Calderdale Heritage Walks

19/07/2025

On Sunday, 27th July Mike Beecham is leading a walk around Shibden Hall parkland which explores old routes and lost settlements as well as features in the park itself. This walk is unsuitable for mobility scooters as some of the paths are rough and narrow.

Meet Mike at 2pm in the middle overflow car park at Shibden Hall.

In August, David Glover’s Coiners walk is fully booked already. Later in the month, John Billingsley has a walk round Heptonstall on 10th and the Midgley Moor on Bank Holiday Monday.

On 17th, Anne Mealia’s walk is deliberately called Todmurden - this is not a misprint!

Apart from the Coiners walk, just turn up with £4 and learn and enjoy.

30/06/2025

On Sunday, 6th July, Anne Kirker is leading a walk round Ripponden looking at her big Cs: Church, catastrophe, conflict, cooperation, Chartism and more.

The riverside path might be muddy (!!). Not suitable for mobility scooters.

Meet Anne at 2pm at St Bartholemew’s Church, HX6 4DF. No booking needed, dogs on leads acceptable.

Dobroyd Castle above Todmorden features on Sunday 13th July. The walk includes the house and the walled garden. Booking is now open. No dogs. This walk is £6 per head. Pre-booking is essential https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks and it will not be possible to just turn up on the day! Details and directions are sent out with the tickets. Over half the tickets have already been sold.

At the end of July, 27th, Mike Beecham has a walk round Anne Lister’s parkland and leading down to Mytholme on the edge of Hipperholme.

15/06/2025

On Sunday 22nd June, we have a walk through the middle of Northowram village with Mike Beecham. It will take a route along Towngate to look at the non-conformist connections particularly from the diaries of Oliver Heywood. Learn about links to the first American settlers and how the 1830s turnpike changed the village.

Meet Mike at 2pm at the bottom of Baxter Lane car park, HX3 7EF. Mainly using roadside paths. Dogs welcome. There is no need to book, just turn up with £4.

The Outlaws & Nuns walk at the end of the month is fully booked though occasionally we do get backword so it might be worth checking on our booking site.

In July, we have a walk round Ripponden on 6th, followed by Dobroyd Castle on 13th and, finally for July, a walk called ‘Anne Lister Parkland and Mytholme’.

Booking for Dobroyd Castle on 13th July is now open. This walk is £6 per head. Pre-booking is essential
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks and it will not be possible to just turn up on the day! Details and directions are sent out with the tickets. Half the tickets have already been sold.

07/06/2025

The weather may be a little showery for our walk in Old Town tomorrow (Sunday 8th), but it doesn't look too bad. I would recommend that walkers wrap up well, though, as those temperatures we got used to three weeks ago have faded away!

Reminder that there is a short length of uneven path for which you'll need trainers at least; and a stretch of level but slightly muddy path. Nothing too taxing!
John

03/06/2025

A walk round the hilltop settlements of the upper Calder Valley? Why not join John Billingsley on Sunday, 8th June on his ‘Old town, above and beyond’ walk? A chance to look at the historic development of these communities and how they related (or didn’t) to those in the valley below.

There are some slopes, muddy and uneven terrain which makes the walk unsuitable for mobility scooters.

Meet John at 2pm outside Old Town School, HX7 8RY. Dogs on leads.

Then, on 22nd June, we have a walk through the middle of Northowram village with Mike Beecham. It will take a route along Towngate to look at the non-conformist connections particularly from the diaries of Oliver Heywood. Learn about links to the first American settlers and how the 1830s turnpike changed the village.

Meet Mike at 2pm at the bottom of Baxter Lane carpark, HX3 7EF. Mainly using roadside paths. Dogs welcome.

There is no need to book, just urn up with £4.

Booking for Dobroyd Castle on 13th July opens at 9am on Friday June 6th.

26/05/2025

On 1st June, Ben Stables is leading a walk round a corner of Shelf called ‘Pepper & Ginger. This will give you the opportunity to explore part of Shelf, a cattle thief, the ‘Man who broke the bank of Monte Carlo’ and more. The walk is not suitable for mobility scooters.

