Stoodley Pike Monument is a famous and iconic landmark that looms large on Stoodley Pike in West Yorkshire. By doing the Stoodley Pike Walk, starting from the charming town of Hebden Bridge, you’ll get to visit the awe-inspiring monument.
In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about the Stoodley Pike Walk from Hebden Bridge.
We hope you find this guide helpful. For other awesome nearby walking routes, read our guides about Pendle Hill, Hardcastle Crags and Tandle Hill.
Table of Contents
What Is Stoodley Pike?
Stoodley Pike is a 400 metre high hill located in the Upper Calder Valley of West Yorkshire. The reason Stoodley Pike is well-known is because of the striking monument perched on top of the hill. Indeed, when locals say ‘Stoodley Pike’, they’re often referring to the monument itself, rather than the hill.
The Stoodley Pike Monument is an imposing feature of the landscape, so much so, that it can even be seen as far as Halifax and Bradford on a clear day!
By doing the Stoodley Pike Walk (AKA the Stoodley Pike Circular Walk), from Hebden Bridge, you’ll get to explore the monument in all its glory. You’ll get to get up, close and personal with the monument, and you’ll even be able to venture inside. Visiting the Stoodley Pike Monument, on a walk from Hebden Bridge is a fantastic experience. Indeed, it’s an iconic thing to do whilst in the area.
So, where exactly is Stoodley Pike located?
Where Is Stoodley Pike?
Stoodley Park is located in Todmorden near Hebden Bridge in the Borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire. Indeed, the circular walk from Stoodly Pike starts from Hebden Bridge – a well-known town in the South Pennines area of northwest England. Please click on the image below to access an interactive map of the area on Google Maps.
Now you where Stoodley Pike is located, let’s look at some trail specs regarding the awesome walk to the monument.
Stoodley Pike Walk From Hebden Bridge: Route Information
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 10.4km (6.45 miles)
- Time: 3–4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 305m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Hebden Bridge
- Map: Wikiloc
Stoodley Pike Walk: Trail Description
In the trail description below, we’ll cover the highlights of the Stoodly Pike Walk from Hebden Bridge.
Starting in Hebden Bridge
From the quaint town of Hebden Bridge, you’ll begin the walk to the Stoodley Pike Monument. After passing Hebden Bridge station, you’ll being to walk up Wood Top Road. You’ll pass by farms and hillside properties in the small hamlet of Wood Top as the trail bends and turns into Spencer Lane. Along this section of the walk, you’ll enjoy sweeping countryside views.
You’ll then pass through a small hamlet called Old Chamber, passing a campsite (Old Chamber Camping) to your right. Soon, you’ll take a sharp left, following Back Lane, which eventually becomes Kingshaw Lane. After a fairly steep incline, the gradient softens as you gently climb towards Stoodley Pike.
Stoodley Pike Monument
From Kingshaw Lane, you’ll soon get your first glimpse of the impressive Stoodley Pike Monument. After passing more farm properties on the country lane, you’ll soon enter the moors. You’ll then reach a four-pronged trail sign. But, you certainly won’t need help with trail navigation as the monument looms large in the distance.
At the trail sign, you’ll turn right, and by doing so, you’ll briefly follow the Pennine Way. Indeed, you’ll follow Pennine Way all the way to the Stoodley Pike Monument. Once you arrive, take your time to explore the wondrous landmark. As mentioned, you can even enter the monument, exploring inside it. Given it was a lovely day, Beck, Lauren (my twin sister) and I, enjoyed lunch at the foot of the monument. What better place to refuel?!
After finishing lunch at the foot of Stoodley Pike Monument, we continued the walk. You’ll retrace your steps along Pennine Way, before briefly re-joining Kingshaw Lane. Soon, you’ll turn left, and shortly afterwards, you’ll turn right onto Pinnacle Lane, which is also the Pennine Way trail. You’ll soon leave the Pennine Way, joining Horsehold Road as you pass through the hamlet of Horsehold.
Eventually, the trail leads you back to Hebden Bridge, where the walk continues along the lovely Rochdale Canal, which splits to form the River Calder further east. After passing Calder Holmes Park, we finished the walk in Hebden Bridge, ready to see more of the town.
Useful Things to Know Before You Go
There are a few useful things to know before visiting Stoodley Pike. Let’s start with how to get there in the first place.
