The following towns currently have Walkers are Welcome status:

Hebden Bridge
Moffat
Dumfries and Galloway
Prestatyn & Meliden North Wales coast
Mytholmroyd
West Yorkshire
Church Stretton Shropshire
Market Weighton,
E Yorks
Kilsyth
Lanarkshire
Pentrefoelas
Bishop's Castle, Shropshire
Richmond,
North Yorks
Otley, West Yorkshire
Cilgerran,
Pembrokeshire
Martley, Worcs
Tadcaster
Rhuddlan
Haltwhistle
Llanfairfechan
Penmaenmawr
Kirkby Stephen
Holywell
Deal
Malvern
Kingsbridge
Llangollen
Leyburn
Pickering
Llandrindod Wells
Winchcombe, Glos
Ross-on-Wye
Ilkley
Llandysul & Pont Tyweli
Wiveliscombe
Newton Stewart
Huntly
Pateley Bridge
Corby
Tomintoul
Chesham
Marsden
Bradfield
Cleobury Mortimer
Dunster
Hayle, Cornwall
Kirkintilloch
Longborough, Glos
Wellington, Shropshire
Knaresborough

MYTHOLMROYD

The area

Mytholmroyd is a small town (population 5,000) in the south Pennines between Halifax and Hebden Bridge. It has an active business community, with over 2,000 people employed in its half-dozen industrial and business parks. Yet it is quietly picturesque, surrounded by dramatic hills and moorland crossed by numerous pretty paths.

Local community activity is reflected in Mytholmroyd’s station partnership and Royd Regeneration organization, its community centre, churches and schools - including the largest secondary school in the Upper Calder Valley. Annual highlights include a Dock Pudding championship, a Gala, and now the Elmet Trust’s Festival celebrating the work of Ted Hughes, the late poet laureate who was born here.

Mytholmroyd also boasts many excellent walking opportunities - along the Rochdale Canal, up and down either side of the Calder valley, and to the south up Cragg Vale. It is an area rich in industrial history, with interesting features to enjoy on every walk. Cragg Vale itself was home in the 18th century to a celebrated gang of counterfeiters known as the Cragg Coiners.

Mytholmroyd Walkers’ Action (MWA) was formed in spring 2007 as part of Hebden Bridge Walkers’ Action, and became an independent group in November 2008.
It aims to:

1. Encourage more walkers, walking more.
2. Ensure public rights of way and footpaths are kept open.
3. Make walking more attractive to a wider range of residents.
4. Encourage more visitors to make Mytholmroyd a walkers’ destination.
5. Encourage more journeys to be undertaken by foot, rather than private car use.
6. Work with other partners/providers to promote walking for a healthy lifestyle.

Since its formation, MWA has:

1. Developed three walks, all starting from Mytholmroyd station.
2. Erected two information boards illustrating these circular routes.
3. Produced for-sale (50p) leaflets ‘Mytholmroyd: three waymarked walks’.
4. Become a ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town.
5. Developed a ‘Hughes on the Hills’ walk for the Ted Hughes’ festival.
6. Worked with Elmet Trust/Royd Regeneration/Calderdale Countryside Service.

MWA is now planning short walk@work lunchtime routes from major local employment centres, and is working closely both with local employers and the Calderdale’s Primary Care Trust to support a healthy lifestyle agenda.

LINKS

Mytholmroyd Net

Mytholmroyd Walkers Action

Future events

Sunday 15 March (with the Elmet Trust)
A Ted Hughes walk around Mytholmroyd

May/June
Launch of our new initiative walk@work

Wednesday 16 September
A hill-side walk around Mytholmroyd
10.30 am Mytholmroyd railway station (Leeds to Manchester platform) As part of Calderdale’s Wildside walks programme, this 7-8 mile medium/hard circular walk includes some steep paths, and takes in some wonderful woodland and moorland scenery.