A ramble in the Harden Valley

If you decide to go on this Goit Stock Waterfall walk please take a look at the Countryside Code which has been recently updated. 

We hope you enjoy your walk and don't hesitate to leave us a comment to let us know what you think. Also don't hesitate to contact us if you need to report any issues you have encountered.

This is definitely a little gem of a ramble on a nice sunny day! You won’t be disappointed by the variety of features the Harden Valley has to offer: woods, waterfalls, viaduct, moors and of course the views! Right in the heart of the Brontë Country, the Harden Beck is a small affluent of the Aire River but the valley it has created over the geological time is quite something.

1. Essential info about the walk

2. WaW supporters along the walk

3. Map, elevation profile and downloadable files

4. Walk directions

5. More information about Goit Stock waterfall

a. Is there a car park near Goit Stock Waterfall?

b. Can you swim at Goit Stock Waterfall?

c. Can you take a picnic to Goit Stock Waterfall?

d. A waterfall up for sale

Start: Bingley Railway Station

Difficulty: Hard – 5 hours – 10.7 Miles

Toilets: There are public toilets on this walk and are located on Myrtle Place (by the market square) in Bingley.

Refreshments: there are many shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs in town but below are specifics businesses which we recommend if you go on this walk. Feel free to visit their site and contact them.

Bingley Garden Centre

A Garden & Leisure Centre on Harden Lane hosting a café serving good comforting food.

The George Bar

A pub in Cullingworth conveniently located right in the middle of the walk. Although closed for a while, it has been completely refurbished and offers great food and drinks.

The Ivy Kitchen

A coffee shop near Coppice Pond in St Ives Estate

The Brown Cow 

A traditional Yorkshire pub near Ireland Bridge serving locally renowned beers and great food

Bingley Railway Station

Wellington Street
Bingley
West Yorkshire
BD16 2NA

Grid Reference SE 108 391

Unfortunately, we can’t provide the route on an Ordnance Survey Map. Although we have provided digital versions of the track below, we still recommend that you acquire an O.S. Map for backup.

Find out more about these downloadable files and how to use them

Last edited: 10th July 2021

1. Railway Station to Harden Beck.

Starting at Bingley Railway Station, you will need to make your way where the Harden Beck joins the River Aire, locally know as Beckfoot. So, first go to Market Square via the alley way on the side of Peacock Bar (formally Foundry Hill Bar). Cross Main Street and go towards Bingley Arts Centre. To its left is a street called Myrtle Place leading towards Myrtle Grove and the entrance of Myrtle Park. You should see Bingley Pool on the right and the new Lidl supermarket on the left. Once in Myrtle Park, keep the path going left after the cenotaph and the playground and go down towards the river. Cross the bridge over the River Aire, follow the alley along the allotments and once at the end turn right towards an old hamlet. There you will find the old Beckfoot Packhorse Bridge over Harden Beck.

2. From Harden beck to Harden Lane

Cross the bridge and go up Beck Lane up until you see another settlement. Before the first building, you should see a path going left and crossing the beck again. Then you’ll make your way through a golf course – follow the white markings – towards a pine tree plantation (Ruin Bank Wood) on the other side. There is a very steep ascent to start with and then you will arrive at a crossing of paths on Black Hills. Take the path going up on the right then soon after another path on the left towards the edge of the woodland. There, you will have to follow the Millennium Way path and cross various fields up until you reach Lee Lane, a tarmac road. Take right down Lee Lane up to the entrance of Banktop quarry. On its right, follow a path going down hill.

When you reach the bottom, look for a path sign on the left and a gate. Go through the gate and cross Mytholme Beck on a wooden bridge and follow the path up to a busy road (Harden Lane). The path was closed for a while due to the collapse of the wooden bridge. It's all sorted now, so don't worry! Cross the road carefully towards the entrance of a garden centre.

Note: You should find yourself on the car park of Bingley Garden Centre. They have a great café called Hattie's Restaurant and it's a good location on this walk for a small break if you want to.

3. Harden Lane to Hewenden

Go up the busy road Harden Lane and turn immediately right after the cottages along Cherry Tree Row – the entrance to the path is by the field gate. Then follow the edge of Crag Wood for a while  – you should pass under a huge electric pylon – before taking a path going down the river bank. You should arrive at the entrance of a static caravan park. Go left and follow the river upstream up until the wonderful Goit Stock Waterfall – also known as the Harden Waterfall. This is private land, so no swimming unfortunately! The setting is perfect for taking great pictures though. Once you are ready to carry on, make your way above the waterfall and carry on following the river upstream in Goitstock Wood. Eventually you’ll arrive at Hallas Bridge and then pass the Hewenden Mill, an old mill now converted into holiday cottages and luxury apartments. The gardens are a delight to the eye. You can’t walk through them but you will be skirting the property above the beck before arriving in Hewenden.

4. Hewenden to Cullingworth

At some point in the distance, you should see Hewenden viaduct. However, there is another busy road to cross before the viaduct – Cullingworth Road –  so once again take care. You will follow the beck before reaching the viaduct, walk under the arches and then make your way up into the field on the right to reach the top of the viaduct. The views are fantastic! The viaduct is now part of the Great Northern Railway Trail, a project to create a long distance traffic-free cycling and walking route through the Brontë Country. Now walk on top of the viaduct towards Cullingworth staying on the path up until you reach Cullingworth Primary School.

5. Crossing through Cullingworth

You should find a path skirting the school on the left which will lead you on a common green with a playground. Make your way across the green and go onto Highfield Terrace and then Station Road.

