285 Sunday 21st September 2025 The Calderdale Way. Clay House to Ripponden

 This  was something I'd recently  mooted to Simon, walking the Calderdale  Way, something the old LTS  did in 1979. We  drove to Todmorden then caught the train to Halifax, Simon bought a bacon butty from the  kiosk at the station before we caught the bus to West Vale. We bought some provisions there before crossing over to Clay House. The building itself now looks empty and forlorn.


Before we set off , I showed Simon the alcove where Mick, Steven and I had sheltered after completing The Calderdale Way in October 1979.


There is now a signost to mark the start


There was a bit of uncertainty near the start where a concrete yard is now disused and fenced off  but we eventually got on the right track and  enjoyed the view over to Wainhouse Tower.


A gren lane led us to the start of the section along  the top of North Dean Woods


At points, there were  views through the trees across Copley and its railway viaduct to the Tower.


Later on , the  route seemed to have been diverted , taking us through some grassy fields rather than across Greetland Moor but  the first section ended as before at Clough Moor Bridge.


We had a snack stop there and  a  passerby  complimented me on using the old guide book. On  the  way up Norland Moor , we noted this new cairn which wasn't there in 1979. 


The view looking across to the Luddenden valley was terrific.


This was looking back the way we'd come with Halifax in the distance.

Looking across to Sowerby Bridge


We had a little stop at the  Ladstone Rock


We  tarried a  bit to pick bilberries but  couldn't  really  find enough; I think Norland Moor had been scoured already.  We  carried on with Ripponden clearly  in  view ahead.


 We  stopped to pet a cat on the steep descent into the village.


We  had a quick drink in The Golden Lion than caught the bus into Halifax, We were misdirected by the bus driver  to a pub  called The Percy Shaw which turned out not to be a Wetherspoon's but we ate there anyway. We caught the train to Todmorden; a  woman getting on at  Mytholmroyd was freaked out by a weirdo on the platform. Then we drove home.



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