In this video we're going to take you on a day trip to two of the prettiest places in
West Yorkshire: the popular market town of Hebden Bridge and the ancient village of Heptonstall.
We'll be starting and ending our day in Hebden Bridge which is set in the upper calder valley.
It's located midway between Leeds and Manchester and is well connected by direct train to both. This makes Hebden Bridge a convenient day trip option for anyone who fancies a day out in
Yorkshire without needing a car.
The town is known for its fascinating history, tranquil riverside location, proximity to beautiful countryside and nature spots, vibrant arts
and crafts scene,independent boutiques and its award-winning open market... but more on that shortly.
After arriving into Hebden Bridge train station we started our day
by walking along the rochdale canal towards the town centre.
With the park on one side and the canal on the other this walk was quiet and peaceful... well, almost
If you enjoy waterside walks then you'll love Hebden Bridge. The rochdale canal and the
river calder flow south of the centre while hebden beck runs through the middle of the town.
If you like you can follow the picturesque canal to the town of Todmorden in one direction
or to Sowerby Bridge in the other direction, but we'll be saving those walks for another day.
After exiting the canal we made a beeline for the open market. Winner of Britain's best small
open market award in 2016 this market is now so popular that it's held four days of the week.
The types of traders you'll find will vary depending on the day of your visit.
If you visit on a Saturday like we did you'll find homemade crafts and artisan products. Not only were
there some really interesting items there, such as these bookmarks made from cutlery, this was
probably the friendliest market I've ever visited. with so many of the vendors keen to have a chat
about their products, the local area and just life in general. The market is set in Lee's Yard just
off the lively Saint George's square. In the square you'll see a sculpture of a fustian needle, a nod
to the town's textile mills that's historically specialized in manufacturing fabrics such as
corduroy. Hebden Bridge used to be nicknamed trouser town because at its peak it would produce
millions of pairs of trousers a year. There even used to be a trouser-town beer, although sadly it's
now out of production. Behind the sculpture you'll see hebden bridge mill. After being abandoned in
the 1950s and left totally derelict it was saved from demolition in the 1970s and fully restored.
Now it houses a shop, a cafe and information on the history of the mill. Even if you don't
fancy going in it's still worth appreciating this historical building from the outside.
As we walk down Bridge Gate you'll see the town mostly avoids chain stores. You might see the odd
one but it's mainly small independent shops and cafes. I don't think even Greggs has managed to
sneak it's way in. A store we found particularly fun was Valley Antiques on Valley Road.
This eclectic shop is a treasure trove of vintage items antiques and collectibles. There
is so much to see in there that you might end up spending a lot longer browsing than you expect.
There are a couple more things around the town that I'd like to show you before we move on.
If you're a cinema lover then you could stop by Hebden Bridge Picture House.
Over 100 years old this independent one screen cinema is a beautiful Grade II listed building
that shows films every day of the week. As you continue to explore the town you'll probably
pass Hebden Bridge town hall, another Grade II listed building, this one built in 1897 and it's one of
only a handful of community-owned town halls in the UK. Right next to the town hall you'll see
St George's bridge whose sides are made from red and white painted cast iron. Standing on the bridge
will give you lovely views down the beck and you can see the old pack horse bridge from here.
The old bridge was built all the way back in 1510
replacing a medieval bridge that was built from timber.
When you visit Heptonstall you will get some dramatic views over the valley.
However if you don't want to visit Heptonstall as part of your day
trip and you just want to stay in Hebden Bridge then you could walk up the buttress
which you will see straight ahead of you if you're crossing the packhorse bridge
just past that fancy looking car over there. This pretty cobbled incline is worth the rather steep
walk you're gonna have to do to get to the top to get this beautiful vantage point of the valley.
We've almost reached the road at the top of the buttress but just over to the right here
there's a lovely viewpoint. So here in front of us is Cross Lane's Methodist Graveyard and look
at that nice view across the valley. I probably sound a bit out of breath it was quite steep
For lunch we stopped at the People's Pizzeria and Bridge Gate for a delicious wood-fired pizza
topped with veggies before setting off on the 30 minute walk to Heptonstall
As Heptonstall sits high up above Hebden Bridge you'll need to be okay with a steep
uphill walk. If you drove to Hebden Bridge and you don't want to walk to Heptonstall
there is a car park in the village, but it's only small so I would advise walking if you
can. Walk up Heptonstall road until you see a sign on the left pointing you up a public footpath
when you follow the footpath up from Hebden Bridge
you'll come to this signpost here which could be a little bit confusing because there's lots of
different arrows you basically want to go back on yourself and head up that way there excuse fingers
Apart from that one potentially slightly confusing moment following the woodland route up is pretty
obvious. If you're visiting after rain or back to back storms like we did then be aware that
the path can get a bit boggy in places so make sure that you're wearing the appropriate footwear
Eventually you'll meet back up with Heptonstall Road which will lead you into the village
Compared with the bustling Hebden Bridge, Heptonstall was very quiet.
We walked up the cobble Town Gate which as you can see is also pretty steep so if you think you'd be
finished with the uphill walking once you get to Heptonstall then, well, you'd be wrong... sorry
On this idyllic street you'll find a post office, a couple of pubs and a tea room.
Make sure you pop behind the tea room because you
can see an old pair of stocks and the barred window of an old dungeon door
If you then continue up Town Gate you will see signs for a museum where you can learn more about
the history of Heptsonstall. However as we visited in February the museum unfortunately wasn't open
Just past the museum you might notice that there are not one but two churches standing
in the same graveyard. Firstly there are the ruins of the church of St Thomas à Becket
After surviving a battle and a siege during the civil war it was actually a major storm
that damaged the church in 1847 that resulted in the newer church of St Thomas the Apostle
being built to replace it. You can walk around the well-maintained ruins free
of charge and open-air services are still occasionally held here
Heading out of the older graveyard you'll see a newer burial ground. In here lies the famous
American poet and novelist Sylvia Plath, who tragically died in 1963 at the age of just 30.
Many fans of her work travelled to Heptonstall to visit her grave.
Before returning to Hebden Bridge we spent a little longer walking around the charming lanes of Heptonstall.
As the village used to be a center for handloom weaving you might see that some
of the cottages and terraced houses have large windows which was to help provide more light
We also spotted this old water pump
Once we were ready to leave we returned to Hebden Bridge the same way that we walked up
Our day ended with a beer at the local Vocation Brewery's bar. If you're a craft beer lover too
then you might want to drop in here on your visit to Hebden Bridge.
If you enjoyed this video then you might enjoy our other videos from days out in Yorkshire so I will add a playlist here.
Whether you're after more market towns and villages, a countryside walk, a trip to the coast or a day in
the city there will hopefully be something in this playlist that appeals to you. Thanks for watching