How to Get to Stoodley Pike
The quickest and easiest way to get to Hebden Bridge for the Stoodley Pike Walk is to drive there yourself. If you don’t have your own set of wheels, we recommend hiring a car using Rentalcars.com. You’ll find a wide variety of cars on Rental Cars for good prices. The website is user-friendly and booking online is super easy.
Where to Park For the Stoodley Pike Walk
There isn’t a Stoodley Pike Car Park as such. But, you’ll find plenty of car parks near Hebden Bridge station. Most people driving to Hebden Bridge will park at the station’s car park. Very close by, you’ll find the Station Road Car Park, which is where we parked.
Whilst there are other car parks in Hebden Bridge, we recommend parking at either of the two car parks mentioned above. In terms of pricing for parking, we recommend checking this website for the most up-to-date information. Personally, we paid £2 (in 2022), which gave us four hours of parking.
Public Transport to Hebden Bridge
It’s certainly possible to get to Hebden Bridge using public transport. You can simply get a train to Hebden Bridge station and begin the circular walk from there. Feel free to check the train times and prices here. We recommend using Trainline and Google Maps to help plan your journey.
Despite public transport being a convenient option, we recommend driving (if that’s possible) as you’ll have ultimate freedom and flexibility.
Other Places to Visit Nearby in Hebden Bridge
Of course, there are many things to do in Hebden Bridge after completing the Stoodley Pike Walk. If you’ve watched BBC’s Happy Valley TV series, you’ll be thrilled to know that lots of the show was filmed in this pretty little town. So, you can simply wander the streets to spot filming locations. Otherwise, you’ll find plenty in the way of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
There are also plenty of other walks to do in and around Hebden Bridge. Certainly, if you’re not satisfied with the Stoodley Pike Walk, then consider doing the Hebden Bridge Circular Walk or the Switzerland of Yorkshire Circular Walk.
FAQs
Below, you’ll find the most frequently asked questions about Stoodley Pike.
How Long Is the Stoodley Pike Walk?
The circular walk from Hebden Bridge is around 10.4km long.
How Difficult Is the Stoodley Pike Walk?
In the grand scheme of things, we think it’s fair to classify this walk as easy. Although, given the decent distance and relative elevation gain, a moderate difficulty rating wouldn’t seem too unreasonable either.
How High Is Stoodley Pike?
The hill itself is 400 metres high, whilst the monument is 37 metres high.
Who Built Stoodley Pike?
The monument was designed in 1854 by local architect James Green. Construction was finished in 1856, in part, to commemorate the end of the Crimean War. In fact, the monument replaced an earlier structure which was built in 1815 to commemorate the defeat of Napolean after the Battle of Waterloo. But, the original structure collapsed in 1854 as a result of erosion.
Can You Go Inside Stoodley Pike?
Yes, it’s possible to go inside.
Who Owns Stoodley Pike?
There isn’t an owner as such; but, it’s managed by Calderdale Council.
What to Wear and Pack
Below, you’ll find our hiking gear essentials for the Stoodley Pike Walk from Hebden Bridge.
- Merrell Moab Mid Gore-Tex Hiking Boots: these hiking boots are super comfortable and lightweight.
- The North Face Venture Jacket: a fantastic windproof/waterproof jacket.
- Osprey Skarab 30L Day Backpack: a great backpack for walking, which has plenty of space to store your gear.
- The North Face TKA Glacier Fleece Jacket: an excellent warmth:weight ratio fleece jacket that’ll help keep you warm.
- Columbia Convertible Trousers: a value for money pair of water-resistant convertible trousers.
For a longer hiking gear list, check out our 66 Travel Items You Must Travel With. For a general list of everything else you’d need for travelling, read our Packing Checklist.
Bonus Tips
- A shorter route option: you can do a shorter circular walk to Stoodley Pike via Withens Clough Car Park, instead of starting at Hebden Bridge. That way, you can also check out Withens Clough Reservoir.
- Visit Todmorden: it’s not all about Hebden Bridge! Todmorden is another fascinating small town in West Yorkshire worth exploring. Interestingly, before Todmorden was included in the Old West Riding, it was a town divided in two by the Lancashire-Yorkshire border.
- Make a weekend of it: Hebden Bridge is a lovely town to explore. Why not stay in Hebden Bridge and make a weekend trip out of it? The White Lion, the Croft Mill, Robin Hood Inn and the Cross Inn are the most highly-rated and popular places to stay in Hebden Bridge.
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