Walks in West Yorkshire
This section is dedicated to the super walking areas of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees. These three, along with Leeds (which is found in my Leeds and Harrogate section) form the boroughs of West Yorkshire. The county is rightly renowned for its industrial past but it is also a county of excellent walking opportunities. Bradford includes lovely walks in its environs like Baildon, Haworth (home of the Bronte sisters) and Keighley. Calderdale is rich in walking options from moorland above Todmorden, Halifax and Hebden Bridge and of course for many river and canal walks. Kirklees is dominated by Huddersfield but apart from the city there is lots to do for walkers including the heights above the town like Castle Hill or the many walking options in the Home Valley including Holmfirth, made famous by television as 'Last of the Summer Wine' country. Altogether the area boasts numerous heritage walks and trails. This site aims to create a comprehensive library of them. You are guaranteed excellent walking in West Yorkshire.
Stoodley Pike and surrounding countryside
Interactive map of the walks
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rothwell Country Park Sculpture Trail | 1.5 | A short walk with some amazing sculptures to find while enjoying a walk in the lovely surroundings of Rothwell Country Park. |
| Addingham High Moor, Windgate Nick, Black Hill and the Doubler Stones | 2.0 | A short walk with some amazing vistas to Addingham High Moor and on to the fascinating Doubler Stones. |
| Otley Chevin | 2.1 | The fabulous Chevin provides the walker with great views. |
| Shelf, Low Bentley, Judy Woods, Norwood Green, Dean House and Wood Fall | 3.8 | A City of Bradford circular route beginning in Shelf, full of lovely countryside and visiting a series of charming woodlands. |
| Ilkley, Middleton Woods, River Wharfe and Mill Ghyll | 3.9 | A lovely rural and urban walk, best saved for springtime when the Bluebell woodlands come into colour. |
| Almondbury Common, Farnley Hey, Stirley Hill and Castle Hill | 3.9 | A lovely short half day or summer evening walk in the south Huddersfield area to spectacular Castle Hill. |
| Harley Wood, Hawk Stones and Great Bride Stones | 4.3 | A fascinating walk in the Todmorden area to explore a series of strange grit stone outcrops. |
| Harewood House Estate | 4.8 | A pleasant walk around the well managed Harewood House Estate. |
| Hebden Dale, Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean | 5.2 | Walk through two enchanting wooded dales linked by a moor crossing. |
| Eccup Reservoir | 5.2 | Enjoy a gentle ramble around Eccup Reservoir in north Leeds. |
| Leathley, Stainburn and Lindley | 6.1 | A lovely walk in nice countryside just outside Northern Leeds. |
| Ilkley Moor, Burley Moor, Twelve Apostles and the Cow and Calf | 6.3 | A heather moor walk to the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle and to the famous Cow and Calf rocks. |
| Horsforth and Rodley | 6.7 | A super walk, so diverse with woodland and water, all from my house! |
| Penistone Country Park, Bronte Waterfalls and Top Withins | 6.8 | A walk on the 'Wuthering Heights' moor that inspired Emily Bronte. |
| Earl Crag from Cowling | 7.0 | Walk to south craven icons, Wainman's Pinnacle and Lund's Tower. |
| Thorner Moor, Pompocali, Hetchell Crags and Scarcroft Hill | 7.7 | A lovely walk in rural suroundings to a remarkable nature reserve just a few miles from Leeds. |
| Baitings Reservoir, Blackwood Edge, Dog Hill and Rishworth Moor | 7.9 | A walk on the South Pennine moors between Halifax and Rochdale. One to blow the cobwebs away. |
| Hawksworth, Baildon Moor and Shipley Glen | 8.0 | The best walk in Bradford which visits two natural jewels in the district. |
| Oxenhope, Leeshaw Reservoir, Penistone Hill, Haworth and Mytholmes | 8.5 | A walk in the Oxenhope and Haworth area of the Worth Valley. Much variety with moor and valley to enjoy. |
| Hebden Bridge, Stoodley Pike and Rochdale Canal | 8.7 | A Calderdale walk which includes moorland walking and a stretch of walking beside the Rochdale canal. |
| Marsden Moor, March Haigh, Oldham Way, Standedge and Pule Hill | 9.0 | This Pennine walk has breathtaking views on a gritstone edge separating counties and much more to enjoy. |
| Todmorden, Bride Stones, Hawk Stones, Pudsey Clough and Upper Calder Valley | 9.6 | A county borders walk from Todmorden, rising to Bride Stones Moor, crossing to Pudsey Clough and down into the Upper Calder Valley. |
| Marsden, Standedge Trail, Oldham Way, Pennine Way and Willykay Clough | 10.0 | A spectacular Pennine walk from Marsden with a spectacular example of our industrial heritage. |
| Bramham, Scarcroft Hill, Thorner and Bramham Park | 10.1 | Starting in Bramham, a circular route themed on Bramham Park which includes a visit to the village of Thorner. |
| Bretton Country Park, Clayton West and Emley | 10.3 | Yorkshire Sculpture Park is visited during this walk in beautiful colourful countryside. |
| Nab Wood, Bingley, Harden Moor, Millennium Way and Cottingley | 10.9 | A lovely shorter version of my 13.7 mile walk, this route designed by Steve Horsfall. |
| Ilkley Moor, Swastika Stone, Doubler Stones and Rombalds Moor | 11.3 | A tour of the moor from Panorama Wood to the Swastika Stone and Doubler Stones. |
| Holme, Digley Reservoir, Black Hill, Holme Moss and Ramsden Clough | 11.8 | A stunning Pennine watershed walk which provides superb views of the Holme Valley and Huddersfield area. |
| Holmfirth, Holmbridge, Upperthong, Netherthong, Brockholes and New Mill | 12.4 | A walk which begins in Holmfirth and visits the hills and hamlets within or on the flanks of the Upper Holme valley. |
| Shipley, Bingley, Harden Moor, Cottingley and Saltaire | 13.7 | A wonderful Airedale walk which includes walkling along canal, on moor, through woodland and beside river. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To contact me with feedback and/ or suggestions please complete the Walking Englishman Feedback Form. Thank you.
(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
