Gibson Mill

Sculpture Tail

WHETHER you’re hang-gliding, riding the bridleways, mountain biking, abseiling, rockclimbing, backpacking purposefully along a high level track, or just ambling through the woods - Hebden Bridge and its surrounding countryside caters for all outdoor tastes and activities.

The area has one of the best rights-of-way networks in Britain and several national way-marked trails pass through its dramatic and varied scenery.

At 50 miles, the Calderdale Way is one of the most popular local routes either for walking in chunks or as a more serious two day hike.

The 250 mile Pennine Way, which skirts Hebden Bridge, was one of the earliest long-distance trails and it is still regarded as a major challenge.

Opened two years ago, the Mary Townley Loop - a circular route of 42 miles passing through Calderdale, Rochdale and Lancashire - has become a favourite with walkers, off-road bikers and riders.
It was the first section of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail to open, and features wild moorland, hidden reservoirs, ancient packhorse trails, valleys, gritstone walls and even a glimpse of mill chimneys. The Pennine Bridleway itself will extend nearly 300 miles from Derbyshire to Northumbria.

A walk up to Horsehold at Hebden Bridge shows a little of the formation of the Calder Gorge or gap in which the town nestles.
Gouged out by glaciers, the hills rise steeply on either side, littered with villages and settlements that grew up when the valley floor was an impassable quagmire.

Hardcastle Crags, owned by the National Trust, is one of the most scenic examples of this steep, rocky landscape and many locals and visitors relish the beauty and tranquillity of its woodlands and river.

Sculpture trails, special events and activity walks are among the ‘extras’ offered by the Trust.

In August 2005, the Trust will re-open Gibson Mill in the heart of the Crags as an educational and community centre run by sustainable energy. The mill, built in 1800, ended its textile production in the 1890s and took on a new lease of life as a tea room, dance hall and rollerskating rink.

Derelict since the 1950s, the mill will be the National Trust’s flagship environmental project and an international role model for sustainability.