If you would like an expert walking guide to accompany you on this walk Boot Routes can help…

The Holme Valley Circular walk is a 24 mile walk with 4000 feet of ascent, which is similar in height and distance to the gruelling Yorkshire 3 Peaks, however the beauty of this walk is that it can be broken down into sections. There is a campsite (Whitegate Leisure Caravan and Camping) just short of the halfway stage (11.2 miles) and a great place to stay if you wanted to break the walk down over 2 days.

The route is clearly marked on OS maps, but on the ground there are very few footpath markers, so your navigation needs to be spot on, or you can try and follow the below route description. There are some stunning footpath sections on this route, but there are also a few road sections, so take care on the roads, especially if you have a dog with you.

As this is a circular walk, there are a number of places that you can start and finish, and the route description below starts at Castle Hill (Grid Ref SE 15247 13611), which is basically the closest point of the walk to my home address.

Here is an interactive map, that show the route, my start and finish point, wildlife sightings, and points of interest. Please note though, that this is work in progress and the interactive map and route description are not yet complete.

https://maphub.net/BootRoutes/Holme-Valley-Circular-Walk-wildlife-sightings

Section 1 - Castle Hill to Honley (2.7 miles)

Castle Hill has plenty of parking at the top of the hill, or a smaller car park on Castle Hill Side, but the views from the top are well worth that extra bit of effort.

From the car park at the top, walk to the tower and find the steps down towards Castle Hill Side, keep an eye out for Linnet and Yellowhammers that like to shelter in the Gorse bushes that cover the hillside. You may also see Kestrel hovering around the hill, with small flocks of Twite gathering in the hedges in the fields towards Farnley Tyas.

Once down the steps, turn right towards Ashes Lane, and at Ashes Lane turn left. You will need to cross the road here as the footpath is on the other side of the road, be careful as the cars can travel quite fast here.

Walk on Ashes Lane for about 5 minutes, and you are looking for the third footpath on your right which is opposite the entrance to Castle Houses. There is no footpath sign, but it is a decent track that takes you down in the direction of Stirley Community Farm.

A short distance down the track, there is a fork in the track, here you need to keep right and follow the track down to a crossroads of tracks. During summer months you will see plenty of Swallows around the large barns of the farm and groups of Goldfinch in the nearby tree tops.

From here you are looking for the footpath into the fields to the left of the houses, this path takes you down hill and around the back of the houses. Follow the path down across the field to the hedge line, and keeping the hedge line to your right follow the path to Lady House Lane.

At Lady House Lane turn left and follow the road down to Bridge Street, turn left, under the railway bridge and drop down towards Woodhead Road. There is a pedestrian crossing opposite the Liberal Club. Cross the busy main road and drop down the hill between the Liberal Club and the Laxmi restaurant.

At the river take a minute to have a look for Dipper and Grey Heron, then continue around the bend and take the first left up Bank Foot Lane. Walk up Bank Foot Lane for a couple of hundred feet and at the first bend in the road take the footpath on the left.

This is a lovely section of the walk, and you should see some Grey Squirrel, and Wren. Continue on the this stunning woodland footpath and after 10 - 15 minutes you will eventually pop out on Hawkroyd Bank Road, turn left and follow the road to the junction with Sandbeds. Turn left at the junction and follow this road, around the bend onto White Gate and down to the valley bottom where if you are lucky you may see Dipper in the stream. Continue up the steep hill (Sentry) and turn left up Green Cliff which changes into Church Street. Continue on the cobbled street to Eastgate which is the centre of Honley, and you have finished the first section of the walk.

In Honley there are plenty of shops to get refreshments just up the hill on Eastgate, there are plenty of Public Houses and a bus stop right next to Church Street.

