Stoodley Pike, Calderdale,
West Yorkshire, England

Stoodley Pike Monument is possibly one of the icons of the Pennine Way; it certainly dominates the section between Littleborough and Hebden Bridge. Frustratingly, you can see it for miles before you reach it so don't speed up on the expectation of being close to the end of a day's walking when you first sight it from the south. Though reservoirs litter the landscape, pylons stalk the skyline round these parts and wind farms loom in the distance, there does remain a feeling of wildness around here. And that's even with the proximity to the post-industrial valley of Calderdale with its attendant road, railway and conurbations. Nevertheless, it is rather reassuring to know that civilisation is never far away for those times when it is needed.