The Calderdale Way - Ripponden to Todmorden

The Calderdale Way - Ripponden to Todmorden

Ahead of Storm Ciara, Saturday 8th of February was quite a calm day and with nothing else planned I decided to get up early and go for a walk. I need to do this more as it does get me away from a screen and allows me to clear my mind of other stuff, much in the same way as caving and bouldering does.

The walk I chose was a section of the Calderdale Way , which is a 50 mile, multi-day circular walk around Calderdale in West Yorkshire. The section I was aiming to do was from Ripponden to Pecket Well, but I ended up cutting it short (more later) I started shortly after 8am just as the sun was rising which was nice to see

Sunrise over Ripponden

I'd done the Ripponden to Crag Vale section a few weeks earlier so I didn't need to refer to the map for this bit. After getting to Mill Bank I re-checked the weather forecast and it was still looking good for the hours I'd be walking for. I generally use the BBC weather app day-to-day, but when doing outdoors things I also use the XCWeather app. I prefer the visual layout of XCWeather for it's display of expected rainfall

Image of XCWeather app showing a good forcast

Off up the other side of the valley I came across an interesting sight - the barbed wire across the top of a fence blowing in the wind which over time has caused groves to be cut into the wood. The power of nature is amazing.

Fence gate on moors above Cragg Vale

Calderdale Way footpath sign with Stoodley Pike monument in the distance

Church in Cragg Vale, West Yorkshire

The Hinchliffe Arms in Cragg Vale, West Yorkshire

Once I got to the Hinchliffe Arms in Crag Vale I got my map out to confirm the route. I didn't need to, the the Calderdale Way is well marked, but I always like to check with the map. I was just going round Withens reservoir when I realised my left foot didn't feel right - was this a blister forming? I haven't had a blister as far as I can remember so this was inconvenient and a novelty! I stopped and put on a blister plaster and reconsidered my goal for the day. It was 10am, I'd done 7 or so miles out of a planned ~20 - unless everything was brilliant after this, getting to Pecket Well wasn't going to be plesant. And sadly it didn't get better. Shortly after starting walking again I got muscle tightness in both thighs which was a bit painful so I decided to slow down my pace, and just get to Todmorden where there would be food and transport links to get home

Marker post at the crossing of Pennine Way and Calderdale Way

I plodded along, crossing the Pennine Way, going through Mankinholes and Lumbutts arriving in Todmorden around noon. I headed for the White Hart (a Wetherspoons) for a sit down, rest and had a brew; afterwhich I headed to the train station for the trip back to the start in Ripponden

Overall, MapMyWalk recorded an 11 mile walk which I did in just under 4 hours averaging 2.75 miles/hr. When I exported to OS Maps it showed 10.5 - odd. Next time I'll see if I can get a bit further and explore more of the Calderdale Way

osmaps