The Upper Calder Valley lies in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, in northern
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, and covers the towns of
Todmorden
Todmorden ( ; ) is a market town and civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. It is north-east of Manchester, south-east of Burnley and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax. In 2011, it had a popul ...
,
Hebden Bridge,
Mytholmroyd,
Luddendenfoot
Luddendenfoot or Luddenden Foot is a village in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the borough of Calderdale, to the northwest of Sowerby Bridge and west of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax. The population of Luddendenfoot is 2,547, with the wide ...
, and
Sowerby Bridge, as well as a number of smaller settlements such as
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
Cornholme,
Walsden, and
Eastwood. The valley is the upper valley of the
River Calder. Major tributaries of the Upper Calder include the Walsden Water, which flows through the large village of Walsden to join the Calder at Todmorden; the
Hebden Water, which flows through Hebden Dale to join the Calder at Hebden Bridge; Cragg Brook, which flows through
Cragg Vale to join the Calder at Mytholmroyd, and the largest, the River Ryburn, which joins the Calder at Sowerby Bridge.
The Upper Calder Valley falls entirely within the much larger metropolitan district of
Calderdale
Calderdale () is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the ...
. The towns of the Upper Calder are situated linearly along the valley, which cuts through the eastern slopes of the
Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
from Portsmouth in the west to Sowerby Bridge, a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
on the outskirts of Halifax, in the east.
In popular culture
The rugged and steep-sided Upper Calder Valley inspired such literary artists as the poets
Ted Hughes
Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...
(who was born in Mytholmroyd and wrote about
Scout Rock
Scout Rock (known locally as Scout Rocks), is a rock face, once a quarry, cut into a hill called Hathershelf Scout and is on the south side of the Upper Calder Valley in the village of Mytholmroyd near Hebden Bridge, England. At its height, t ...
),
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for '' The Colossus and Other Poems'' (1960), '' Ariel'' (1965), a ...
(who is buried in
Heptonstall, near Hebden Bridge) and the writer
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...
. The valley has also been a popular setting for film and TV, such as the series ''
Happy Valley''.
Further reading
External links
Upper Calder Valley RenaissanceCalderdale On-air, Music Radio One
Geography of Calderdale
Valleys of West Yorkshire
Aire catchment
{{WestYorkshire-geo-stub