Note: Once you are there, a detour to The George Hotel, near the church is a must. This pub serves one of the best real ales in the area, the Spot’o Bother! Walk down Station Road up to the pub and come back to the same spot.

Go up Station Road towards the poultry processing factory. Pass the factory and then turn right on what used to be the railway track towards Keighley. However, don't follow the track strictly as signs will invite you to take a path adjoining the old railway track. Soon, you will be at a junction. Take a right turn and follow the path going down. You will go under a bridge below the old railway track then arrive above a beautiful reservoir. Go all the way down to Ellar Carr Road. At the junction, turn right then left onto a narrow path climbing all the way up towards Ellar Carr Farm. At the end of the path, you will be on the busy Keighley Road.

6. From Keighley Road to Keighley Road

The last leg of the journey will see you go through moorlands before arriving in the St Ives estate above Harden and then Bingley.

Once on the busy Keighley Road, turn left up the road. You will have to walk on tarmac for a little while before turning right on a path leading towards Catstones Moor. The views on that side of the valley are really good, so take your time to appreciate before heading back towards the wooded area of St Ives. Once you've passed Catstones Moor, you'll find yourself on Ryecroft Road. Go up the road and pass the active quarry then turn right. There, a path skirting the quarry will take you onto Harden Moor. There is a crisscross of paths and it can be difficult to keep it's bearing. So look for the high voltage line and electric pylons in the horizon and go right towards it. You should then find a path following a wall for a while. Then you should be above what is known as “Deep Cliff". Follow the path going left up until you arrive on the Calder Aire Link near a farm known as Ether Glen. Follow this straight lane up until you arrive on Keighley Road – a different one.

7. From St Ives estate to Bingley

Opposite is St Ives estate, turn right on Keighley Road. A tall wall runs along the estate, however you will not have to walk on tarmac. Soon you will find a hole in the wall and behind a path runs along the wall. This path will take you to Coppice Pond.

Note: Just after Coppice Pond is the The Ivy Kitchen. Perfect for a break on this long walk!

From there, a last stroll through the estate will take you back in town. You will pass the huge outdoor playground. After that, don't walk down the tarmac road, there is a pedestrian path just above it on the left hand side. You will reach a lovely octagonal shaped house called Betty's Lodge. And just after the house take the gate leading through Bettys Wood which has recently been devastated by a fungi disease and where most trees had to be cut down. Follow the path which runs along a wall on your right hand side. Then, you will find yourself on Altar Lane. Turn right down hill onto Harden Road and Ireland Bridge.

Note: At the bottom of Altar Lane and just before Ireland Bridge is the Brown Cow pub. You can't miss it! Now the walk is almost done, why not celebrate with a well deserved drink!

Cross the bridge and turn right onto a path along the River Aire. Finally take a left turn going up the flight of stairs on Riverside Walk and joining Queen Street located just behind Bingley Arts Centre and Market Square. You are now back in town and you can make your way to the Railway Station on Wellington Street.

If you are only interested by exploring the waterfall, be aware that there is no parking nearby. To access it, you will have to walk up Goit Stock Lane which is privately owned and leads towards Harden Parks Homes. The walk is about 30 to 45 minutes. We advise you to pay a visit to the Malt pub and use their car park. It's a very friendly pub and is a Walkers are Welcome sponsor. It is part of the Pickles Pub chain and is a family business who we worked with to create a book of walks from all their properties. It includes a short circular walk to Goit Stock Waterfall. Ask them for the booklet, it's only £1.50 and all proceeds go back to us!

You can also use postcode BD16 1BG which is the closest postcode to Goit Stock Lane and use the main road parking on Harden Road. Be aware, it can be very busy at weekends! Do not park on Goit Stock Lane!

The short answer is NO! You may see many people swimming are worse diving from above the waterfall. There are clear signs stating swimming and diving is forbidden. Unfortunately there has been a recent fatality at the site and we can't stress out how dangerous it is to swim or dive there. The plunge pool of the running waterfall is quite deep. And it's difficult to realise even in the middle of summer how cold the water is!

Yes, you can. Just be aware that there is no bin at the site and you will have to take all your rubbish with you. Please do not light barbecues as this is strictly forbidden. This is a really nice beauty spot and may attract a lot of people on a warm sunny day. So make every effort you can to not spoil the nature and environment around it. Thank you!

The Goit Stock waterfall and surrounding woodland is currently up for sale. For further information please click on the link below:
Much loved Goit Stock Wood and its waterfalls near Bingley are up for sale [Yorkshire Post – 14/10/2024]

Walkers are Welcome in Bingley feel very strongly about the historical and local importance to the residents of Harden and the Bingley district. The Goitstock Waterfall is one of the most popular walks in our area. We are confident that whomever may purchase this wonderful natural beauty spot will continue to maintain it in its present form and allow the public to continue to enjoy it for generations to come.

The area may benefit from becoming an Asset of Community Value (ACV). It is a building or land that furthers social wellbeing and could continue doing so. Communities can nominate assets, giving them a six-month moratorium to raise funds if listed for sale. Exemptions apply for certain types of assets, and unsuccessful nominations are recorded by local authorities. (more details here)

These can be applied for by the Local Parish Council, which for Goit Stock would be Harden Parish Council. Residents can contact the Council and ask them to consider putting in an application.

Have you done this walk yourself? Don't hesitate to give us some feedback by leaving a comment below!