Stoodley Pike from Hebden Bridge

The route

This is the classic Calderdale outing: a 12.5km loop from Hebden Bridge to Stoodley Pike and back, with 300m of climbing packed mostly into one honest ascent. You start low, following the Rochdale Canal towpath out of town for a fast, flat warm-up, then turn uphill and climb steadily through fields and onto the open moor. The monument dominates the skyline for most of the way up, so you always know where you are heading.

The monument

Stoodley Pike is hard to miss: a 37m gritstone tower on the moor edge at around 400m, first built to mark the end of the Napoleonic wars and rebuilt in 1856 after the Crimean War. You can climb the internal staircase to the viewing platform if the door is open, and the view over the Calder valley and the South Pennine moors is the reward for the climb. The route joins a short section of the Pennine Way along the top before dropping back toward the valley.

The descent and return

The way down is rougher than the towpath: moorland paths and field tracks that can be greasy and slow when wet, so keep something in reserve for tired legs. Once you are back at the canal it is an easy run back into Hebden Bridge and its many cafes.

Why it works

It is a compact route with a genuine summit feel and a landmark payoff, reachable entirely by train. The mix of flat towpath and one real climb makes it a good hill session or a satisfying half-day when you do not have time for the bigger moors.

Good to know

The towpath start lets you warm up properly before the climb bites, and the single big ascent makes this an ideal route for practising a strong, steady uphill effort. Save something for the descent, which is where tired legs and greasy ground catch people out, and pack a windproof: the top can feel a season colder than the sheltered valley you started in.