Second in the series celebrating the trails on our doorsteps that we’ve rediscovered or fallen in love with all over again heads to Calderdale to explore the plethora of trails on offer with HB130 and Trash Free Trails ambassador Rosie Holdsworth.
After forays north of the Border for work, it was Calderdale that always kept calling Rosie back and she’s now very much a Valley resident through and through. It doesn’t take long before you find out why, certainly from a riding perspective. Rosie lives high on the hill overlooking the River Calder, which means you’re almost always guaranteed a descent to kick things off, or you can gain a little extra by winching higher on the moor if you’re feeling keen.
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We pass the biggest Highland bull we’ve seen in some time as the buzzards circle overhead and the racket of summer songbirds is ever-present as a backing track. Another good reason for Rosie to locate herself here, such is the plethora of wildlife should you stop and tune your eyes and ears to it. Scout gives us the look as if to say ‘why have we stopped moving?”.
The overnight rain is already starting to burn off in the June sun as Rosie, Rob and Scout wind their way through the dry stone walls to one of the classic Hebden Bridge descents, known by many simply as Pecket Well, but to Rosie, it’s Megadeath. Ever popular with walkers, horse riders and riders alike, you need to keep your eyes up, especially on a sunny Saturday as you negotiate the old gritstone slabs down to the river crossing. You’ll find out if you have you bike dialled or not pretty quickly here as the hits come in all shapes and sizes, with no dirt until you’ve climbed to the other side of the stream and the moto ruts take over.
Soft, wet and littered with beech nut husks, the middle section feels like we’ve rocked up to an AMA event, rather than a lap of Calderdale’s finest. Thankfully, gritstone with a smoother feel to its Ilkley counterpart, takes hold again and one of the most technical, multi-line straights in the Valley presents itself. One of those ones you’ll never ride the same way twice. The speed gradually increases before a series of rapid, swooping corners spit you out onto the Hardcastle Crags road before winching up yet another classic trail will lead us to lunch and another descent.
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Blue Pig is yet another old route through the hills before roads and cars took over, offering a steep, technical climb from the riverside, or a flat out blast in the other direction. Numerous off-piste options allow you to turn the wick on the run to the pub of the same name, but we’re grinding away to Heptonstall for a refuel in the sun. We’ve definitely earned it by the time we’re high above the valley again, and set our minds to how best to get back to the valley floor before yet another winch and plummet.
Sandwiches and tangerines consumed, we’re back weaving between the farmhouses and the church and slithering our way between fields as the trees start to thicken. The rock here seems a little less forgiving and there’s an edge hidden in the grass waiting to steal the wind from our wheels or clip a rear mech off and end the day just as its starting. Scout does not have these issues. Her only problem is overheating, and regularly takes to one of the rancid water troughs on the old byways of the valley to cool off.
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This time it’s another byway but a long, steady offering rather than the top cog grind to the top, something that comes as a very nice change as we climb out of Hebden Bridge yet again. Here the wind leaves us, the flies are a constant bother but everything is either green or flowering, and we’re protected from the attention of the sun for a short while at least.
We pass a farm awash with the trinkets from a lifetime of collection, including a windmill that has been fashioned from an aeroplane engine cowling and propeller… Here we can see the fire road stretching long ahead of us, and each turn is met by more farm track that only stops at the horizon. It’s nice to be out on the tops again and getting the cooling effects of the breeze once again.
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We pass the Bridestones, another gritstone outcrop, much like the Cow and Calf albeit a little smaller that’s popular with climbers before we rattle the remaining fillings out on the final descent of the day. Fast, sweeping switchbacks are a riot before it’s a brakeless gallop back to the road where we all exchange wide grins before agreeing to stop for a coffee before tackling the filthy tarmac climb back to the house. It’s some gallop back along the canal after the coffee stop, and the climb back to the house never gets easier. A real turn of the knife this late in the day…
After riding pretty much everything our legs allowed in this part of the Calder Valley, you can see why Rosie would pick such a spot to call home. Whether you want an easy moorland gallop or some wide-eyed technical delights, you can pick and choose. You just have to remember that that hill is waiting for you at the end. It’s also a part of the World where the HB130 will show its true versatility.
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Words & Pictures: Pete Scullion