Walk Description

This was almost a repeat of the walk that Steve and I did on New Year's Eve 2008. Today we were joined by Simon, Dave and Josie for a very snowy walk on Grassington Moor.
Our journey to Hebden nearly ended at Burnley.  As we approached Burnley the few flurry of snow that we had encountered earlier turned into full blizzard conditions.  Very quickly Simon was driving along white roads.  Even the M65 was no better, it only had one narrow strip of dark road surface visible.  A quick phone call to Dave reassured us that there were blue skies in Yorkshire and very little snow.  After perserving for a few more miles we left the snowy roads behind.  Now we were looking towards the hills and wondering how much snow was lurking there.  We had no further problems getting to Hebden and after a visit to the local shop for goodies, including some wonderful flapjacks, we were ready to start the walk.
Although there was a small amount of snow on the ground, we didn't have any problems walking until we encountered the ice on the path after Hole Bottom.  I stopped to put some newly purchased spikes onto my boots before I tackled the ice.  The spikes certainly worked and I felt much more confident walking on the icy paths next to the Ghyll.  We followed Hebden Ghyll up towards the moors.  The snow and grey skies gave the scenery a monochromatic appearance that was only alleviated by our colourful jackets.  At times the path seemed to have dwindled away and we had to keep crossing the stream.  When we reached Coalbank Gill we left the valley bottom and headed up towards Cupola Corner. 
The snow now became a lot deeper and we tended to walk in single file following Steve as he picked the best route across the white landscape.  After negotiating a couple of awkward stiles we arrived at the disused quarry near Cupola Corner.  Here we saw a fantastic display of gigantic icicles hanging down from the rim of the quarry.  We spent a while photographing them and then set off to look at the Cupola Corner ruins.  The Yorkshire Dales National Park have provided really useful information boards near all of the ruins.  These explain in detail what the ruins are and when they were last working. 
We decided not to visit the large chimney and reservoir as we weren't sure where the paths were under the snow.  Instead we followed a slightly more obvious path across the moor.  Eventually, after consutation with the map and gps, we decided to head straight across the moor towards the obvious walled Old Moor Lane.  The snow was quite deep in places and I found that it was easier to walk in Steve's foot prints than try to sort my own path out.  When I eventually caught up with Steve, he was standing on top of a five bar gate, the snow had drifted up to the top of the gate and he had just walked over the snow and onto the gate.  We stopped here for a quick bite to eat and a refreshing drink.
After lunch we made our way back to Hebden Beck, we had to cross the beck several times and for some reason the crossings seemed more difficult on our return journey.  The paths also seemed to be more icy now than in the morning.  As we neared the Hebden, the skies began to darken and the snow started just before we reached the cars. 

Thanks to Steve, Simon and Josie for their company on today's walk. Dave and Josie also very kindly invited us back to their house for a warming drink and a slice of chocolate cake.   Extra special thanks go to Simon for braving the snow on both our outward and return journey.

N.B. Please remember that although this is graded as a Moderate Walk, the winter conditions made the walk more difficult.  Good navigating skills were required as most of the paths on the moor were covered with snow.

 

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.