Hardcastle Crags - Winter - Walk4Life

85Winter walk… 3 miles t THE NATIONAL TRUSTHardcastle Crags, West YorkshireWrap up warm this Christmas and enjoy an invigorating walk through the valleysand woodland of Hardcastle Crags, west of Halifax. Stop for a rest halfway at theMuddy Boots Café in Gibson Mill for a hot drink and a bite to eat.Start: Midgehole car park – grid ref: SD 988291 - map: OS Explorer OL2Getting here & local facilitiesBy bike: National Cycle Network route 68 (Pennine Cycleway), 2 miles from HebdenBridgeBy foot: via riverside walk from Hebden Bridge. Pennine Bridleway passes propertyBy train: Hebden Bridge station 2 milesBy car: A646 westbound from Halifax then A6033, 1½ miles north east of Hebden BridgeGibson Mill (award-winning ‘green’ visitor centre and café), picnic areas, car parks, WCs,events, school groups and guided walks. Walks leaflet available at Midgehole car park andGibson Mill (weekends only).Things to look out for…tttWinter birdsWinter is a great time for bird-watchers as there are no leaves on the trees for birds tohide in! Look out for waxwing, brambling, fieldfare and redwing. You may also spotone of Hardcastle’s most exotic birds, jays, busy collecting and hiding acorns andflocks of long-tailed tits flitting from tree to tree, often with siskins in tow (finches).Animal tracksA good time to look out for animal tracks made by deer, rabbit, badger, stoat, weasel,and sometimes even polecat, is when there is a covering of snow on the ground.Gibson MillThe 19 th century former cotton-spinning and weaving mill is now championingsustainable technology. Gibson Mill is completely cut off from the National Grid, so ithas to generate all its own power as well as recycling all waste. It uses solar panelsand water-powered turbines and even the lift works on green technology!Take a look inside the mill to learn more about sustainability from our new informationpanels and try out our new interactive displays about the milling process.Hardcastle Crags isbeautiful in winter. Afreezing cold spell canproduce spectacular iceformations on the southand east facing valleysides. Look out for icecrystals being forced out ofthe wood to form ‘feathers’.Pop into the Muddy BootsCafé at Gibson Mill visitorcentre and warm yourselfup with a hot drink and aslice of home-made cake,or whatever else takes yourfancy! The café is openevery weekend, 11am-3.30pm.Water from HebdenWater kept the manymills in the valley running.The dams and weirs areall that remains of them.Many birds are attractedto the woodland andstreams. If you are quietyou may spot greywagtail, heron anddipper.

Directions1. From the information point at Midgehole carpark turn left down the hill and then immediatelyright following the path to the riverside picnicarea.Terrain and accessibility3 miles (4.8 km) circular walk, way-marked by red painted flashes on the trees. The routegoes through the steep-sided river valley, uneven and steep in places. Paths can be muddyafter wet weather. Dogs welcome under close control, but please do not allow your dog tofoul on paths and around picnic areas. No bins provided, please take your waste home.2. Follow the path upstream along the riversideand into the woods; look out for signs of thevalley’s industrial past as you pass millpondsand weirs.3. Continue along the riverside path, then climb aflight of steps, before dropping back down tothe river by a set of stepping stones. In theearly 20th century people came here for a dayout, sometimes walking 8 to 10 miles.4. Continuing along the riverside path, you willpass Gibson Mill. The Muddy Boots Café is agreat place for a break.5. Leave the mill on the main track, heading backtoward the car park. After a short distance, atthe top of the slope, take the path leading off tothe left up into the woods.6. After a short while the path leads down througha conifer plantation. Look out for signs of thenorthern hairy wood ant, before joining the maintrack through the estate.7. Follow the way-marked route back up the valleyto reach Slurring Rock. This is where childrenused to slide down the rocks in their clogs.Continue past the rocks and drop down ontothe old pack-horse route back to the car park.Contact us: 01422 844518 or hardcastlecrags@nationaltrust.org.uk© Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey.All rights reserved. OS licence no. AL 100018591NT places to visit nearby: Marsden Moor Estate, East Riddlesden Hall, Gawthorpe HallAs a charity, independent of government, the National Trust relies on the generosity of its supporters to continue caring for our countryside and wildlife,so that everyone can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors for generations to comeFind out more at www.nationaltrust.org.uk