Sunday 17th April 2016 - Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire

This month our walks are based on Hebden Bridge.  The coach will leave school as usual at 8.00 am prompt and go direct to Hebden Bridge where all walks start and finish and there are toilets available. Please ensure you at least one 20p with you for access to the toilets. There are plenty of refreshment opportunities in Hebden Bridge at the end of the day.  We plan to leave at 5.30 pm to be back in Formby about 7.30pm

The cost of travel will be £10.00 for members, £13.00 for non-members and £5.00 for Leaders, children and students in full time education. Please make your cheque payable to Range Walking Club and ensure it is signed as it is inconvenient for the Treasurer to chase up such omissions.

Please send in your return to the Treasurer before 7th April; places will be booked on the coach by the treasurer on a first come first served basis.

Cancellations: if you need to cancel or make a late booking, please contact the Treasurer on 01704 809287 or by email monicatuk@yahoo.co.uk who will endeavour to substitute your booking from the waiting list.  If you cancel after 10th September and it is not possible to fill your place on the coach, regrettably, we will not be able to give you a refund as coaches will have been booked on initial returns.

Leaders Meeting: Monday 25th April at the Pinewoods commencing at 8.00pm

The Club Weekend Great Malvern Friday 3rd – Monday 6th June 2016
The weekend will be based at the Abbey Hotel Great Malvern.  A lot of people have already booked but if you now wish to come and stay at the Abbey Hotel please contact Margaret Pegg who will add you to the group booking.  If you wish to come and stay in other accommodation please let Margaret know so she is aware of the numbers that will be walking.

‘A’ Walk Distance: 13.5 miles Ascent: 1500 ft Leaders: Jane Fowler Andy Fowler	The walk stars by heading west along the canal side until Charlestown before picking up the Pennine Way.  We follow the Pennine Way across Clough Head Hill  and onto Gorple Cottages and the Walshaw Dean reservoir.  Here we turn back south along Dean Gate to Hardcastle Crags and the beautiful Hebden Dale valley back into Hebden Bridge.
‘B+’ Walk Distance: 10.5 miles Ascent: 2000 ft Leaders: Edwina Roberts Richard Roberts	The three mile walk down to Stoodley Pike starts with an invigorating climb to join the Pennine Way in Callis Wood.  Once there we descend west to follow the canal towards Charlestown and join the Pennine bridleway as it zigzags up past industrial ruins and waterfall in a wooded valley.  At the top we switch to the Pennine Way over  Pry Hill to reach Golden Water.  We will decide on the day whether to return via Hebden Vale or the shorter Golden Clough depending on time and weather.
‘B’ Walk Distance: 8.75 miles Ascent: 1500 ft Leaders: David Wake Loise Pimm	The walk starts in Hebden Bridge with a short but steep climb up a stone stairway and continues up to Heptonstall with its cobbled streets and old buildings. Next we cross fields and skirt along the top of Hebden Dale before dropping through woodland to Gibson’s Mill. Continuing northwards we climb out of the Dale to New Laithes farm where we turn eastward to Walshaw before dropping back down into the Dale and back to the Mill. From here a gravel road takes us to Horse Bridge and then Midgehole where we turn south and follow the valley back to Hebden Bridge.
‘C’ Walk Distance: 7 miles Ascent: 950 ft Leaders: Steve Wright Sarah Broad	From the coach we make our way to Hebden Bridge railway station crossing both the river and canal.  At the station we join a track to pass under the railway line and start to make our way uphill to a TV mast at the top of the hillside.  From here we take a field path to Pinnacle Lane.  Our eventual destination (Stoodley Pike) should be in view by now in the distance.  We now join another lane passing Erringden Grange on our right and wild moorland on our left.  After a mile we pass Swillington farm and head onto open moorland for the final short walk up to the Pike. The monument was designed in 1854 by local architect James Green and completed in 1856 at the end of the Crimean War. The monument replaced an earlier structure, started in 1814 and commemorating the defeat of Napolean and the surrender of Paris.  It was completed in 1815 after the Battle of Waterloo(Napoleonic Wars) but collapsed in 1854 after an earlier lightning strike. There is evidence to suggest that some sort of structure existed on the site even before the earlier structure was built. From the pike we retrace out steps to Swillington farm and then join the Pennine Bridleway.  We follow this and walk alongside a stream which runs through a wooded valley.  Eventually we reach Horsefold Road, at first cobbled and then tarmaced.  This leads us back into Hebden Bridge.