Pennine Way Day Three - Standedge to Hebden Bridge

Distance: 18 miles
Ascent: 600m
Weather: misty, then rain, wind and rain, blue sky and sunshine (a bit)

It was misty but dry as we started this morning,  over the A62 and over Standedge Edge. There was a family with a couple of very energetic little boys running around arms flapping. Dad had a huge flask.

A hat change was called for, it was pretty windy. The rain started as we got to the trig point on White Hill and continued to get heavier during the day. The paths near here are very familiar to us and we'd thought that it would be strange to do a long distance path so close to home. Mostly it was just wet. The renovation of the path up to Blackstone Edge has been done and it is now very different, seems like a completely different footpath.

We passed the Aigen Stone and walked down the little path across the heather (which is the Pennine Way but most people seem to go the other way down the Roman Road) down to the White House Inn (coming upon a horde of walkers who seemed to emerge from a hole in the ground) and took shelter from the weather inside with a big pot of tea and some lunch.

After lunch, the rain was noticeably harder and the wind noticeably stronger. It was fairly unpleasant walking passed the reservoirs on the straight track. The track becomes smaller and then crosses the boggy ground as a stone flagged path, which gurgled and tipped occasionally.

The guide book mentions Stoodley Pike being visible but never seeming to get any closer, we didn't really have that problem today, as the mist was so low we couldn't see it until we were quite close. The rain stopped and the clouds began to clear, and a stone seat conveniently appeared so we stopped for a sit down and some tea and biscuits.

We didn't go up Stoodley Pike as it was pitch dark inside and not straight, according to Rob. It has already fallen down once before so you can't be too careful (although that was in 1850-something.)

The skies were clearing as we came down off the moors, and it was much warmer. We are staying in Hebden Bridge,  so left the Pennine Way and walked along the canal to town. There were lots of ducklings and goslings and we got hissed at quite a lot.

Hebden Bridge is very, very hilly. We chose to stay at the Hare and Hounds in one of the villages just (just!) up out of town.

Ed. I can't believe that I forgot to mention this, but the weirdest thing we saw today (and possibly ever) was a group of chaps coming down off the moors as we left the White House Inn wearing not much but white robes (possibly bedsheets) in a torrential rain storm. Not sure if it was for a religious thing or for a bet....