Northern England – Stoodley Pike, West Yorkshire
Distance: 13km/8 miles
Time: 4hrs
Type: Hill
Where: Circular walk from Todmorden in the South Pennines.
Start/End: Todmorden (SD936241).
Terrain: Towpath, lanes, moorland tracks and paths.
Maps: OS Explorer OL21; Landranger 103.
A renovated extravaganza of locks, lengths and pounds strikes through the South Pennines, linking the Victorian industrial behemoths of south Lancashire’s cotton towns with the woollen and worsted centres of Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. The Rochdale Canal, reopened in 2002, is a daunting challenge to boaters but a delight for ramblers, revealing both the fascinating, hidden faces of the old textile towns and villages and some of the most enchanting landscapes and countryside at the core of the Industrial Revolution’s heart. This walk explores part of this heritage at Todmorden before heading for the hills and an airy perambulation on the Pennine Way to Stoodley Pike, capped by a notable monument and blessed with extraordinary views across the roof of England. Your return to Todmorden takes you via charming hillside hamlets lost amidst haymeadows.
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