Once over the top, we crossed this small crack in the hillside, traversed through Stones Woods and then dropped down towards the road again.
The staircase down to road level wasn't the widest I've ever seen :)
Across the road, we entered the bottom of Gorpley Clough.
'Clough' is dialect, commonly used in the northern UK, and refers to a narrow gorge or ravine. The woods along Gorpley Clough qualify as ancient woodland, the site having been continuously wooded since before 1600.
In conjunction with Natural England and the Forestry Commission, Yorkshire Water is working to restore these woodlands to their original character. Predominant in this management, is the gradual removal of non-native tree species and the planting of oaks and other indigenous trees. Alongside the replanting will be the creation of deadwood habitats and the reintroduction of some native wildlife to the area, in order to recreate the varied ecosystem.
This small brook flows through the clough, its source being Gorpley Reservoir which is situated at the head of the ravine.
Waterfalls are formed where the brook flows over the more resistant sandstone, the softer mudstone having been eroded away.
The footpaths and bridges have also been improved to allow access to visitors via a defined route.
Calderdale Council has designated this area of woodland as a Local Nature Reserve and it is good to know that such a pretty place is protected.
what a nice walk. I've enjoyed seeing this area on your blog over the last few posts. I've never been to Todmorden but Dave spent a chunk of his childhood living there and then they had a holiday home there after moving, so I often hear tales that beging 'when we lived in Tod...' - it's somewhere I must go to one day!
ReplyDeleteGorpley Clough looks like the sort of place that JRR Tolkein might have had in mind for parts of Lord of The Rings, not long before Gollum leads Frodo and Sam up the straight stair and winding stair to Shelob's lair.
ReplyDeleteInteresting word clough. Sounds like a Yorkshire word. Similar words with similar meanings are many. Cleuch seems the closest. Here we have canyons. Then there are dells,gills,glens,gorges.... I like Clough best!
ReplyDeleteThat waterfall is excellent! Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt's all very beautiful and feels like fairyland. The stone staircase is my favourite pic! ~ Maureen
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful stretch. Dare I ask for pronunciation again?
ReplyDeleteI love the narrow stone steps.
I love that staircase in the middle of that stone wall - never seen anything like that before.
ReplyDeleteRe your comment on your son and the weather - the son of a friend, and his family, set off from Suffolk to reach Skye yesterday en route for Stornoway and a week's holiday with friends. They left home at 4am and went via the M62, which closed behind them. It took them fifteen hours to reach their destination - a horrendous journey. Today is a rest day for them before they set off for Stornoway.
Here the snow has almost gone but I believe thousands of lambs have perished on the North York Moors - very sad and a bitter blow for the farmers who had had such a good lambing season.
I'm loving those little narrow steps!
ReplyDeleteYou could have said this was taken in some parts of the Ozarks here in Arkansas, and it would have been believable!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great walk - those steps are interesting and so narrow. The area around the waterfall looks quite magical:)
ReplyDeleteDid you meet any woodland faeries
ReplyDeleteWhat a transition from the industrial area to this wonderland. Simply gorgeous.
ReplyDelete(I did love the old buildings, but heart is always out in the wild.)
Ah, nice, nice, nice. Nice to see some blue sky. Nice to see the effort being made to preserve and restore such places. Nice photos. Question, H: how did the non-native tree species get there?
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that this will eventually be treed with indigenous species.
ReplyDeleteFabulous in winter, with the clough walls covered by massive ice stalactites formed on the overhanging vegetation. It makes a very magical scene next to the waterfalls, which are impressive when in full force.
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