Heptonstall
Follow the Heptonstall Trail (booklet available at shops, pubs & cafes in Heptonstall) to explore the Octagonal Methodist Church and Parish Church ruins.
Don’t miss the Heptonstall Museum in the Old Grammar School building, telling the story of the infamous Cragg Vale Coiners and Heptonstall’s part in the English Civil War.
Nearby ‘Weaver’s Square’ is a fine example of different types of Yorkshire paving, from cobbles to flagstones.
Hebden Bridge
Take a walk around Hebden Bridge, looking out for the “over and under dwellings”. Houses were built in terraces with 4 – 5 storeys because space was limited by the steep valleys and lack of flat land. The upper storeys face uphill while the lower ones face downhill with their back wall against the hillside, each with separate entrances.
Visit Hebden Bridge Library for some great lectures, open nights when authors read from their works, facilities and events for children. Upstairs you’ll see prints and information about the history of the area.
Take a look at the Hebden Diary, which you can pick up in cafes and shops for an insight into the massive range of activities that take place in Hebden Bridge.
Take a trip back through 700 years of history at Hebden Bridge Mill, a splendid example of a water powered Pennine mill, built in local gritstone. Enjoy a drink in the cafe and see the waterwheel. The three and a half tonne 14 ft diameter waterwheel was hand crafted locally in cast iron, elm and oak.
Holmfirth
Explore the alleyways of Holmfirth. Can you find the old gaol in Holmfirth, hidden round the back of Daisy Lane cobbles and known as ‘Ow’d towser’? It opens once a year as part of the Heritage Open Weekend.
Take a trip around the villages of Hepworth, Honley and Upperthong near Holmfirth. Bill Owen, who played Compo in the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine, is buried at St. Johns in Upperthong. Upperthong hosts the World Welly Wanging Championships each year at the Village Gala on the last weekend in June.
Join Sue Clay, textile designer and feltmaker, on a workshop in her Holmfirth Studio.
Wander around Holmfirth’s cobbled streets such, as Bunker’s Hill and Rattle Row, and see the mullioned windows of weaver’s cottages.
Rest in flower-filled Holmfirth Memorial Gardens whilst listening to one of our local brass bands; Hepworth, Holme Silver or the famous Hade Edge Band, on a sunny summer Sunday.
Enjoy a night to remember at The Picturedrome! Live concerts nearly every weekend from old favourites like Steve Harley, Elkie Brooks and Nik Kershaw.
Haworth
Take a picnic from one of the shops in Haworth, such as the Cheese Place, and stride out over Haworth Moor to absorb the atmosphere of the ruins of Top Withens Farm, the inspiration for Wuthering Heights.
Take a trip down memory lane, exploring Haworth’s many shops with a vintage and antiques theme – try Oh La La, the Piano’s Not For Sale, Mrs. Beighton’s Sweets, Holmes Antiques, Venables and Bainbridge Books and Hatchards & Daughters.
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Book a place on one of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway’s Pullman Dining trains, where you can enjoy a 6 course dinner on a 1930s or 1950s train.
Take a trip on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railways to Oakworth Station to get a real feel for the atmosphere captured in the film of the Railway Children. Friendly volunteers will show you the various historical features in the station and you can even buy an old-fashioned ticket to keep as a souvenir.
Walking
Climb up Stoodley Pike between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden for expansive views of beautiful countryside and wooded areas – take a torch to help you see as you walk up the steps. This 121 foot high monument is visible from miles around.
Marsden Moor Estate includes 6000 acres of open moor with a wealth of industrial archaeological remains. Public footpaths and the Pennine Way give easy access to many unspoilt valleys, reservoirs, peaks and crags.
Enjoy the spectacular incredible 360 degree views over much of Marsden Moor from Pule Hill, Marsden, an impressive rocky outcrop. See a fantastic sunset at Wessenden near Marsden, a wild and remote valley looking down across Blakeley and Butterley reservoirs.
Explore Hardcastle Crags with its 400 acres of unspoilt woodland. Gibson Mill, a 19th Century former cotton mill, is located at the heart of the Crags.
Action Sports
Enjoy water sports, walking, orienteering and bird watching at Scammonden, surrounded by the rugged grandeur of the Pennines.
Try one of MTB Cycle’s 2 day “Yorkshire Trails ’n’ Ales” guided rides. Follow one of Yorkshire’s natural trails and taste some of its finest ales, brewed by traditional micro breweries.
Take a look, not only inside Heart Gallery which occupies a former Baptist Chapel and has been sympathetically restored by its owner, but also in the grounds where ancient gravestones bear interesting inscriptions, including one about a gentleman being ‘cruelly murdered’.
Discover Pennine Yorkshire
As you travel around Pennine Yorkshire, look out for rows of weavers cottages which would once have had loom chambers on the top floor. You’ll recognise them from the long rows of upper floor windows to let in all available light.
See Pennine Yorkshire from a different perspective. Pennine Helis have several themed pleasure flights. On a 15 minute flight you can see Hebden Bridge, Scammonden Bridge crossing the M62, the Pennine Way, the Calder Valley, the Canal network and some wonderful Pennine moorlands. Get a bird’s eye view of Last of the Summer Wine Country with ‘Compo’s Country Trail’ above Marsden, Slaithwaite, Marsden Moor, Meltham, the Holme Valley and Holmfirth itself.
Take a creative writing course at the Ted Hughes Arvon Centre. Lumb Bank, the 18th century mill owner’s house which once belonged to Ted Hughes, stands in acres of steep woodland close to Heptonstall near Hebden Bridge.
Join a breadmaking course at The Handmade Bakery in Slaithwaite.
Visit Colne Valley Museum to see the restored weavers’ cottages of 1845 with working hand looms, Spinning Jenny and a clogmakers’ workshop.
