#32.STOODLEY PIKE.12-6-11.

After the last 2 small walk's my knee has been ok i decided to get a little bit of ascent into my next walk.As we were staying in Todmorden,because we had been to the Hebden Bridge Hand Made Festival on the saturday,i did a bit of research and found a hill called Stoodley Pike which was topped by a magnificent monument nearby and decided to walk this on the sunday morning.The weather forecast was for a dry morning with rain due to arrive by the afternoon so we set off bright and early from Todmorden and drove up to park at the Top Brink public house in between the villages of Lumbutts and Mankinholes.

This is a very popular walk and the path is well paved all the way up to the summit,the lower flank of the mountain being quite steep in places had me and Julie puffing and panting as we haven't walked anything as steep as this for nigh on 6 week's.

View back to where our car was parked.

Monument in the distance.

Walking on this side of the mountain we were sheltered from the wind and got a sweat on but as soon as we had reached the monolith where we left the Calderdale LDFP we were to feel the full force of a very cold wind all the way to the monument.

It was a relatively flat walk all the way to the summit across the moor which was full of cotton grass.

We were now on the Pennine Way LDFP,this run's right past the monument.This monument was completed in 1856,replacing an earlier structure that was built in 1815 but collapsed in 1854 when lightning hit it.A lightning conductor was added in 1889 and although being hit many times since by lightning it has not suffered any damage.The height of the monument is 121 feet and very impressive indeed.

The monument contain's a spiral staircase of 39 step's and gives access to a balcony 40 feet above the ground.It was pitch black inside and care was needed when ascending the step's,but it gave us a great view from the balcony.

View down to Todmorden.

Julie descending the spiral staircase.

The Webster memorial seat that gave us some shelter from the wind.

We timed this walk perfectly for as we got back to the car it started to rain and it rained all the way home and until night time.The distance of this walk was 6 miles with 1,000 feet of ascent.




MILEAGE      222
ASCENT        52,500
TOPS            60.