exploring Holmfirth Explorer

Enjoy an amazing journey with Team Pennine through the Yorkshire countryside to Holmfirth, home of classic TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine
Our journey begins at Wakefield Bus Station: this cathedral city is the only place outside London with two Art Museum of the Year Award-winning galleries. Take in an impressive display of modern British art at The Hepworth Wakefield, or discover The Art House, a space for artists to display their work. With great shopping and plenty of cafes and restaurants, Wakefield earns its status as the creative heart of West Yorkshire.
As we go travel along Denby Dale Rd, you can choose to hop off at the Huddersfield Road bus stop for a short (20 mins) walk to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, in the 500-acre Bretton Hall estate. The Sunday Times described it as “a place to wander, discover and be amazed” – it’s the largest of its kind in Europe and the leading international centre for modern and contemporary sculpture. Visit ysp.org.uk to find out more.
The countryside opens up as we enter the Dearne Valley village of Clayton West. A former mining and textile community, its landscape is dominated by the huge concrete Emley Moor TV and radio transmitter, which towers 1,084 feet (330 metres) high. It replaced an even taller steel mast which collapsed in March 1969, brought down by strong winds and the weight of a build-up of ice.
Back on the ground, hop off our bus at the appropriately named Railway Court stop to visit the Kirklees Light Railway, a 15-inch narrow gauge, steam-hauled line running six miles to Shepley, through a 200-yard tunnel. This is also great walking country, with well-marked footpaths following the River Dearne along the valley.
We’re now firmly into Yorkshire woollen country and our next village, Scissett, grew in the 19th century around the mills owned by the Norton family. Nortonthorpe Mills were the largest in the village, powered by an 1885 Pollitt and Wigzell steam engine fed by water from the Dearne: it can still be seen in steam today on several days of the year. A short walk down Wakefield Road takes you to Pigs in the Woods, a non-profit sanctuary for pigs and other animals that have been rescued from various situations. You can feed and interact with the animals, and there is even a vegan cafe on site (but will need to book your day in advance!).
Next we come to Skelmanthorpe, another former mill village: the largest mill is now home to a business park. Many of the stone mill workers’ cottages still stand today: one is preserved as a Textile Heritage Centre, served by our stops on Commercial Road.
We pass through the upland farming village of Lower Cumberworth, before reaching Denby Dale, famous as the ‘Pie Village’. Locals have been earning a crust (!) from its reputation ever since 1788 when legend has it that the first ‘Denby Dale Game Pie’ was baked to celebrate the recovery of King George III from a bout of mental illness. The second pie was baked in 1815 to celebrate Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, while pie number 3 in 1846 marked the repeal of the Corn Laws which governed the price of wheat, driving up bread prices when it was a staple food for many. The most recent pie in the series, number ten, was baked in 2000 for the Millennium and was served up to an estimated 25,000 people – imagine the washing up afterwards!
Today, a giant pie dish from the 1964 bake is in use as a flower container outside the Denby Dale Pie Hall on Wakefield Road – hop off the bus at the White Hart inn, turn back and the Pie Hall is a short walk away – while inside a display of pie memorabilia includes the huge 1887 Denby Dale Pie Wooden Spoon!
Continuing through Upper Cumberworth, on our left the Upper Dearne Woodlands can be seen, with public access supported by a local conservation group. Our next village is Shepley: just before we enter it, look out for The Sovereign pub and restaurant: on the eastern end of the building, a stone carving of a man’s face can be seen, a Yorkshire tradition to remember any builder killed during construction work. Some believe it to be Seth Senior, reputed to have established a brewery there in 1829. Our route turns sharp left in Shepley and climbs past the hamlet of Snowgate Head, which lives up to its name in winter, before dropping into New Mill, which as its name suggests grew up around two textile mills – one is now converted into flats, the other no longer stands.
We pass through Wooldale, one of several ‘townships’ in the area which benefits from a hilltop site on the eastern side of the Holme Valley. The Pennine scenery makes for dramatic views as we turn to our left and descend to our final destination, Holmfirth. The town needs no introduction to fans of the long-running BBC TV comedy ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ – thousands come here every year to enjoy tea in Sid’s Café and pose for a selfie in front of Nora Batty’s Steps. There’s plenty more to see and do here – market day is Thursday, with a craft and food market on Saturday – while the town’s setting among the Pennine hills makes it popular with walkers and wildlife enthusiasts.