Breathless Hikers

Today’s hike was Louise’s choice, which meant one thing, it was going to be an adventure.  We headed to Hebden Bridge for the Stoodley Pike Circular.

I made absolutely sure this time that Zara had her walking boots, because I did not want to deal with this question again, “Did you pack them?” in a car park. Waterproofs were also packed, because the MET Office, in its infinite optimism earlier in the week, had promised us 25‑degree sunshine. Thankfully I checked again this morning to see rain and wind was forecast, more on par with the weather we’ve been having recently. 

We parked in a little car park near the station and set off.   We were immediately thrown into a climb. No gentle warm‑up, no polite introduction, just straight past the station and up into the woods. 

The woods were muddy, of course, because of all the rain we’ve had recently. But it was fun and a quick way to leave the valley.

It wasn’t long before Hebden Bridge disappeared behind us and Stoodley Pike appeared ahead, perched on the hill.  It was at this point I decided that this monument was designed by a man. Only a man would build a giant phallic shape in the middle of nowhere. 

When we finally reached Stoodley Pike, the wind hit us like it had been waiting all morning just to launch a personal attack. It was so windy that even a squirrel had taken shelter, plastered to the side of the monument like it had made several poor life choices and was now reconsidering everything.

The monument itself is quite cool. You can head inside and climb the 40‑ish steps up to the viewing platform. Thankfully the steps weren’t too narrow as well, it would have been unpleasant to get stuck in there.

The view from the top? Worth every step. Even with the wind trying to yeet us off.  After a good wander around it was time for snacks.

We then followed the path down from the monument and joined the Pennine Bridleway. This is where Zara attempted to make friends with some cows.
The cows were not interested.
In fact, they looked at her with the same expression she gives me when I ask her to empty the dishwasher.

From there, we dropped back into the woods, enjoying that soft underfoot feeling after the rocky bits higher up. Eventually the path ended and we came to a road, which led us back into Hebden Bridge, and it was just a short stroll beside the canal until we reached the car park.

I’m convinced we walked it the correct way round. Doing it the other way would have absolutely sucked.

The walk came in at just over 6 miles.

Here’s the guide that we followed https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/app/uploads/stoodley_pike_hike2.pdf

Link to Hiiker route:https://hiiker.app/hikes/users/stoodley-pike-circular-walk–1091787235