Mary Towneley Loop
The Mary Towneley Loop is a long-distance trail spanning about 47 miles through the South Pennines, designed for walkers, cyclists, and riders and beginning and ending at Charlestown near Hebden Bridge. The route passes through moorlands and valleys with open fields, low stone walls, and numerous gates that protect livestock.
The trail originated from a 1986 journey by Mary Towneley and friends who rode over 250 miles along old paths in nine days to prove long-distance riding was possible in England. The official loop opened in 2002 as the first completed section of the Pennine Bridleway, a network created to provide riding and cycling routes.
The trail passes through small villages and farmland where you can observe rural life: farmers working, villagers at the pub, sheep grazing. These everyday moments show how communities function in this countryside and how closely people and the landscape are connected.
The trail is open year-round and requires sturdy footwear, a bike, or riding gear depending on your activity, along with good map planning as cell signals can be weak in remote sections. Accommodation options like bunkhouses and hostels are located within a few kilometers, and many people complete the route in sections rather than all at once.
One section known as 'Cotton Famine Road' was built in the 1860s when cotton mills suffered due to the American Civil War; the gritstone blocks were laid by workers trying to keep their jobs. This segment stands as a monument to the hard work and resilience of people during difficult times.
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