National Trust - Hardcastle Crags - Hebden Bridge

Barbara C.

I went for a walk through the crags recently. I must say it is a wonderful place to go for a long walk. Perfect for dogs. They have four marked routes that you can take. I walked two, the crag and the orange trails. The trails are clearly defined but ruff and rugged in parts, so be sure to wear appropriate hiking boots, no trainers. It can get muddy and slippery, too. When on the trail look out for the markers, they aren't always obvious.
There are two parking lots, one located in Clough and the other in Midgehole. I recommend parking in Midgehole, especially if you have young children walking with you. It's easier to join the trail from there, and you are less likely to get lost. There are visitor toilets provided in Midgehole and the Mill. There is also a small cafe and bookshop at the Mill. The mill is temporarily closed, sadly, but I will definitely return to complete the purple trail.
Overall, it was well worth the walk. I absolutely loved it.

Trevor &. Z. H.

Nice woodland walk alongside Hebden Beck & past the Crags. Stopped off at the cafe in Gibson Mill on the way down .

The track back down on the opposite bank to the mill , had parts that had eroded away with the recent damp weather & with the steep gradients , it may not suit all walkers .

tracy

First time walking here today.
Fantastic views & nice place to stretch the legs. Aged cottages to check out, which are free entry - & hold interesting information.
The cottages & outdoors are clean & tidy, it's clear staff work hard to keep everything in check.
There is also place to get a hot drink or an ince-cream (we didn't purchase but was popular with other people).
Toilets are available (free of charge) these were clean & tidy (sensor flusher too) toilet roll available & warm water with hand soap in dispenser.
We walked the stepping stones across the river, which was good.
The walk can be as easy or difficult as you want (depending on the route you want to take). There are various options to stay on the main path or veer off course, down or up the narrow paths.
I would suggest getting there early if you want to use the car park (£5 for the day) it gets full quick & very limited elsewhere as it's permit parking only away from car-parks).
We would go again as other areas we want to explore.
It was popular with family's and children sk it can be busy.

Evi5tep

Walk was nice, well guided & peaceful walk. Went on Sunday & shockingly not that busy. Parking is a bit annoying as the meter was broken and asked to either pay online or via the shop down the road - to which it offered no directions too & had no data in the area so couldn't pay online.

Stefanie L.

We had a lovely afternoon walking from Hebdon Bridge up to and round Hardcastle Crags. There’s a variety of walks and we chose to walk the river route to the mill then take the crag route round the top.
The cafe is good value and the Cornish pasties delicious. For a dry semi sunny Saturday the place was relatively quiet and though it he car park signs said full we met only a few walkers on the paths and it didn’t feel packed. I could imagine the place could feel overrun in the summer.
There are toilets at the lower car park and more at the mill. Just a warning the ones at the mill do not allow for much breathing space as the cubicles are tiny.
The walks we chose were not easily accessible and if you’re unsteady on your feet I would not recommend.
The paths take you over sloppy rocks and protruding tree roots. It makes for an enjoyable woodland/river trail and all the kids we passed seem to love the variety.
You could take the road path from the car park to the mill to make it easier however this is hilly.
All in a lovely chilled out place and very relaxing

Rory T.

A beautiful location that's relatively easy to get to. The car park was full when I attended (perhaps due to the wedding that was ongoing), so I parked further down and walked to the site. There's quite a few paths you can walk, some that are more obvious, and others that take you along more challenging terrain. The woodland is beautiful and the beck is too, there's plenty of benches knocking about should you need to rest for 10 minutes.

The mill was booked out by a wedding ceremony when I attended, so I cannot provide any comments on the mill.

The cafe is pleasant and the staff were helpful. I was a bit surprised that the sandwich I ordered was pre-packaged, I was hoping they would make it fresh in the kitchen for me, sadly that was not the case. The sandwich was really bland and honestly not worth eating. In contrast, the coffee was great and the victoria sponge cake I had was delicious!

To summarize, it's a beautiful spot for a walk and there's a nice cafe there should you feel hungry afterwards.

Mike T. P.

Great day out, plenty of walks available in nature. Particularly beautiful in autumn. Will definitely go again.

Oscar C.

Nice walk, paid parking of 5£ for the whole day, no option to pay for less time, which makes it expensive if you just want to be around for like an hour.. which is what we did.
Nice views but we were expecting something better.