Trifter

HARDCASTLE Crags near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire has been kept as a green oasis that is cared for by the National Trust for the general public to enjoy.  There are waymarked trails, spectacular scenery, quarries, mills and other relics of the area’s industrial heritage.

Visitors can look closely at the breathtaking countryside that was originally formed by nature but has been shaped by man.  It now provides a variety of wildlife habitats, which are home to an abundance of flora and fauna.  People can make return visits as the land appears different in every season.

They can consider the evidence of the industrial past.  There are the old quarry workings which provided the stone to construct boundary walls, buildings, reservoirs and most of the local track ways.  Water was harnessed from the Hebden burn to power the machinery in the local mills.

People are asked to imagine how many folk have been there before them.  They can explore the ancient routes that they travelled when delivering goods by pack horse, to work at the mill or just to enjoy a good day out during their few hours of leisure.

The Railway Trail is a 1½ mile purple mark walk to Hellhole Quarry that follows the line of the former narrow gauge railway.  The remains of the foundations of the trestle bridge that carried the railway over the Hebden Water can still be seen in the river bed.

Slurring Rock Saunter is 1½ miles from the Midgehole car park along the old pannier track.  It is marked by white signs and visitors can see how centuries of use have worn the stone surface away.  There is an extensive view over the valley from the top of the walk.  Once there search for the Slurring Stone and try to find the grooves where generations of youngsters used to slide.

Following the green markers of the two mile Crags Constitutional trail from Gibson Mill, past the dams and weirs which provide evidence of how man once harnessed the power of Hebden Water to work the mill machinery.  There are many old stone heaths, formerly used for charcoal burning lying concealed in the woods.  The crags with the Fisherman’s Cave line the left side of the valley on this walk.

Red signs mark the three mile mill walk from the Lodge Car Park through the conifers.  There are the workers’ cottages and toll house near Gibson Mill.  An old pavilion on the return walk was once a favourite refreshment stop when people used to visit the mill for dancing and rolling skating.

A sensory trail with symbols on tree stumps runs through the property.  These marks inform visitors when to look at the different colours and shapes, smell the scents and odours of the changing seasons, hear the sounds of the  countryside and to touch the unexpected and discover if objects are rough, smooth or slimy.

The Sculpture Trail is an impressive outdoor galley with the occasional workshop being run.

Gibson Mill, which is in the heart of the woodland was built in 1800 for the production of textiles.  It became in turn a tearoom, dance hall and roller skating rink at the end of the 19th Century.  The building has been empty since the 1950s and it started to fall into disrepair.  Funding was secured by the National trust to restore and reopen the mill.  They are returning it to waterpower and introducing solar energy to create a resource centre for visitors on a sustainable basis

The mill has three designated car parking spaces for the disabled, 100 metres from its main entrance.   Permits to use these can be obtained from the estate office on 01422 844518.

There is a one mile unmade track around the mill, a 200 metre steep sloping gravel path which leads t the river, meadow and picnic table and a 150 metre unmade level path through the main car park to a picnic table in a small meadow.  Hardcastle has braille and large print guides available for visually impaired visitors.              

Hardcastle stages various events throughout the year from an easy Spring walk through bluebells to Tread the Trails which follows every track on the state.  Provisions are catered for in the Woodland Gourmet and Fungi Foray walks when wild cuisine can be collected and sampled.

One day is devoted most years to the making and flying of kites from the crag crest.  Early Birds is a day start to a birdwatching expedition.  Halloween brings Forest Phantoms: Ghoulish Tales told in the Whispering Forest.

In The Beginning is a geological walk looking at the formation and development of the valley and its crags while Navvies’ Navigation follows the path of the men who laid the railway and built the reservoir before stopping for lunch at an old inn that these workers used to frequent.                        

An orienteering course is run by the estate between July and the end of March.

Visitors are reminded that Hardcastle is a natural area with uneven and slippery paths.  They should be prepared for weather changes throughout the year.

Further information on the Hardcastle Crags Estate can be obtained from 01422 844518 and there is a website on