Meet Ben at 2pm outside Pepper Hill Unitarian Chapel, it is signposted off Brighouse Denhomegate Road, Shelf. HX3 7TH. £4, no booking, just turn up. Dogs on leads welcome.

A week later John Billingsley is exploring hill top settlements in the upper Calder Valley and on 22nd you have the chance to find more about Northowram village with Mike Beecham. Full details are on our website https://calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk/summer.html

Finally our walk to Robin Hood’s grave, the nunnery site and some very old buildings takes place on the last weekend of the month. All 125 tickets have now been sold. This is our only opportunity to visit the estate. Details of how to get in will be sent in a week or so to those who have tickets.

18/05/2025

On Sunday 25th May, we have a stroll round the middle of Rastrick to look at how the area has developed during the last 3 centuries. It will feature industry, education, the local parish church, a gem of a sporting venue and a sad story of children’s murder and of a reformed priest. The walk is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads. Meet Ian Philp at 2pm by Rastrick High School’s top carpark, Field Top Road Rastrick. HD6 3XB. Just turn up with the £4 fee, no booking is needed.

June is a busy month for CHW. On 1st June, Ben Stables is leading a walk round a corner of Shelf called ‘Pepper & Ginger. A week later John Billingsley is exploring hill top settlements in the upper Calder Valley and on 22nd you have the chance to find more about Northowram village with Mike Beecham.

Full details are on our website https://calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk/summer.html

Finally our walk to Robin Hood’s grave, the nunnery site and some very old buildings takes place on the last weekend of the month. The 150 tickets have now been sold. This is our only opportunity to visit the estate.

10/05/2025

We have 2 walks in May. The first is on Saturday 17th May, ‘SUFFRAGETTES and SLAVES’.

This is a 3½ hour leisurely walk from Skircoat Green across Savile Park, visiting the homes of Halifax’s own nest of suffragettes. Our route goes along Queens Road and down Pellon Lane to the Mechanics’ Institute where in 1911, Emmeline Pankhurst urged women to boycott the census.

Please bring a packed lunch and drink. Walk ends in Temperance café with tea, cake & Q&A.

Meet Jill Liddington and David Glover at noon by the Standard of Freedom, New Lane. HX3 0TE. The walk is not suitable for mobility scooters. No dogs. This walk is £6 per head. Pre-booking is essential (https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks) and it will not be possible to just turn up on the day! Details and directions are sent out with the tickets. Half the tickets have already been sold.

On Sunday 25th May, we have a stroll round the middle of Rastrick to look at how the area has developed during the last 3 centuries. It will feature industry, education, the local parish church, a gem of a sporting venue and a sad story of children’s murder and of a reformed priest. The walk is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads.

Meet Ian Philp at 2pm by Rastrick High School’s top car park, Field Top Road Rastrick. HD6 3XB. Just turn up with the £4 fee, no booking is needed.

There are just a few tickets left for our annual walks to see Robin Hood’s grave and some very old buildings. Please use the link above to book tickets.

04/05/2025

We have 2 walks in May. The first is on Saturday 17th May, ‘SUFFRAGETTES and SLAVES’. This is a 3½ hour leisurely walk from Skircoat Green across Savile Park, visiting the homes of Halifax’s own nest of suffragettes. Our route goes along Queens Road and down Pellon Lane to the Mechanics’ Institute where in 1911, Emmeline Pankhurst urged women to boycott the census.

Please bring a packed lunch and drink. Walk ends in Temperance café with tea, cake & Q&A.

Meet Jill Liddington and David Glover at noon by the Standard of Freedom, New Lane. HX3 0TE. The walk is not suitable for mobility scooters. No dogs. This walk is £6 per head. Pre-booking is essential - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks - and it will not be possible to just turn up on the day! Details and directions are sent out with the tickets.

Half the tickets have already been sold.

