Pacheb two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

The route is nice, however I would probably have walked straight to Blake Dean from The Pack Horse along the road and got on the path at this point, as the section before seems an unnecessary diversion. From this point the track follows the stream at a high level. There is extensive use of gravel road through Hardcastle Crags, which is nice an quick, but I feel misses out on the real beauty of walking down by the stream. However, in heavy rain walking by the stream would not be the best option. There is a good opportunity for refreshments and a toilet break at Gibson Mill.

I’m afraid this route started, from Pack Horse Inn, with an example of why you shouldn’t rely solely on Snap-To to plot routes. See photos for details.
Once we had gone down some steep steps and crossed the narrow wooden bridge over the small river, we followed a footpath above Hebden Water, which became a bit overgrown after a while, but manageable. We needed to take care as there were some rocky steps in the path.
The route became much easier when we reached the woods of the National Trust land around Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill.
Gibson Mill was a good break point, although due to recent drought conditions, they only had Portaloo’s and packaged food and drinks. I enjoyed the well-surfaced track and it provided a very quick, easy way of connecting places, although I’m sure alternative paths through the estate would have been very nice.
Leaving the river at Midgehole was a bit of a climb up, but I don’t think there was an alternative. It was followed by a steep flight of stone steps to go back down towards the river again. The route on into Hebden Bridge was fairly straightforward, including a pretty pack horse bridge.
This would have been a 5* route for me, except for the plotting error at the start.

I did this Slow Way as part of a walk from Stanbury to Hebden Bridge.
From the Pack Horse Inn, cross the road from the car park to cross the first stile. Bear half-left across the field towards a conifer plantation and a group of broadleaf trees to their right. This should bring you to a stile in the field wall, continue towards the broadleaf trees and a further stile gains a concrete road. As the road nears the valley bottom, a good sign leads you through a gate and down some steps to a footbridge. As you climb up the left bank of the valley, a track cuts across the path but just keep on going up . At times the path is well vegetated. After passing a house, you are on the estate track that takes you to Gibson Mill. When you get to the bridge at SD 9733 3096, you have an option to bear right after the bridge and follow the river down to Gibson Mill instead of using the estate trail, although the estate trail does take you via the crags of the estate. There is a cafe at Gibson Mill. At Gibson Mill, you again have the option to follow the river path or stay on the estate trail. After leaving the Hardcastle Crags Estate, turn right down a road to cross the river to follow the right bank downstream. You will shortly pass the Midgehole Working Men's Club with its emblematic blue pig. Where the path splits take the rough right hand track uphill to gain a road which you follow to a stepped path dropping downhill and cutting the corner. After skirting various properties, you rejoin the river passing the bowling green of the Midgehole Working Men's Club. Further on, a bridge crosses the river into the streets of Hebden Bridge.
Hebden Bridge has many cafes and good bus and train links along Calderdale.
I would probably walk this route again but would use the riverside paths in the Hardcastle Crags Estate . The paths in the upper part of the estate before joining the estate trail are narrow and high above the valley which might not suit all walkers, particular those with mobility issues, as would the uphill track after Midgehole.

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