National Trust - Hardcastle Crags - Hebden Bridge

Barbara Cooke

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.

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.

Stefanie Lowe

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 Tucker

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.

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.

Mohamed Imran Khilji

Nature at its best, this is a lovely walk/ trek in Hebden Bridge. Around 3-4 miles walk to reach to the top, plenty of parking space. Reasonably priced. There is a small cafeteria for Ice-creams and hot drinks. If you love nature this place is a must, very good and educational information for kids.

Ag R

Enjoyed my weekend in this place with plenty of woodlands and waterfalls. Walked 4 hours on footpaths and explored beautiful forests and valleys there. You can walk to Gibson mill that is former cotton mill and sit and rest at the back of mill where is pond with ducks and dragonflies. The surrounded woodlands are plenty of birds and wild animals. The view point and the last destination of the walk is very spectacular and especially in autumn is rare to see the carpet of gold leaves and foliage of trees and down to the ground riverside. It was definitely worth to go to the last point as I did, and try seasonal bluebells in very warm October, that were a bit of surprise.

Xena-Marie Horn

We parked South-West of Hebden Bridge along the A646- Free parking and a great walk through the town, and along the river from "Packhorse Bridge" to Hardcastle crags! come up just through "the lodge" just near the Midgehole car park.
Hardcastle Crags offer different walking routes which are clearly marked by the map on site. Well maintained and popular walking location. Nice cafe at Gibson Mill. Dog Friendly! the staff are super friendly and very informative. really enjoyed our walk here! Free to visit, paid parking on site.
Please note if you are parking on A646 it is quite a trek including the walk whilst on Hardcastle Crags.