A Wintry Walk to Stoodley Pike
In much the same way that annoying people like to remind you that
Frankenstein was the name of the creator, not the monster
, I’m going to
start by pointing out that Stoodley
Pike is actually the name of the
hill, not the monument. With that out of the way, let’s get going…
At some point during the week, I got it into my head that I was going to spend my Saturday making a solo trip to Stoodley Pike. With the recent snowfall and cold-snap in the UK, I just knew it was going to be stunning conditions! I set my alarm for 7am so I could be at the summit around midday and then head down into Hebden Bridge for some lunch and a beer or two.
My train from Leeds pulled into Todmorden at just after 9am, and I was met with grey, cloudy, overcast conditions. Not only does this kind of defeat the point of trudging up a hill for the view, it’s pretty difficult navigating a snow-covered moor in zero visibility—believe me, I’ve tried it before.
I decided to try and wait out the weather a little longer by sourcing a second breakfast. I grabbed a sandwich (and a sausage roll for the summit) from Mannings in the centre of Todmorden. This place is always great—the staff are super friendly and the food is genuinely delicious.
The weather showed no signs of clearing any time soon, so I hesitantly set off out of town, making a vague promise to myself to turn back if things got more risky than I wanted.
I’m not sure how or when I got to know of Stoodley Pike. I’m willing to bet good money it was via my dad, who seems to have a walk for every day of the year. One thing I do know is that I don’t remember ever having walked there with him—I usually drag my pals with me if I’m not heading up alone.
Stoodley Pike is a hill just on the very edge of West Yorkshire, rising above the town of Todmorden. On top of the hill sits Stoodley Pike Monument, a foreboding structure built in the mid-1850s to replace a previous structure that collapsed in 1854.
After leaving the town and heading up toward The Shepherd’s Rest, I was delighted to find that I was actually rising above the cloud cover! On the other side of the heavy grey blanket were blue skies and wispy clouds. A perfect day to be out in the hills.
The tower itself—my destination—stands at an impressive 37m tall, and has a dark, spiral staircase leading to a balcony that encircles the entire monument, offering 360º views of the surrounding moors. If you want to go up, you’re best off taking a torch.
There are many different routes that you can take to the monument, but the hike I like to do is a mashup of aspects of a few different walks. If you’re taking the train, as I did (i.e. you don’t need to do a circular route), then I’d recommend starting at Todmorden, heading up to the summit from there, and descending into Hebden Bridge, a few kilometers down the valley.
The walk from Todmorden up to the monument is entirely uphill; fairly rugged underfoot, and quite an exaggerated route around the top of a gulley, it’s definitely the ‘hardest’ part of the day, but even then, most folk should find it a breeze. Once on the top of the ridge, the path to the monument remains fairly obvious, with many different potential routes. I try to make a beeline for the Long Stoop, an ancient—potentially Medieval—marker stone that sat along the packhorse route that ran along the Pennines.
In all, it’s a mildly-challenging route depending on the weather, and only requires about three hours (give or take 30 minutes depending on how long you might want to spend at the monument). I stayed for a little while longer than usual as I took a flask of tea with me. Another benefit to my early start was that I had the monument almost completely to myself for the whole time I was there!
After a brief stay at the top of the tower, I began the journey down the other side of the summit, aiming immediately toward a coniferous forest nearby. The walk down from the monument into Hebden Bridge is far less rugged than the ascent, and provides some respite and pleasant views—more of an opportunity to let your mind wander as there really isn’t much else to occupy your thoughts as you meander through fields, before plunging steeply down Horsehold Road toward the town centre (and the pub).
My primary destination is, and always will be, The Fox and Goose, a community-run pub with a coal fire, amazing owners, and really, really good beer. A chance to warm up (inside and out) with a pint and a copy of The Pub Paper.
Hebden Bridge itself is a picturesque town with plenty to do in terms of food and drink, so it’s definitely worth spending an hour or two in the area before setting off back home.
Usually, I tend to spend most of my time outdoors on a bike, but when it’s snowed—which is increasingly rare—there is nothing better than throwing on a pair of boots and seeing what Yorkshire has to offer.