On the edge of the Pennines, above Sowerby Bridge, there's a thrilling descent to the Rochdale Canal and on to Hebden Bridge. 

The exploitation of waterway and the first woolen mills in the country were established here in the late 18th century. There were many mills in this area and the canals provided a vital connection to Hull in the east, and Liverpool in the west, vital transportation points to the rest of the world. Later the mills produced munitions for both world wars, and though many now lie quiet, they played a huge part in the lives of the people of Yorkshire and Lancashire in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the end, foreign competition in the field of cloth manufacturing led to the towns decline, but not so long ago this was a vibrant industrial place, and these sizeable valley towns were born from the Industrial Revolution over 200 years ago.

But today the swift descent from the hills above Sowerby Bridge finds quieter valleys and the cycle route joins the Rochdale Canal at Mytholmroyd, birth place of Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate.

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