On Sunday 25th May, we have a stroll round the middle of Rastrick to look at how the area has developed during the last 3 centuries. It will feature industry, education, the local parish church, a gem of a sporting venue and a sad story of children’s murder and of a reformed priest. The walk is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads.

Meet Ian Philp at 2pm by Rastrick High School’s top carpark, Field Top Road Rastrick. HD6 3XB. Just turn up with the £4 fee, no booking is needed.

There are just a few tickets left for our annual walks to see Robin Hood’s grave and some very old buildings (28th & 29th June). Please use the link above to book tickets.

22/04/2025

Well done to the 36 folk who turned up in poor weather on Easter Monday for Anne Kirker’s enjoyable and well-researched walk round lower Halifax and the occasional advert for our Industrial Museum!

On Sunday 27th April, David Glover’s walk is ‘Lost Halifax, the cattle market, workhouse, gaol and cemetery’. Though much is lost including the cattle market, several pubs and the workhouse, there is still a lot to see.

Meet at 2pm at the junction of Victoria Road and Hanson Lane, HX1 5PT. The walk finishes not far away at Lister Lane Cemetery, HX1 5JL. This is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads are welcome.

For this walk, just turn up with £4. There is no need to pre-book.

However booking for 3 of our walks, Suffragettes and Slaves on Saturday 17th May, for Outlaws & Nuns on the weekend of 28th & 29th June and The coiners in Halifax on 3rd August have to be booked. Our booking partner, TicketSource, is now open and tickets are selling well. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks.

Bookings for Dobroyd Castle on 13th July open on 6th June.

16/04/2025

On Easter Monday 21st April, Anne Kirker is walking through the ‘forgotten heart of Halifax’. This will take in the lower part of town with stories about developing industries, mills, slums, pubs, graft and charity. The walk is suitable for mobility scooters. Dogs on leads welcome.

Meet Anne at 2pm at the Parish Church Gates, Causeway HX1 1QR.

This is followed, on Sunday 27th April by David Glover’s walk on Lost Halifax, the cattle market, workhouse, gaol and cemetery. Meet at 2pm at the junction of Victoria Road and Hanson Lane, HX1 5PT. The walk finishes not far away at Lister Lane Cemetery, HX1 5JL. This is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads are welcome.

For both of these walks just turn up with £4. There is no need to pre-book.

However booking for 3 of our walks, Suffragettes and Slaves on Saturday 17th May, for Outlaws & Nuns on the weekend of 28th & 29th June and The coiners in Halifax on 3rd August have to be booked. Our booking partner, TicketSource, is now open and tickets are selling well.
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks .
Bookings for Dobroyd Castle on 13th July open on 6th June.
For full details of our summer programme look at

https://calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk/summer.html

12/04/2025

PLEASE note: I got the day wrong. The walk round Forgotten Heart of Halifax is on Easter MONDAY, 21st April.

On Easter Monday 21st April, Anne Kirker is walking through the ‘forgotten heart of Halifax’. This will take in the lower part of town with stories about developing industries, mills, slums, pubs, graft and charity. The walk is suitable for mobility scooters. Dogs on leads welcome.

Meet Anne at 2pm at the Parish Church Gates, Causeway HX1 1QR.
This is followed, on Sunday 27th April by David Glover’s walk on Lost Halifax, the cattle market, workhouse, gaol and cemetery. Meet at 2pm at the junction of Victoria Road and Hanson Lane, HX1 5PT. The walk finishes not far away at Lister Lane Cemetery, HX1 5JL. This is suitable for mobility scooters and dogs on leads are welcome.

For both of these walks just turn up with £4. There is no need to pre-book.

However booking for 3 of our walks, Suffragettes and Slaves on Saturday 17th May, for Outlaws & Nuns on the weekend of 28th & 29th June and The coiners in Halifax on 3rd August have to be booked. Our booking partner, TicketSource, is opening bookings at 9am on Monday, 14th April. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/calderdale-heritage-walks Bookings for Dobroyd Castle on 13th July open on 6th June.

For full details of our summer programme look at https://calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk/summer.html

Guided walks in Calderdale