stoodley Pike. It seemed to take an age to reach it but
when we final did, we crouched against the leeward wall to eat our butties. The
descent into Hebden Bridge was fast and furious, interrupted only by a panic
over a misplaced pair of gloves and a careful check on the correct path. The
long straight road into the valley brought us out at the canal bridge and we
finished how we had started, on a towpath. We enquired of some locals the best
way through the park and we were soon on the station approach. A train was due
and I had very little time to buy a ticket before we were whisked away towards
Manchester and the end of a long and invigorating day. One last mile across the
city centre and we went our separate ways at Piccadilly Station. When shall we
three meet again!
Marsden dep. 09.05, Hebden Bridge
arr. 16.50
GPS 18.68 miles in 7hr 01mins
39secs walking time with a 25-minute break in the café at Windy Gap and a
15-min halt sheltering behind Stoodley Pike for a final refuelling.
Wednesday 26th April 2023 Hebden Bridge - Bingley
Mist
Well, it took six months before
the three musketeers could reconvene to finish what began last autumn. Poor
weather, train strikes and other commitments delayed our return but now we
regathered at Piccadilly Station again for the march across the city. Catching
a train from Victoria Station just before 10am, we were in Hebden Bridge by
10.25am. Our start involved a mile of road walking up Keighley Road before we
left behind the traffic and noise of a busy town and climbed through woods and
fields into another world, the Pennine Moors. By carefully following the text
in the guidebook, it was a lot easier finding the intended route than we had anticipated. Soon Chiserley was behind us in the bright
morning sunshine as we climbed the farm-track to the equestrian centre and Midgley
Moor. We hesitated on the descent to Catherine House as text and map did not
quite match. But we finally were sure we were on the right lines when we
entered the walled track and turned through the arch and up the valley road.
On the steep climb up to the crenellated
house, we passed a lone woman backpacker who had not found the optimum route
into the valley and had had a difficult descent. We passed strongly onwards via
another arched farm entrance and over Warley Moor heading towards the wind
farms. Cold Edge Road was memorable for its fly tipping and a very depressed guy
pacing slowly up and down. In the middle of all this, we grabbed a bite to eat,
spoilt somewhat by Bridget’s jaw clicking out of joint. It was not the place to
hang around so we continued passed reservoir and quarry to find a gate leading
towards our first Stanza Stone. The Mist Stone proved difficult to find, set as
it is on an inclined slab below a large cairn, facing away from the path. The
crossing of the moor was less taxing and we eventually turned onto Hambledon
Lane and descended towards a paddock and large tent. Here a Yorkshire
Shepherdess was watching her sheep, Derbyshire Gritstones, through a pair of
binoculars. She was overseeing the lambing of her flock and was using the tent
as a daytime shelter. Then followed two miles of tarmac.
Carefully picking our way through
the traffic on the A629, it was a relief to be off-road and heading for our
overnight destination. An enclosed path brought us to Hellas Lane, a
semi-suburban road leading past a farm and down to a bridge over Harden Beck.
The guidebook warned of rocky scrambles down the beck-side path but the
fingerpost announced this to be the ‘Senior Way’ so it couldn’t be that bad. Passing a waterfall, the hazards came as much from tree roots as from slippery
rocks and we were soon down and on easier ground only to find ourselves facing
a steep climb up the wooded side of the valley. The continuation along the edge
of the gorge was generally flat or downhill but, after crossing a road and
footbridge, another uphill slog was the sting in the tail. A short way down Lee
Lane, a field path led into a woodland. Here a forest track descended back to
beck-level and across Shipley Golf Course to a substantial footbridge over the
River Aire. Myrtle Park is the gateway to Bingley but we had a further mile to
walk. Passing the station, we trudged up Park Road taking the ginnel shortcut
to Lady Lane. This was officially closed and we had to scramble over a trench make
further progress. It had been a long hard day right to its conclusion.
Hebden Bridge dep. 10.28, Bingley
Hotel arr. 18.20
GPS 16.14 miles in 7hr 28mins 49secs walking plus
20 lunch stop on the ‘Waste Road’.
