After many years of new access rights a lot of high moors are still pathless, but climbing to Holder Stones, high on the gritstone moors above Cragg Vale the wildness is part of the enjoyment. Yet though the moors are beautiful on a sunny day, the nearby Two Lads cairns mark the spot where two young men perished in a blizzard. "Lad" can also mean a guidestone and indeed the cairns are an indispensable landmark on this pathless hillside.
LOCATION: Four miles south of Hebden Bridge
START: Cragg Vale, Withens Clough car park. Turn off B6138, past Hinchcliffe Arms, to end of Rudd Lane
Grid ref: SD987233 Postcode: HX7 5TD
DISTANCE: 7.5 miles
GRADE: Strenuous, on pathless Access Land. Do not attempt in mist.
TIME: 4 hours
MAP: Explorer OL - South Pennines Landranger 103
REFRESHMENTS: Pack a flask
EN ROUTE: Withens Clough, Calderdale Way, Te Deum Stone, Pennine Way, Cloven Stone, Two Lads Cairns
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News