Geograph - photograph every grid square

(Information from 'Huddersfield Highways Down the Ages', by W B Crump) West of Marsden there were two routes over to Lancashire, via Standedge and via the Rapes Highway, on which Haigh Clough, the infant River Colne, is crossed by the Close Gate packhorse bridge. From Marsden the route might have been along the present Marsden Lane until it turns abruptly up the hillside to Slaithwaite Hall. This is the section that has been restored by the Milestone Society. At the bend in the road below Slaithwaite Hall the route is up the narrow lane, still called Marsden Lane. It crosses Cop Hill Side and becomes Scout Lane. The Milestone Society have erected a guidestone here. The track goes steeply down to Merry Dale Bridge and up the other hillside, now called Tyas Lane. It presumably was on the line of the present road toy was on the line of the present road to Pole Moor and New Hey Road, where there is a guidestone dated 1755 next to the Royal George Inn, where Croft House Road used to go to Scammonden before the motorway was constructed. The guidestone points towards Outlane. There seem to be two routes to Elland Bridge from here, one along Marsden Gate and through Stainland and another through Outlane and to the junction of Crosland Road with New Hey Road, where there is a guidestone very similar to the one at Pole Moor, and also dated 1755, which shows Halifax to be northwards along what was a narrow track that has been obliterated by the motorway. obli and then turned left (north) at another guidestone at the junction with Crosland Road, and dropped down via Blackley and South Lane to cross Elland Bridge, from where it would have been the old road to Halifax via Exley. This led to Blackley, from where South Lane is the obvious route to Elland. From Elland Bridge the old road went through Exley and down Exley Bank to Salterhebble Bridge and onwards to Halifax.