Deer Hill

How Tricky Is it? - Deer Hill

This walk is graded as Difficult

Longer walks around 5-16km.

These walks require a good level of fitness, crossing hilly ground or moorland with rising and falling levels. Paths may be rough and uneven, with some steeper slopes or longer sections of ascent and descent.

Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing essential.

Deer Hill Precis Map

The Full Directions - Deer Hill

• From the Railway Station walk down to the centre of Marsden following the road onto Peel Street. Walk up Peel Street towards the main road (A62). Cross the road, turn left into the park, pass to the right of the bandstand and up some steps to the road.

• 1Crossing Carrs Road

  

  Opposite is a row of houses, to the left of them an entrance to a path that becomes a narrow walled lane. (See photo).

  History Notes

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  To the right is Ing Head: from 1845 Marsden Adult School operated over the smithy. In 1861 classes moved to the newly built Mechanics Institute. On the left is Crow Hill, a former residence of mill owners and middle class Marsdeners.

• 2Climb gently between fences and hedges

  

  Reach a field gate and pass through a narrow gap to the left of the gate onto a grassy path across a field between fences and hedges.
  At the top of the path, before reaching some stables, turn left at the waymarked sign and then on through a gate. Bear right through the grounds of a large house. Walk up some steps and through the gate. Then turn left and continue along the road.

  History Notes

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  This is the hamlet of Scout where in the 18th C its inhabitants would have farmed, made cloth and worked the nearby quarry.)

• 3Climb up near a stream

  

  After 50m turn right through a wooden gate onto National Trust moorland. Climb up near a stream on your left to a track, here turn left over the stream and continue along the track for about 450m.

• 4Over Blackmoorfoot Conduit

  

  Where a broad track joins, turn sharp right upwards for about 180m to a bridge over a catchwater (conduit).

  History Notes

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  Blackmoorfoot Conduit is one of two which feed Blackmoorfoot Reservoir and was built between1871-1876. You are now above Chain Road, the route of the “First” Wakefield and Austerlands Turnpike (1760).

• 5Beneath Shooter's Nab

  

  Continue up the broad track until you reach another conduit over which there is a bridge. Turn left before the bridge at the side of the conduit towards the shooting lodge (the quarry behind is appropriately named Shooter’s Nab).

• 6Past the Shooting Lodge

  

  Pass in front of the building towards Deer Hill reservoir. Continue along the edge of the reservoir until you reach a flight of steps on your left.

  History Notes

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  Deer Hill was the first of Huddersfield Corporation’s reservoirs and was completed by 1875

• 7Leaving the reservoir

  

  Drop down to the bottom of the steps and turn right along a flat grassy area. Soon you see a wire fence around a reservoir mound. Walk up to the large metal gate and take the path to the right until you reach the stone stile. Climb over the wall and turn left along the wall.

• 8Continue gently downhill

  

  Where the wall turns left, carry on straight ahead across the field towards some houses. Continue past a field gate onto a broad track and past a house. Continue down the tarmac track for about 450m until you meet the road. Take care as the road can be busy. Go straight ahead on Varley Road and follow the road for approximately 100m.

• 9Delves Cottages

  

  Turn left opposite the junction to Holt Head and follow the bridleway towards Delves Cottages (formerly the Whitehouse public house).
  At the road turn right onto Delves Gate in front of the cottages.

• 10Follow Delves Gate to Dowry Farm

  

  Follow Delves Gate, as the road begins to descend you will come to a sharp right turn near Dowry Farm. Before the farm take the sunken bridleway to your left uphill for 50m and climb up to the stile on your right.

• 11Over several stiles

  

  Climb the stile, then several more and drop down the field towards some trees and over a stile to the left of the trees and on to a road. (Lingards Road).

• 12

  

  Turn right down the road until you get to Hill Top cottages. Opposite the derelict chapel , take the rough lane on your left. In a few metres climb the stile on your right, and take the slightly sunken path down to the main road (A62).

• 13Cross the Manchester Road

  

  Cross the road to the path directly opposite, through three gates and down an embankment, veering right and over some boardwalks to a bridge.

• 14Onto the Huddersfield Narrow Canal

  

  Cross the river, then cross the bridge over the canal, walk uphill along a track bearing left through the woods until the track branches. Take the left branch which follows the canal on your left towards Marsden.

• 15Follow the canal back to Marsden

  

  After about 500m the track reaches a road, here turn left over a bridge and join the towpath on the right. Keep on the towpath until you reach Marsden Railway Station.