HEBDEN BRIDGE WALKERS ACTION
Gibson Mill and back
Chris Ratcliffe has submitted this walk
A variation on the walk to Gibson Mill,
going one way and coming back another.
Approx one hour each way
1. (5-10 minutes) From St George's Square in the centre of Hebden Bridge, take the road in between the Shoulder of Mutton and Bridge Mill. With the Town Hall on your left, turn right into Valley Road. Continue right along Valley Road until it veers left past the Children's play area and becomes Victoria Road. Turn second right, and then first left into Spring Grove. At the end of Spring Grove, you will see the old bridge at Salem over the Hebden Water.
The old bridge at Salem
View from the old bridge at Salem
2. (5-10 minutes) After crossing the bridge, turn right along the riverside path. Immediately to the right, you can see the Millpond where the notorious battle between residents and developers took place in October 2004.
The riverside path used to be surrounded by Himalayan balsam. Volunteers have now removed most of this invasive plant, along this stretch of the river.
Continue along the riverside path past the cricket and bowling grounds. Look out for a stunning collection of allotments on the left.
3. (6-7 minutes) Just past the bowling green, the path forks - see above. Take the left fork, and start walking up, past the inappropriate pine trees on the left. The landscape changes. You can see sheep in the fields and old farm buildings.
Follow the path as it turns back on itself just beyond this point.
Very soon, you turn right up steps pictured below.
Go up the steps until you reach the track at the top. Turn right on to the track.
4. (20 minutes) Walk along ths tarmaced track. It's a reasonably easy walking, going up and down, parallel to, but some way above, the Hebden Water. This is the very essence of the Hebden Bridge area. Attractive quiet tracks through the woods. I didn't see another walker during this 20 minutes.
Continue along this track until you reach the Scout Hostel
5. (7-8 minutes) At the hostel there are buildings on either side, and the track comes to an end. There is a path marked "pedestrians" as below.
Go up these steps and turn right along the track pictured below.
You are now going down towards the river. At the bottom, as you approach the river, turn left and then right across the stepping stones to the east side.
This photo was taken looking back at the stepping stones just crossed.
6. (10 minutes) Follow the path alongside the river until you arrive at Gibson Mill. If you need to go to their eco-toilet, cross the river again at the next set of stepping stones by the white hut. The toilets are the last building before you reach the Mill on the west side.
Having admired the solar panels and other sustainable technology, it is surely time to sit down and enjoy coffee and flapjack at the Muddy Boots Cafe.
The road back to Hebden
7. (20-25 minutes) We'll go back the simpler and more straightforward way. Just take the main track on the east side of the river. This is the route most people take.
8. (10 minutes) At the carpark, take the road to Hebden Bridge. After ten minutes, turn right off the road at the turning pictured below.
Don't worry if you miss this turning. The road will take you back to Hebden Bridge but we prefer to avoid the road, don't we?
9. (10 minutes) After a short while, turn right down the steps, pictured above. At the bottom, continue straight on along the path which follows the river.
Cross the iron bridge to the bowling green. From this point the path retraces the route to Hebden Bridge taken earlier. Walk along riverside path to the old bridge at Salem.
10. (5-10 minutes) Cross the bridge and turn right at the end of Spring Grove, left at Victoria Road, following it round as it becomes Valley Road which leads back to the centre of Hebden Bridge.