Section 2 - Honley to Newlands (3.3 miles)

Once you have topped up on snacks and drinks at Honley it’s time to cross Eastgate and make your way through the estate to get back into the countryside. This first part is a bit of a pain, as its lots of lefts and rights. From Eastgate cross the road and continue of Southgate until you come to the entrance to the Cricket Club, turn right and take the path with the wall to the cricket club to your left. Through the park onto Jaggar Lane, turn left and you’re looking for the first ginnel on your right, follow this and straight across Roundway where you should pop out on Stony Lane.

Turn left on Stony Lane and follow the road to the top where you will see the footpath that leads you to open fields. Once in the fields follow the path which takes you to the opposite corner and onto Long Lane. Turn left and the take the first footpath on your right. There are some cattle in the field here but the footpath follows the wall line where you an escape the field if you feel threatened, but I had no issues at all. In the next field were flocks of Black Headed Gulls and dozens of Carrion Crows teasing the gulls.

You will then pop out onto Oldfield Road where the entrance to the next footpath is just opposite to the right. From here the route gets a bit more interesting. Follow the path through the fields and drop down into Netherthong, where you will pass orchards and then into the courtyard of The Pure North Cider Press which is worth half an hour if its open.

After a sample of local cider continue on the road and drop down into Netherthong and find the path up the steps and passing the school to your right, and playground to your left. At School Street turn right where the road changes into Church Street and Town Gate, there is another small shop to top up on drinks and snacks. If you are doing the route anti-clockwise, then this is your last opportunity to top up with drinks, snacks etc, as there are no more shops after this one.

Continue on Town Gate and after the junction with Broomy Lea Lane look for the footpath on the left which takes you through a private drive and the path here has been diverted around the back of some gardens. Once through this section you are onto open fields. Follow the path across the field where you will eventually have a wall to your left. You will see a metal structure in the field to your left, this is where you need to find the path over the wall and turn right towards Wolfstones Height Farm.

At the Farm, over the wall and follow the path up right, and then into the horse field keeping the wall to your left. At the end of the field in the bottom corner you will find a stile to cross the wall and enter onto a stunning section of this route. Here you will see Kestrel, Buzzard and Nuthatch. Follow the path until it comes to a wall then head down hill, follow the path around the wall line, over the small bridge and up the steep section towards Upperthong. At the track, turn right and then immediately left across the field and into the village.

At Upperthong Town Gate turn right and follow the road, there is a pub on your left here if you fancy a drink. Follow the road to the end and take the left hand band and down the hill. Ignore the first path on your right, but take the second path/track on your right which will take you down to A635 Greenfield Road, and the end of this section. If you want to cut the walk short, turn left and follow Greenfield Road back down to Holmfirth where there is a bus station and numerous pubs and cafes.

Section 3 - Newlands to Holme (3.2 miles)

From A635 carefully cross the main road and take the smaller road opposite, Black Sike Lane which takes you down into a little valley with a river at the bottom. The eagle eyed here may well be lucky enough to see a Sparrowhawk in the trees in the bottom of the valley. Once over the river head uphill on the road, but be careful as it narrows further up, so keep to the outside of the bends so that any traffic will see you sooner rather than later. At the T junction turn right onto Mellor Lane and after about 40 metres turn left onto Hogley Lane. Ignore the private drive to the right and keep to the track on the left which will take you around some houses and then as it bends around to the right you will find a hidden stile on the right.

Over the stile and you’re into the fields, cross the first two fields following the wall lines and stiles. At the third field there are 3 options of paths, take the middle one heading diagonally across the field in a South Westerly direction. One more field and you will come to Cold Well Lane, but be careful on this last stile down to the road as it is a monster.

At Cold Well Lane turn right and after about 60 metres, just after the house take the footpath on the left you that heads South down the side of the gardens with the small stream bubbling away to your right. Continue uphill and at the brow of the hill turn right and follow the path keeping the wall to your left. Keep to the path through several fields and eventually the path turns into a track that come out behind some houses on Roods Lane.

