VISITOR NOTES
WHAT WE HOPE ARE HELPFUL NOTES FOR YOUR STAY AT HEIGHT GATE
Thank you for your booking. Please note that your booking is not confirmed until payment in advance is received by our Treasurer..
Height Gate is a non-staffed property, working on very simple lines - camping barn style. We rely on its users and a few volunteers to keep it clean and running smoothly. Please note NO SMOKING in the buildings as a matter of policy and to avoid setting off the fire alarm.
PLEASE NOTE ACCESS ADV ICE BELOW CONCERNING USE OF THE TRACK.
PLANNING YOUR ARRIVAL
Location details Height Gate, Erringden, , OL14 6DL, between Hebden Bridge & Todmorden - OS map - South Pennines, Outdoor Leisure 21, 1:25,000. Grid reference 972252, start of access track 968260
Getting there by public transport - The green way to travel!. Rail to Hebden Bridge or Todmorden, then take a 500, 590, 592 or 594 bus and alight at Eastwood (Stoodley Glen). Walk down Stoodley Glen over river and canal. At end, by houses, follow farm track through gate and uphill for about 1mile. Go through the gate at Height Farm on your left. and you will see Height Gate a little further on.straight ahead of you, at the end of the track. To walk up to Height Gate from the canal takes about 20 minutes.
Information for users with mobility difficulties – there is no lift or ramp at Hebden Bridge or Todmorden railway stations, making some platforms unsuitable. Travelling east (Manchester-Leeds), alight at Hebden Bridge, but travelling west (Leeds- Manchester) alight at Todmorden.
Getting to the access point by road - take the A646 to a little turning called Stoodley Glen which is about halfway between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden. From Hebden Bridge the indication that you are near is a bus stop on the left and a large bus stop/lay-by opposite on the right: Stoodley Glen is the next turning on the left. From Todmorden, Stoodley Glen is the next turning on the right after the Council Refuse Disposal Centre and a cricket ground.
Parking Parking is an issue.
Please DO NOT park near the cottages at the bottom of the track or alongside the canal, or in front of or to the side of the buildings/Masonic Lodge at the turn from the main road down into Stoodley Glen – this is all private parking for local residents only.
YOU CAN park as follows:
· One or two vehicles up at Height Gate itself (but see note below about the track!). A good option is to combine this with everyone else using public transport and walking up, which is of course also good for the environment!
· two or three vehicles in the bus stop lay-by on the main road 100 metres from Stoodley Glen in the direction of Hebden Bridge.- N.B. the rest of this lay-by is yellow-lined and fines are imposed for illegal parking!
· on the main road by the wall overlooking the cricket ground next to Stoodley Glen in the direction of Todmorden
· in one of the two large Parking lay-bys about half a mile along the main road in the Todmorden direction
Use of the access track
The access track is steep, rough and continually vulnerable to deterioration. It is strongly advisable only for vehicles with high ground clearance and 4 wheel drive, and then only with care and at slow speed (please avoid any wheel spin). Please be aware of this. Alternative assistance may sometimes be available to Woodcraft Folk groups (please contact the Bookings Secretary for advice on this).
Key Please telephone Sue (0845 4569522) shortly before your visit for instructions.
Telephone There is none on site. Mobiles are all usable at Height Gate. It is a booking condition that you have a mobile phone switched on during your stay and that we are advised of the number.
Livestock - You will find sheep and other animals near the building.
For this reason NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED AT HEIGHT GATE
What to bring. We suggest you bring the following with you
Torches
Sleeping mats, sleeping bags and an air pillow if desired – the main sleeping rooms are carpeted but have no bunks, so sleeping is on the floor.(There are however 2 bunks in Pipit).
Very warm clothes as well as lightweight gear (we are an upland site!)
Waterproofs and stout/waterproof footwear
Indoor shoes/slippers - we ask you to remove boots at the door
High factor sun protection - our atmosphere is very clear
Eco washing up liquid, oven gloves and LOTS of tea towels
Loo rolls
Provisions
Maps
Mobile phone(s)
Matches
Bin bags to carry away your rubbish
Cash or cheque to leave in the honesty box if you use extra wood pellet fuel in the two biomass stoves (your fee includes two filled stoves and a spare sack for each, but if you use more from the store there is a charge per extra sack used).
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Entrance. Please enter Height Gate by the barn door (at end of courtyard, to the left of the stone trough). The keybox is on the wall inside the arch, just to the right of the stone trough. Wheelchair access is via the ramp. There is a boot room just inside the barn.
Hot water, cooker and heating. Details are in the yellow ring-binder in the kitchen.
Biomass wood pellet stoves (extra note). Usually these will have been cleaned out and re-filled in time for your visit, but very occasionally this may not have been possible, particularly when there is a short turn-round between groups. If this is the case, open the stove doors and hoover out the small combustion tray in the centre and any other ash you can see. Then re-fill the stoves through the top hatch – if empty, they will take two bags of pellets each (from the store) and we allow you an extra bag per stove in with the accommodation charge. Thank you.
Cleaning. Similarly, Height Gate will usually have been `given the once over’ since the previous group’s visit, but again this may occasionally not have been possible, particularly with short turn-rounds. We hope you will bear with us. You will find cleaning materials, mop bucket, hoover etc. if needed. (see below)
Drying room - This is beneath the sleeping platform in the barn, near the stairs. Instructions on door. Turn everything off before you leave.
