Walks you can reach from Mirfield by train

Spectacular views of valley while crossing dams. Primarily along the Pennine Way. Pennine Way since 1965. Hadfield = Royston Vassey in League of Gentlemen TV series. Longdendale Chain reservoirs (1830s-1884) supplied Manchester. Derelict textile mill at walk's end.

Time: 6h30–13h30

Warnings: Steep section beside Rakes Rocks; cliff edge high above clough; long flight of stone steps to descend near Marsden.

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Recommended: A very enjoyable, direct and straightforward canal walk, almost entirely along the Rochdale Canal towpath following national cycle route 66. The terrain is nearly all level with a mostly gravel surface, though bridges and slopes past locks have cobbles and canal overflows run over cobbles across the towpath in several places. Tree cover gives a green-tunnel feel. Follows national cycle route 66 along the Rochdale Canal. Canalside interest: locks, houseboats, mileposts and stone bridges.

Waterway: almost all along the Rochdale Canal.

Time: 2h–4h

Lunch: Refreshment opportunities along the canalside towards Hebden Bridge.

Warnings: Canal overflows run over cobbles across the towpath in several places, with a raised plank alongside to keep feet dry.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A largely step-free, fairly clear route on roads, paths and through a pair of parks, with a brief stretch of industrial ground between them. A field path leads out of Featherstone and the road into central Castleford is quite long.

Time: 2h–4h

Warnings: The path runs close beside the M62 for about ten minutes, with heavy traffic noise; you are safely behind a hedge.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 3h–6h30

Warnings: A third urban.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Great view of Leeds from the top of the rise. A mix of rural and urban with great views towards Leeds: downhill through Morley, residential streets, the last few fields before the city, then past White Rose, along a busy ring road, up to Beeston and a high ridge with a steep grassy drop to a footbridge over the M621, through Holbeck, a final canal- and riverside approach with steps up to the station. Plenty of steps and some uneven and steep footpaths.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: A fifth urban. Steps and some uneven, steep footpaths; a steep grassy bank drops to the M621 footbridge. A busy ring road to walk along by White Rose.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–4h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A very pleasant, easy-to-navigate walk mixing gravel paths through a nature reserve with paved roads in Castleford and Knottingley, the nature-reserve middle section being the best part. There are areas of relatively steep incline, gates, a stile and field near Knottingley; trainers suffice in dry weather and boots in winter. The village of Fairburn, about halfway, is a good pause point for refreshments.

Waterway: two thirds along the River Aire.

Time: 3h30–7h

Lunch: Fairburn, about halfway, offers a refreshment stop.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Canal towpath with open moorland. Part of the Standedge Trail.

Waterway: two thirds along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Railwalks.

This is a gorgeous experience. A largely flat, easy-to-follow route predominantly along an off-road shared-use cycle path (national cycle route 66), with sections of canal towpath and woodland alongside the railway and quiet roads. Mostly step-free with only slight inclines; one short stretch on narrower busy-road pavements in Mytholmroyd. Some bridleway diversions are overgrown. Follows national cycle route 66 along the Rochdale Canal.

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Calder.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: A short section of narrow pavement on a busier road in Mytholmroyd. A couple of tricksy points joining the canal and railside paths.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The scenery was very pretty. Almost entirely along the Rochdale Canal towpath, crossing the Pennine summit, on pretty Millstone Grit bridges and lock walls. The towpath has puddles and a few cobbled, cambered or planked sections, plus a wooded and muddy final stretch to Todmorden station. Follows the Rochdale Canal (including its summit) and is part of the National Cycle Network. Waterfalls tumble down the hills either side of the canal; an air vent for the railway Summit Tunnel can be spotted.

Waterway: almost all along the Rochdale Canal.

Time: 2h30–5h

1 lunch spot: the Summit Inn

Warnings: One tricky stretch of towpath under the A58 Halifax Road and up the side of Durn Lock is cambered, sloping and cobbled. The wooded final section to Todmorden station can be muddy with planks across it.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A walk that follows the river out of the Calder valley on the signposted TransPennine Trail, then through a country park with parkland paths, fields and lakeside tracks. The western part is on good paths; finding the right paths becomes tricky once away from the valley and with one section that can flood. Follows the signposted TransPennine Trail along the river. The Normanton meeting point has several benches.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–4h30

Warnings: One slightly flooded section could be impassable in wetter conditions. Paths in the eastern half are hard to find and do not match the rights of way.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 4h30–9h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.