At Roods Lane turn right and the footpath is directly opposite, look for the stile to the left of the driveway, and follow this around the the gardens and through some trees to bring you back onto the obvious path. Follow this path through the fields which brings you out to the left of a row of houses, the path goes between the houses and garages. There is a slight discrepancy with the map here, the obvious route would be to take the short road that leads to these houses but it is clearly marked ‘Private’, so follow the footpath that takes you into the field and head downhill for about 100 metres until you come to the stile and out onto Bank Top Lane.

At Bank Top Lane turn right and head uphill on the road, ignore the road to the left and keep on heading uphill with the reservoir to your left. You will come to the car park where you need to go into and find the path that runs around the reservoir. This is one of my favourite sections of the walk, and Roe Deer are regularly seen to the side of the path and in the woods.

Continue on the path around the reservoir, where you will eventually come to a junction with a bench. Ignore that heads uphill to the right and take the left path that takes you down to the reservoirs and over the dam wall. Once over the dam wall follow the steep footpath up the other side, it levels out near to a memorial bench, then through a gate then over a stream. Once immediately over the stream you will see a marker post, and this is where you need to turn right away from the main path. Follow this path, which can be muddy in sections and through some fields, where you will eventually arrive at Holme village.

From here the route turns left at the road, but there is a public house ‘The Fleece Inn’ only a few yards to the right which is a good place to stop for some refreshments and it will be your last opportunity for some time. More or less opposite the pub, where the red telephone box is, are some public toilets.

Section 4 - Holme to Snittlegate (3.9 miles)

This next section is probably our favourite part of the walk and an area where we regularly run navigation courses, and night walks. If you were to do one linear section of this route then this is the one that we would recommend.

At the point from where you came out onto the main road at Holme village, turn left and walk down the road about 100 metres, ignore Fieldhead Lane to the left and look for your first footpath to the right. The path goes to the left of a stunning house called ‘Underhill’, which you will understand the name as you go down the path and see the underground house to your right. Continue down this path, cross over the stile and follow the footpath down to the right, this will lead you down to a bridge with some stunning little waterfalls. Over the bridge and follow the path through the woods, listen out for Curlew and Lapwings in the fields to your right, and take a moment to enjoy the views over to your left.

The path will lead you down to a path that takes you over the dam wall, cross the dam and head up the track to the road and turn right. After 200 metres you will come to a car park with a lovely little picnic area set in the trees. Take the path uphill on the left before the car park and keep heading uphill. As you come out of the trees and to a sharp right hand bend take the footpath directly in front of you which veers off to the left through the long grass.

Follow this path with the wall to your left and enjoy the views over Holmfirth and beyond. The path turns into a track gradually bends round to the right and you will eventually reach a point where the track veers of to the right, at this point the footpath veers of to the left but isn’t signposted. The only indication of the footpath deviation is the old wall just visible under the long grass and moss, so you need to be alert to this.

Keep to this path which contours over the top of a couple of small steep valleys, and eventually you will come to a bend in the track with a small waterfall. This is a great photographic opportunity, the person with the camera can drop down below the waterfall and looking up can photograph colleagues stood at the top of the waterfall. Continue onward, it gets a big boggy here and eventually after your mud bath you will arrive at White Gate Road.

At White Gate Road, turn left and then first right. There is a campsite here on the right and a great place to stay if you were to break the route into 2 days, but if you’re going to do the walk in one go continue past the camp site and head along the lane.

At the next crossroads go straight across and follow the road passing Elysium Farm until you get to the edge of the woods. Climb over the stile and after about 100 metres at the next crossroads turn right. There are no deviations from this track for about a mile, so a good opportunity to put the map away and enjoy the scenery. The track will take you down to a bridge, up the other side, past some forestry buildings and up though the coniferous plantations towards Linshaws Road.

At Linshaws Road, turn left and follow this road which turns into Bare Bones Road, and keep your eyes for for Short Eared Owls in the moorland to your left. At the end of the road you will reach a junction with 5 roads, this is Snittlegate and the end of this section.

