apart from buy some trousers, obviously 🤣
Got a week in a holiday cottage near HB. Good touristy things – steam trains, nat trust etc? And good breweries/tap rooms obviously, although probably won’t venture to any cities.
Any good but not to arduous road/gravel loops to recommend? Ta!

The canal is nice for a stroll or easy ride.

Castle Carr gravity fed fountain if you happen to be about on 3rd of July. Private estate only open occasionally, worth a visit.

good breweries/tap rooms

Vocation, obvs.

The walks around Hardcastle Crags are very nice.

Steam trains, you have Howarth / Oxenhope not too far away (the road is direct out of Hebden) for the Worth Valley Railway, you will need to drive though. Howarth also good for Bronte’s and it beautiful heritage cobble street.

Walk/ride up the Buttress.
We liked the little shops in the old mill thingy in town. Hebtroco had a little room in there.

Vocation, obvs.

good shout! I like their beers and the taproom is literally just a few miles up the road from where we’re staying! The brewery is not too far either, any idea if there’s anything there you can visit?

@oopnorth awesome thanks, will check those out. Yeah the Bronte connection is the whole reasons the Mrs was keen to go really!

Castle Carr gravity fed fountain if you happen to be about on 3rd of July

no will not be about for that sadly.

I have asked my sister. She owns a holiday cottage near HB so knows what’s about – could even be the one you are staying in! Are you going on your own or with family? Any kids and if so rough ages?

Pop in to STW Towers?

Also…for routes (cos it’s all very hush hush round there 😉 ) just pop into Blazing Saddles on the main street and they will be able to guide you on the best stuff.

Pop in to STW Towers?

Easy to find – you’ll see the fleet of Maserati’s parked outside.

I have asked my sister. She owns a holiday cottage near HB so knows what’s about – could even be the one you are staying in!

ha, random, could be!! Thanks 😃 Just me & the mrs.

@zilog6128 – Which village is it in and is it AirBNB?

Crimsworth dean is my favourite strolling spot. Heptonstall is a pretty village (at the top of yhe butress) It’s Heptonstall festival and fell race we after next.

Crimsworth dean is my favourite strolling spot.

nice, thanks, that is not far & looks like there’s a cool waterfall there!!

Pop in to STW Towers?

@Cougar a long time ago, as we were on a trip to Bath, I convinced my parents to take me to see the office of Amstrad Action. It was not as exciting as I’d hoped 🤣

Maybe walk up to Stoodley Pike, or through the woods up to Heptonstall – great views from both and Heptonstall is very quaint if you head up into the village.

As mentioned, Hardcastle Crags is very pleasant, especially along the river in the sunshine.

Any good but not to arduous road/gravel loops to recommend?

It’s in a steep sided valley, so there are gruelling climbs in all directions.

The road along the valley bottom is a bit too busy to be enjoyable to ride IMO.

nice, thanks, that is not far & looks like there’s a cool waterfall there!!

It is, but it is a honeypot. It can get crazy busy in good weather.

The road along the valley bottom is a bit too busy to be enjoyable to ride IMO.

The canal towpath is a nice, safe alternative.

Towneley Hall/Park just up the road is well worth a visit and a nice ride over the moors if you fancy a longer ride or pleasant drive.
Great little MTB trail at Hurstwood too, surrounded by some beautiful moorland.
If you do pop over that way, the Crooked Billet in Worsthorne is a cracking pub, the Kettledrum at the end of Long Causeway is also a bit of a gem, great food too.

Second or third Heptonstall and footpaths around. Some of my favourite strolling. There’s also the Plath/Hughes house and the iconic descent to Calderdale’s glamorous Midgehole.

We mainly go there for the nice shops.

a long time ago, as we were on a trip to Bath, I convinced my parents to take me to see the office of Amstrad Action.

There’s a blue plaque now on the former offices of Newsfield (Crash, Zzap64, Amtix). It is a deeply disappointing building!

