Easter Weekend Day Three

Cottonstones to Marsden
Distance: 15.8 miles
Ascent: 750m
Weather: warm and sunny
Butterflies: many
Horses, bunnies and pigs, little lambs

Today we went walking walking, according to the family we passed along the Calderdale Way in the morning. The route was a mix of upland heath, moors, country lanes and fields. We were mainly on well marked trails,  the Calderdale Way,  Kirklees Way and Colne Valley Way but also local footpaths too - with varying degrees of success.

From the Inn, we went down into the valley and up on to Norland Moor, which is very flat and rather muddy about the trig point and very popular with mountain bikers of a Sunday morning. Here we joined the Calderdale Way,  along the side of a thin wood with views over Halifax,  before dropping down into Greetland. The footpath signs disappeared, and Rob decided rather than following the road we should enter a white void, which turned out to be a disused railway line with a rather impressive bridge.

We navigated our way through some urban streets, where it was proven without a doubt that I cannot tell my left from right,  and then we found Hollins Green Lane which headed downhill and then back uphill towards the M62 motorway. We joined the Kirklees Way on to Turley Cote lane, which runs parallel to the motorway, under a ridge which very effectively blocks out the traffic noise. It was quiet and tranquil as we had a sit and some lunch.

It was less quiet and tranquil a little further on, as we crossed the road and roundabout over the motorway at junction 23.

We swapped the Kirklees Way for the Colne Valley Way near to Wilberlee (very barky dogs, thankfully chained up), via Ainley Place (where we had a conversation with a chap who helpfully advised us we were a long way from the footpath, when we were standing in the middle of it them) and then followed lanes and footpaths along to join the canal just outside of Marsden.