Section 4 - Snittlegate to Hepworth (2.5 miles)

From Snittlegate junction be careful crossing the road and take the long straight track (Snittle Road) that heads downhill past some farms. About half way down look for the footpath to the right, over the wall and cross the fields which brings you out onto Daisy Lea Lane. Turn right and find the footpath on the left before the entrance to the farm, the path here is roped off and takes you around the edge of the farm yard, and gardens. Through the second new gate, turn left and walk down the drive towards Penistone Road.

At Penistone Road look for the footpath opposite which immediately forks left and right. Take the right fork, and carefully cross the bubbling stream, over the stile. Through a couple more fields and then over the stile onto the track. Turn left at the track, over the stream, past the chicken shed and up onto Cowcliff Hill Road and turn right.

Follow the road downhill, passing the woods to your left, round the bend, ignore Dean Lane to the left and take the next footpath on your left. I really enjoyed this next section, it was dryish underfoot and the path goes straight across 4 fields with some excellent views. You will eventually arrive at the edge of Hepworth village, there are 3 paths you could take, but take the middle one which takes you down a thin path with walls left and right. Over the stile at the bottom, walk past some houses and you have arrived at Hepworth.

The route from here turns right, however only a short distance to the left is the Butchers Arms where you may want to stop for another refreshment.

Section 5 - Hepworth to Fulstone (3.2 miles)

As you arrive in Hepworth, turn right on Town Gate and look for the footpath about 80 metres on your left, which takes you down some stone steps to the left of the end terraced house. Head down these steps onto the footpath which can be very slippery in the wet, so watch your footing on this section. Keeping the gardens of the new estate to your left follow the path down to the stream, go over the stone bridge and turn left. Follow this path for about 100 metres and at the fork in the path take the right path up hill which will take you up to Sheffield Road, if you have a dog with you make sure it is on a lead before you get to the road. Careful crossing here as cars can be quite fast on this section of road, and you’re looking for the footpath opposite that leads you up Meal Hill Lane.

On Meal Hill Lane, go past the barrier and follow the road around to the left. Keep an eye out for wild fowl on the private lake to the left. Follow the road down hill, around the left hand bend where you will come to a small hamlet on your left where you are looking for a footpath on your right. On the map the path looks to go through the hamlet, but ignore this and continue downhill where you will find the path about 50 metres past the entrance to the hamlet on your right which drops down into some woods, over a rickety bridge and up the other side. Follow the path which cuts diagonally across a field where you’re back on track after the detour around the hamlet. Carry on up hill which brings you into what looks like a private garden to the right of some houses, the temptation here is to follow the driveway up to the road, but take the path on the opposite side of the garden which will lead you up to Scar Hole Lane.

At Scar Hole Lane turn right and after about 200 metres up the road take the track on the left which more or less doubles back on itself. Follow this track which bends around to the right, and ignore all the footpaths to the left. Continue on this track and enjoy the 2 km of flat section and the views over New Mill. This track will eventually turn into Hirst Lane and you will eventually arrive at Gate Foot Lane. Here you will need to turn left and after about 100 metres you’re looking for a footpath on your right. Take this footpath which takes you down to Marsh Lane, straight across to A635 Penistone Road. This is another fast section of road, so be careful crossing and take the footpath directly opposite which will take you to the right of the Yorkshire water underground reservoir. Keep going to the top of the hill and down the other side where just over the wall you’ll come to a footpath running left to right. Turn right and take the path immediately to the left that heads diagonally down through the woods. At the bottom of the woods over the wall and head diagonally across the very muddy fields towards the village of Fulstone in the distance. As you approach the gardens ignore the obvious gate in front of you, this leads into a private garden, look in the right hand corner of the field which takes you around the private garden and into the village centre. Turn left on White Ley Bank and you’re looking for the footpath on your right just after the stocks.