Stayed at the Oakwood Hall Hotel,
Lady Lane, Bingley. Shared a brie & cranberry sauce starter then had a
chicken Rogan Josh and finished with chocolate sponge and custard (with extra
custard). The beer was Saltaire Blonde (4.0%) from the brewery down the valley.
Thursday 27th April 2023 Bingley
- Ilkley
Dew, Puddle and Beck
Wandering down to breakfast, I
found Bridget already tucking into her eggs and toast. I soon caught up with my
full English and jug of sludge-like cona coffee. Rucksacks were soon packed and
the party gathered at the hotel entrance for a 9am departure. In spite of a
poor forecast, the good weather stayed with us as we descended through suburban
roads to Five Rise Locks. A three-mile stroll down the canal towpath gave us a
good start to a day when we had a specific train to catch. Leaving the Leeds
& Liverpool canal at Leche’s Bridge, the route took us upwards through a
wood-covered hillside on paths and lanes leading to the open moors. Passing a
friendly tup near a communications tower, the guidebook talked us over a grassy
field path, through a gate into a newly planted woodland and along a made-up
walkway/cycle track to the Dew Stone, our first Stanza Stone of the day.
After our mandatory poetry
recital, the track took us through a damp and dark pine forest which was part
of the original plantation. Emerging into sheep grazing moorland, a level farm
track led us passed Black Potts Farm round to Doubler Stone Farm. Here a faint
trod ascended close by the Doubler Stones and up onto the highest level of the
moor, Black Hill, a spectacular viewpoint over the Aire Valley and the village
of Addingham. A mother-daughter pairing of fell runners passed us on their
morning training round, the 12-year-old taking full advantage of her teacher’s
strike to pursue her ‘physical training’ part of the curriculum. A glorious
path ran along the northern edge of Ilkley Moor. All we needed was some shelter
from the cold breeze and the Noon Stone provided the perfect siting for a lunch
stop. Just after and just behind noon, we sat for a short break.
The afternoon session was
dominated by stones. And we had the task of finding, them. Firstly, we turned
away from the plateau edge, climbing through rough moorland on an indistinct
trod that led over a ridge and across to a now mostly felled and logged
plantation. Keeping to the outside of the forest wall, we scrambled up to yet
another level, pausing to make sure we had the right line for the traverse of
the boggy high-level plateau. A marshy wall-side plod brought us to the wireless
station and the Thimble Stones which acted as an attack point for the next
Stanza Stone, the Puddle Stone. A flagged path lead over the moor to the Twelve
Apostles stone circle and then descended
towards Ilkley and the finish of our expedition. But the designated
route turned aside from the direct path to follow the Backstone Beck down
passed the Poets Seat to a junction of footpaths emerging from both sides of
the stream crossing. Desperate not to fail with our last Stanza Stone search,
we hesitantly crossed the beck and heading downhill studying text, route
sketches and ordnance survey maps. We had two clues: it was near the
next footbridge and almost in the stream. To our great relief, a Stanza Stone
direction post stood next to the main path and we scrambled up through some
gorse and along to a delightful clearing beside the beck. Here it was, the Beck
Stone. No time to sit and enjoy the moment of triumph, it was back to the
footbridge and onwards via tarn, lane and road to Ilkley station. Just time for
a tray of coffees as we sat awaiting our train home.
Bingley dep. 08.54, Ilkley arr.
15.20
GPS 14.41 miles in 6hrs 04min 00 secs plus a 20
min stop (12.15-12.35) at the Noon Stone
Conclusion
A series of trains and city walks took us home. The Ilkley train dropped us at Bradford Forster Square, then probably the trickiest navigation of the day got us across the city to Interchange Station where a very crowded commuter train crossed the Pennines via our starting point of Hebden Bridge and on to Manchester Victoria. Another foot slog across Manchester with Piccadilly station as our destination. Here the three tired combatants sat on a seat awaiting their various trains and saying our thanks and farewells . Such had been our enjoyment of the Stanza Stones Trail that we were already discussing options for next year’s walking project.
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