Marsden Moor

This circular walk explores the wonderful Marsden Moor Estate in the Pennines. The estate includes canals, rivers, reservoirs and hill climbs with wonderful views over Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the Peak District.
Start your walk from the National Trust car park next to Marsden Train Station. From here you can pick up the trails heading west to the excellent Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre. The centre has a wealth of information on Britain's longest canal tunnel which was built in 1811. You can also find out about boat trips, view the exhibition and enjoy a bite to eat in the cafe.
The trail continues west to Haigh Clough and the pretty March Haigh Reservoir. There's a trail here which will take you up to the Buckstones viewpoint where there's wonderful views across the estate.
The next section takes you across Willmer Green Clough to Haigh Gutter where you turn south along a section of the Pennine Way. Follow the path to Millstone Edge where you turn east along a section of the Standedge Trail, passing the entrance to the longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain.
At Gilbert's Cottages you turn north to Hey Green where you turn east to return to Marsden.
The estate has a number of long distance waymarked trails crossing it so there is great scope for extending your walking in this lovely area. The Standedge Trail, Pennine Way, Pennine Bridleway and Kirklees Way can all be easily picked up to further explore the area and visit more of the numerous reservoirs in the area. Castleshaw Reservoir, Deer Hill Reservoir and Butterley Reservoir offer fine waterside trails.

Marsden Moor Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Marsden Moor Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Marsden Moor OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Marsden Moor Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

In Marsden there's the noteworthy Riverhead Brewery Tap to visit. It does good food and is an excellent place for real ale connsiseurs. On the ground floor in the bar, there are 10 real ale hand pumps several of which are permanently dedicated to the popular Riverhead beers brewed on-site. The famous Riverhead micro-brewery is housed downstairs in the cellar. Here they brew a wide range of beers all with a local connection. Hot and cold food is served regularly with all dishes freshly prepared on site. You can find the pub in the picturesque village, next to the River Colne, on Peel Street with a postcode of HD7 6BR for your sat navs.

Dog Walking

The moor is a great place for a dog walk but its best to keep them on leads or under close control because of the wildlife and cattle. The Riverhead Brewery Tap mentioned above is dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal crosses the moor. You could extend your walking in the area by following the towpath south towards the attractive village of Uppermill. Near here you can also visit the popular Dovestone Reservoir and the expansive Saddleworth Moor.
The Pule Hill Walk starts from Marsden train station and uses a section of the Standedge trail to create a circular walk around the canal, the moors and the hill. There's excellent views across the town and the estate from the vantage point at the hill summit. Just to the south of the hill there's the walk to Redbrook Reservoir and Black Moss Reservoir too.
Just to the east there's the town of Meltham where you can pick up the circular Meltham Walk and explore the moorland and hills surrounding the settlement. It visits a series of photogenic reservoirs including Wessenden Reservoir and Butterley Reservoir. In the town you can also visit Meltham Mills Reservoir, Honley Woods and the lovely Folly Dolly Falls which are something of a local hidden gem. Just to the north there's Blackmoorfoot Reservoir which is a good place for spotting wildfowl.
On the eastern side of the moor there's the Sparth Reservoirs. The two pretty lakes sit either side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in a lovely scenic spot.
For more walking ideas in the area see the South Pennines Walks and Peak District Walks pages.

Standedge Trail, Pennine Way, Pennine Bridleway, Castleshaw Reservoir, Kirklees Way, Butterley Reservoir, Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Uppermill, Saddleworth Moor, Dovestone Reservoir, Pule Hill, Wessenden Reservoir, Folly Dolly Falls, Deer Hill Reservoir, Meltham Mills Reservoir, Redbrook Reservoir, March Haigh Reservoir

GPX File

Marsden Moor.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Marsden Moor.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)