Michael Morley


Nga kowhatu o Te Waipounamu (10 rocks from the island I live on, Te Waipounamu)

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Michael Morley Lives on Te Wai Pounamu, an island in the South Pacific Ocean. He plays guitar and collects rocks. .


Sophie Cooper


Top ten dog walks round Todmorden and surrounding areas

1. Round the back
This is our most commonly walked path just round the back of my house. It starts on Dobroyd Rd on the left of John Fielden’s place, you follow the path and it carries on past the old allotment site that’s been overgrowth with knotweed and Himalayan balsam for a long time now. You might see Karl who’s been busy tackling this problem by starting a community garden round there, so you can stop for a natter. You then follow the path round to the left down the canal and back onto Rochdale Rd nipping through the gate next to Wonderful Chinese.
Takes about 25mins

2. The loop
Enjoyable walk that starts on HoneyHole Rd next to The Golden Lion. I tend to walk through the Unitarian church grounds and up onto the tops via the steep hill. Slight mission that hill but worth the effort because you end up next to Quaker burial ground and there are loads of horses around you can have a chat with. You follow the path and go through the horse stables, so again, nice to say hi to the guys in there. You might hear the distant sound of dogs barking at PAWS rescue centre. I do a left at this point and descend onto town and back home.
Takes about an hour

3. The extended loop
Same as above but instead of taking that final left you carry on to the right up to The Shepards Rest where you can have a little bitch about the amount of cars parked at the base of Gaddings Dam (popular day out for Mancunians). Carry on down this road for a bit then do a left before you hit the Top Brink, past some posh houses and down through some gorgeous woodland where there’s an incredible amount of wild garlic in the spring time. Follow the path that goes past a fishing pond, it eventually ends up back on the canal again and you find your way home from there.
Takes about 2 hours

4. Top of the park
We like to walk past the station to get to this one, nice n shady for the hound. After the station carpark I go left and there’s some really steep steps so you might have to pick up your dog for this if possible to care for their knees. At the top you enter the park down a beautifully named ‘Lovers Walk’ and take your pick of various paths. The main area of the park is ok but usually quite busy and people can be a bit daft letting their dogs run around so I tend to avoid it down there because my dog gets a bit nervous.
Takes about an hour

5.The canal
Fairly self explanatory. If you walk one way for 4 miles you end up in Hebden, if you walk the other way for 23 miles you end up in Manchester. You might see Jonny drinking cans down there.
Takes as long as you want it to.

6. Romance Hill
This one is nice, you go down the canal for a while then head up right onto Pete’s Rd but take an immediate left up the hill. The hill is covered with heather and I’m always happy to see it turn bright purple each year. You get some great views of Tod up there. There are 2 paths at the top, the shorter version is the one to the right which I often take. It ends up back at the bridge that goes over the trainline and home from there.
Takes about 1 hour 10mins.

7. MLittleborough Lake
This walk starts with a 15 min drive up the road to a carpark that sometimes charges and sometimes doesn’t which is very annoying and I ended up getting a ticket last time I was there. You walk round the lake, there are a couple of chippies there and two ok pubs.
Takes about 1.5 hours

8. The Blue Pig, Midgehole
The Pig is easily the best pub in the universe. Community owned, it opens when people volunteer to open it, the ale is really cheap and you are surrounded by various objects representative of blue pigs. They even have a blue pig race every Father’s Day outside and all the kids from the area float blue pigs down the river in a race. Very fun. You get there starting at The Egg Factory in Hebden, past the old cricket ground and follow the path up. Prepare to have a plan b in case it’s closed or ring ahead if you’re organised.
Takes many hours.

9. Woodland up by the fire pit
New walk to me this one, Dan told me about it. You go up the road next to Union House and continue up there to the right past some houses. You end up going down a narrow passage and do a left up a steep hill. You go past this guy’s cottage who is blasting house music all day and eventually you’ll see a sign indicating a path to the left that goes through some woods. It’s lovely up there. It takes you up to some farmland which you are allowed to go through but the farmer hates that you can so remember to climb over their wall rather than go through their gate because you will get bollocked otherwise. Try and follow the desire paths to the left and you’ll see Dobroyd Castle eventually and you can work out the rest from there.
Takes about 2 hours.

10. To The Golden Lion and back
Take a left out of my house, walk about 10 mins and enter The Golden Lion. Anything could happen. Dogs are welcome.
Takes ????


Sophie Cooper heads up Tor Festival and related Tor activity with Jake Blanchard. She enjoys long walks with her trombone, Tammy and being a weird music obsessive in her spare time.

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