Problems. There is a (we hope) comprehensive trouble-shooting Guide To Keeping Things Working in the yellow ring-binder in the kitchen. This should answer any questions you may have. Please skim though this at the beginning of your visit so that you know what’s in there. If you encounter real problems, the telephone numbers of some volunteer committee members are at the end of the guide.
Safety. Please see the enclosed safety advice sheet, also in the yellow ring-binder.
People with disabilities – there is external ramp access with guard rail and outward-opening door, a downstairs bedroom with an upper and lower bunk, level internal access between the bedroom, adapted toilet/ shower room and kitchen/living area, and internal ramp access between the main building and activity barn. However, the exterior environs of Height Gate are rough and hilly.
Outside – there is a fenced-off camping/games field adjacent to the building – please keep gates shut to avoid the problem of sheep droppings. We have also created a coppice woodland (planted in October 2008) which will eventually provide timber for the kitchen stove and outside campfire – until then you will need to forage for dead wood for the latter. Please ensure that your group avoids any damage to growing saplings.
Neighbours – although Height Gate feels quite isolated, please remember that our land is surrounded by working farmland and hillside residences. Follow the Countryside Code e.g. keeping to public footpaths, avoiding livestock, leaving no litter etc..Also remember that sound carries a long way, particularly at night, so no amplified music please and no noise outside after 11 p.m. Thank you.
WHEN YOU LEAVE
Departure time. Please vacate Height Gate by 12 noon on the day of departure, as sometimes another group is coming in the same day. This may sometimes be extended if no one else is expected, but this must be agreed with our Bookings Secretary. Thank you.
Food. Please remove all foodstuffs at the end of your stay, not forgetting whatever might be in the fridge. Please clean out the fridge, switch off and leave the door slightly open to prevent odours.
Cleaning. As mentioned above, someone does try to call in between groups but this may not always be possible. It would therefore be greatly appreciated if you could leave Height Gate as you would wish to find it. You will find cleaning materials in the kitchen and near the loos, and a mop bucket and hoover in the hall. Thank you.
Lights. Please check that all lights are out, including all external lights (it’s very easy to leave these switched on). The emergency lights which are located outside downstairs bedroom, in upstairs corridor and above the sleeping platform stairs stay on all the time.
Drying room and heaters. Please make doubly sure that the drying room heater and fan are switched off.
Doors and windows. Please check that these are securely closed/locked.
Key. Please replace the key where you found it on arrival.
Rubbish. Please do take ALL your own rubbish away with you. The council waste transfer centre is now open all day Saturday and Sunday until 4.p.m.. It is only about ¼ m on the main road from the track bottom, in the Todmorden direction. Virtually anything can be recycled here. Please do not put anything in the dustbins of residents of the cottages at the bottom of the track.
Visitors book. This can normally be found on the bookshelves. We always like to read your comments, as do other groups!
We hope you enjoy your stay at Height Gate and we look forward to your next booking.
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hospitals. In the unfortunate event of an accident/injury, the nearest Accident & Emergency Department is at The Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax (Tel. 01422 357171). Take the A.58 east through Hebden Bridge to Halifax and turn right at the first major traffic lights in Halifax on to the A.646 (Skircoat Moor Road). The Hospital is clearly signposted.
Doctors. If you need to contact a GP, the nearest surgery is Valley Road Medical Centre in Hebden Bridge (Tel. 0844 477 2 477). At weekends, emergency cover is provided by Local Care Direct (0845 120 3161). 24-hour telephone advice and information can also be obtained from NHS DIRECT (0845 4647).
Shops . There is a Co-op and range of other stores and shops in Hebden Bridge, and a Lidl, Morrisons, market and other shops in Todmorden. Also various cash points in both towns.
Walks. Possible in all directions. Please keep to rights of way in the vicinity of Height Gate. However, you are free to wander where you will on Langfield Common (open moorland which starts about 300 yards from Height Gate). Open moorland walking can be hazardous in poor weather conditions.
Local pursuits -
The local tourist information centre is in Hebden Bridge on the marina (01422 843831)
Alternative Technology Centre, Hebden Bridge – at Hebble End by the canal – green energy displays, exhibitions and shop
Hardcastle Crags (National Trust woodland) – Hebden Bridge – waymarked walks and sustainability award-winning Gibson Mill with displays and walkers café (check opening hours – 01422 844518)
Swimming - at Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge and Halifax
Horse riding - many centres
Hang gliding and paragliding - 01422 834989
Canoeing - Sowerby Bridge - 01274 673642
Dry slope skiing - Halifax - 01422 340760
Eureka! Children’s technology museum - Halifax (beside railway station) - wonderful for up to age 12 – discounts for parties of at least 10 (£5 each in 2012), and one adult guide per 4 children provided free if advance booked - 01422 330069
Calderdale Industrial Museum - Halifax - open only for pre-booked parties - 01422 358087
Bankfield Museum, Halifax - costume and textiles - 01422 354823
Bronte Museum (old vicarage) - Haworth - 01535 642323
Steam railway featured in The Railway Children - Oxenhope - 01535 645214
Heptonstall Museum (old small grammar school)
Cinema - Hebden Bridge - 01422 842807
Live music venue – Trades Club, Hebden Bridge (next to the Post Office) - 01422 845265
Parks with playgrounds & sports areas - Hebden Bridge and Todmorden
Imax Cinema and National Museum of Film & Photography - Bradford - 01274 727488
One of the biggest bonfire and fireworks displays in the north of England - on Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge - the Saturday nearest 5th November each year.
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival – annual, usually two weeks late June/early July – shop/exhibitions on Albert St. – 01422 842684