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~Cornholme Circular~

28th October 2011

Another opportunity for a local walk. Last Sunday, Karen and I were walking above Todmorden, but the walk I really wanted to do was the one I'm reporting on here. Cornholme sits deep in Calderdale, between Burnley and Tod. Drivers see very little of the landscape as they weave their way along the valley.

Shore

Shore

Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....

Holme House Road

Holme House Road

Parking in Cornholme is difficult. Very narrow streets and a busy main road led me to look hard for a safe and unobtrusive place to leave the car. That done, it was up this narrow lane on the way to Wittonstall Clough.

Wittonstall Clough Oak Leaves
Wittonstall Clough
Oak in Autumn
Steps to Shore Chapel Steps to Shore Chapel
Steps to the Chapel
Steps to the Chapel
Shore Chapel Shore War Memorial
Shore Baptist Chapel
War Memorial

Up The Hill

The walk up Wittonstall Clough leads to the well-worn steps, which in turn lead to Shore Baptist Chapel. It was built in 1777 and extended twice in the 19th Century. I had the good fortune to meet the "gardener" who told me that the chapel was last used in 1966. Shore is a small hamlet on the hillside and most of the congregation must have walked up from Cornholme.

Shore Chapel

Inside the Chapel

The roofless chapel was host to a small bonfire. Pews etc. litter the floor. It's a sad scene.

Shore

Shore Houses

Looking around the graveyard, there were lots of Greenwoods around here. Dead ones, anyway.

Reddish Shore Rocks

Reddish Shore Rocks

Leaving Shore in a northerly direction and this view shows the rocky outcrop of Reddish Shore Rocks and the building further away is at Brown Birks.

Shaw Lane

Shaw Lane

The route down Shaw Lane leads to Pudsey Clough. Coal Clough Wind Farm is further away.

Pudsey Clough

Pudsey Clough

Pudsey Clough

Pudsey Clough

The walk crosses the footbridge on the way down the clough.

Pudsey Clough

Pudsey Clough Bridge

Pudsey Clough's lower reaches are full of little plunge pools, like the one shown here.

Pudsey Clough

The walk descends to a waters meeting and a choice of paths. I chose to cross the bridge and take the route up to Brown Birks.

Shore

Shore

Looking back to an earlier part of the walk.

Pudsey

Pudsey

A gap in the trees reveals a little part of the small hamlet of Pudsey. The Reddish Shore Rocks are on the left.

Brown Birks

Brown Birks

The route passes the left of these houses and off to the left towards Whitaker Naze.

Todmorden Todmorden
Calderdale
Todmorden

The two photos above are taken from the same place, with the zoomed image showing Todmorden.

Whitaker Naze

To Whitaker Naze

Where is and what is Whitaker Naze? Naze is "old English" for promontory. Who was Whitaker? The map shows the WN title in big letters over the area I'm just about to enter.

Copy Pit Line

The Copy Pit Line

The train is coming from Burnley and heading for the next station at Hebden Bridge. There used to be sidings on the right, before the road bridge in the middle distance. This may have been to accommodate banking locomotives, used to help trains reach the summits on rail routes.

Cornholme

Cornholme from Whitaker Naze

One issue for the residents of deepest Cornholme must be the reduced availability of direct sunshine in the winter months.

Whitaker Naze

Whitaker Naze

Maybe Whitaker was a local character; maybe naze is the promontory on which I'm stood - with commanding views of Calderdale.

Station Parade

Station Parade

Three fine houses sit on Station Parade, a comfortable height above the railway and, by assumption, built after the arrival of the tracks. There is no station here anymore - and here is now Portsmouth, the smaller village on the Burnley side of Cornholme.

Cornholme School

Cornholme School

Primary and infant school, firmly in Portsmouth. A former local resident, now living in Suffolk, contacted me via the website and asked me to clarify where Whitaker Naze was. I hope I've done that and shown him his former school and next up....

834 Burnley Road

834 Burnley Road, Portsmouth

The middle house in No.834 is where the viewer used to live. It hasn't always been the middle house! Two houses to the right were demolished after serious flood damage in the "1970's?". I seem to recall that the end house was completely destroyed by the floodwater. I'm hoping to find a news article or photos of the event. But looking for Portsmouth Flood - leads Google elsewhere.

Cornholme Railway Bridge

Cornholme Railway Bridge

One of the frequent occasions that the railway crosses the road.

St Michael and All Angels

St.Michael and All Angels, Cornholme

Nearly back at the car and in terms of interestingness, this is a great little walk.

Walkers: Just me.

Time taken: 2hrs 6mins over a distance of about 3.75 miles.

Route: Cornholme, Holme House Road, Wittonstall Clough, Shore, Shaw Lane to Pudsey Clough, Brown Birks, Whikater Naze, Portsmouth, Cornholme.

Weather and conditions: Sunny and calm.

Greetings Count: I met the caretaker in the graveyard of Shore Chapel - surely a volunteer position. Then I met two walkers on Whitaker Naze, otherwise it was a peaceful afternoon.

Richard's Refreshment Review: Nothing to report on this occasion.

All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2011 ©

Take me back to the start ....

Take me home....