Scuffing through leaves is one of the pleasures of Autumn, and the sweet scent of drifts of gold, orange and brown lingers in the memory. But why do rotting leaves smell so good? No-one delights in rubbish, or food that has gone off. Linda Buck, a professor at Harvard, has found that your nose identifies bits of a smell rather like letters make up a word. People can distinguish more than ten thousand different scents, but why some are nice may need a little more research. In the meantime have a scuffing walk!
LOCATION: Five miles north of Junction 22 on M62
START: Ripponden. Parking behind Conservative Club. Nearby pay toilets
Grid ref: SE030199 Postcode: HX6 4LU
DISTANCE: 3 miles
GRADE: Moderate
TIME: 1.5 hours
MAP: Explorer OL - South Pennines Landranger 110
REFRESHMENTS: Old Bridge Inn
EN ROUTE: River Ryburn, Calderdale
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News