OP, would your username by chance be anything to do with the CPC6128 personal computer of yore? The one that we mere mortals, blessed only with a 464 with a green screen, could only dream of?

For road, the world’s your oyster – just be prepared for hills, and keep off the main road (as it’s horrible). Gravel-wise the trails can get a little chunky, but there’s plenty of doable track by the reservoirs around Cragg Vale, over towards Ripponden etc. Much of the Mary Towneley loop is also gravellable with care. There will be hills, though.

Tourist-wise, Hardcastle Craggs, obvs. The local moors are steeped in folklore, if that’s your bag. Todmorden has a paranormal reputation – although that may well diminish now that Chipps has moved away. Plenty of places round about with a Ted Hughes/Sylvia Plath connection (Lumb Falls, Churn Milk Joan etc). The Piece Hall in Halifax is a nice space. Not much at Vocation brewery itself, but next door is Craggies farm shop, which does a decent breakfast.

And although the roads are steep, I’d say have a crack at Mytholm Steeps anyway, just for the experience…

https://cyclinguphill.com/mytholm-steeps/

A covert non-participant observational survey?

Grew up just down the road, most have covered off what I would say but second for Piece Hall, it’s a great venue now, bars, cafe and indie shops. If you go, and patronise the Trading Rooms, say hi to my daughter and you might get 10% off. Also, the library adjacent is quite a nice space and square chapel attached has a nice bar and there might be something on in the arts centre to appeal.

Hebden itself is good for a mooch around. Hardcastle Craggs is lovely, but limited parking (ie, quite a bit but it gets v busy) if you are driving there.

Howarth Main Street also nice, with the Brontë house at the top. You can walk to the cottage that is thought to have been the inspiration for the book if you fancy, quite a way from Hebden but if you park just out of Oxenhope, it wouldn’t be too bad and it’s stunning up there.

There’s a couple of road/gravel routes in the Lost Lanes North that start in Hebden

Re: Piece Hall – go to Pride & Provenance for lunch, it’s very nice

There’s loads of walking there too. The Bridestones are a nice walk if you’re in the area

If you go to Haworth and park up, make sure you’re parked fully within the space or the parking Nazis will get you. It’s a very strange place indeed

Wycoller is worth a visit too

You can get the 500 bus from Hebden over the tops to Oxenhope…Worth Valley railway runs from there into Keighley. In Haworth you have the cobbled main street and a fair few pubs (One directly opposite the train station does some good beers, Mill Hey Brew House) Up at the top of the village is the Bronte Parsonage Museum….moorland walk? keep going to Bronte Water Falls (don’t expect water in summer) and further still is Top Withins. If you’re keen walkers you could do a one way bus ride, one stop on the train and then walk beyond Top Withins down to the 3 Walshaw Reservoirs which neatly leads you back towards Heptonstall (via the Pack Horse pub) and all downhill to Hebden. (The old footings of the wooden tressle bridge can still be seen just off the road after the 3 Res’s. (11.5 miles to Heptonstall, 12.5 all the way back to Hebden)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Dean_Railway

It’s a very strange place indeed

Sums up Haworth very well. Lovely but a bit odd too. Some of the shops on the main street are mad. Used to be one at the bottom of the hill that just sold random tat. Bunch of spanners in the window display, covered in rust with a handwritten sign ‘Various Spanners £1x’

Cheese toastie place on Crown St is banging, Ricks Mexican over the road nice too. Loads of good walks in all directions. Dunno about gravel/road rides TBH but awesome MTB trails all over the shop, mostly cheeky though!

If you go to the Piece Hall, there is an excellent escape room there.

It’s got massive gates and doors on each elevation, no need to complicate things

🙃

It did take a lot longer to escape tonight after the First Aid Kit gig

😜

Another good thing is that you can get the train to Manchester if the weather is crap. Lots of museums, bars etc

I may be wrong, but I believe the trains run on sunny days also.

😁