HARDCASTLE CRAGS, HEBDEN BRIDGE

With over 15 miles of woodland trails and meadow-lined paths to explore, Hardcastle Crags is a walker’s utopia.

Start: Bowling Green Car Park, HX7 7LT

Distance: 3.7 miles

Duration: 1.5 hours

Elevation: 650 feet

Navigation: follow our route here

We started this walk just over a mile north of Hebden Bridge, in the quaint village of Heptonstall. It’s the sort of sleepy village you’d never except to find backpackers and tourists, but it’s home to the remains of American literary legend, Sylvia Plath, and thus attracts visitors all across the globe wishing to pay their respects.

Just outside of the village square, you’ll also find the ruins of the St Thomas a’ Becket (built between 1256 and 1260) adjacent to the existing church, St Thomas the Apostle. Uniquely, the ruins are carefully maintained and open to the public, making for a great little start and end point for big kids and little ones to explore.

After a short stroll through the village, we circled around its many quaint side streets before making our way to the stepping stones at Hardcastle Crags, making for an idyllic riverside stroll.

With its 400 acres of untouched scenery, there exists many routes to explore in the areas surrounding, with the possibility to extend your day to popular beauty spots and attractions like Lumb Falls, Gibson Mill, and the Weaving Shed Cafe.

The area’s looked after by National Trust, which provides visitors many routes to choose from here. Of course, you can always extend the route by heading down into Hebden Bridge and exploring its many independent shops and cafes!

Fancy exploring Harcastle Crags yourself? Get inspired by our route and follow along here