Todmorden - market town and civil parish in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England

Todmorden is a pleasant town in Calderdale in West Yorkshire; it is considerably less visited than its better known neighbour, Hebden Bridge. 'Tod' is at the far west of Calderdale, bordering on Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Before the 1970s Todmorden was a borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire and at one time the county boundary between the West Riding and Lancashire was in part the brook that runs under the town hall.

Get in

Todmorden is on the railway line from Manchester and Rochdale to Halifax, Bradford and Leeds. There is also a line to Burnley and Blackburn.

There are regular buses to Burnley, Halifax and Rochdale and less frequent ones to Bacup across the Lancashire border and on to Bolton.

Get around

The local bus services operated by First are reliable and pleasant although somewhat expensive. However, to use the service around Calderdale, and into Lancashire and Greater Manchester you can buy a ticket which lasts all day. The ticket can be purchased from the driver.

There are two railway stations in the Todmorden area: Todmorden and Walsden.

Taxis are plentiful, cheap and safe.

See

• The conservation villages of Lumbutts and Mankinholes, by the T6 or T8 bus, if you don't want to walk.
• Rochdale Canal. Some of its most attractive and interesting stretches are within the town's boundary.
• Todmorden Old Hall, Hall St, 53.71321°, -2.09936°. A Grade 1 listed building that dates from Tudor times and was once a post office. 2020-03-10
• Town Hall, 53.713638°, -2.097538°. An imposing building at the centre of the town, designed by John Gibson of Westminster. Its pediment is in fine carved stone with two central female figures on a pedestal. The left hand one represents Lancashire (cotton spinning and weaving industries) and the right hand one Yorkshire (engineering and agriculture). There are free tours at 2PM on the first Sunday of every month except January, and longer tours which can be booked for groups. 2020-03-10
• the market. While it has declined from its peak, it is still worth visiting. It used to be the only one for some miles open on Good Friday.

Do

• The Pennine Way, a footpath which runs from Derbyshire into the Borders region of Scotland passes within the town's boundaries. A particularly popular place on it is the monument to the dead of the Napoleonic wars at Stoodley Pike.
• Walking, cycling, fishing and horse riding are all widely practiced in the area. The town lies alongside the Pennine Way, Pennine Bridleway, Mary Towneley Loop and Calderdale Way.
• Gaddings Dam, 53.697°, -2.079°. is a moorland dam, reservoir with views of Calderdale, a 45 min hike up from the town. The reservoir was under threat of being drained in 2001 when it was bought by a non-profit group who run it as a local amenity. 2020-03-10
• Centre Vale Park, 53.7199°, -2.1066°. contains a large open area, woods, and children play areas. It occasionally hosts events. 2020-03-10
• Hippodrome Theatre, 53.71423°, -2.09261°. shows films as well as putting on live amateur performances of a high standard. 2020-03-10
• Todmorden Cricket Club, despite being in Yorkshire, is a member of the well-known Lancashire Cricket League and games are played at its ground adjacent to the park. The Cricket club also has caravan and camping facilities.
• If you're in Todmorden at the weekend it may be worth taking a bus or driving to nearby Burnley to watch a football match involving Burnley FC.
• Rochdale FC is also close if you're using bus or train or driving.
• Manchester United and Manchester City are close by on the train (30 to 40 mins on the train to Central Manchester)

Buy

• Todmorden has an interesting market, both indoors and inside the Market Hall.
• There are two good secondhand bookshops one of which, Borders, specialises in sport books and, in particular, cricket.
• There is also a number of antique shops and galleries (including Bare Arts which doubles as a brewery).
• At the Toy Shop with a nostalgic (and slightly chaotic) Toy and Model Museum in its basement.

Eat

• Site Pizzeria, restaurant and bar on Rochdale Road.
• Todmorden Old Hall.
• Hanuman (Three Wise Monkeys) - bar and Thai restaurant
• Kava - coffee house and vegetarian restaurant
• The Tapas Bar - Spanish tapas, with a super £10 tea time menu between 4pm and 6pm. Open Wednesday to Saturday, and Sundays before a bank holiday Monday
• Staff Of Life - excellent food and traditional beers

There are several other cafes, pubs, and takeaway options around the town centre.

Drink

There are numerous pubs and wine bars in the town centre as well as the Shepherd's Rest and the Top Brink at Lumbutts. The Golden Lion and The Polished Knob pubs often have live music.

Sleep

• Queen Hotel, Rise Ln, 53.71374°, -2.09897°, +44 1706 819917. 10-room hotel. from £55 2017-04-20
• Lindores bed and breakfast

Connect

Stay safe

Todmorden is a beautiful town and the locals are very friendly. You should not encounter any problems if you act as you would anywhere else.

• Visit Todmorden.
• Todmorden List.

Go next

As well as the surrounding countryside, which is beautiful and good for walking, the great cities of Manchester and Leeds are only a train ride away.