Castle Hill ‘a car park’

Jul 18 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE other evening I pedalled my bicycle up Castle Hill to take in the air and the view (there was a lot of both). Since my last expedition to this wonderful landmark a lot of improvement work to the perimeter paths has taken place.

However, don’t go on your bicycle or horse as a lot of signs make it clear that these are not welcome. A bit unfair, you might think, but I guess they don’t want these new paths damaging by hoof or tyre. Also there would be a health and safety breach if horse, bicycle and rambler were to collide with tragic consequences.

The summit car park is still as scruffy as ever and the site of the former hotel is a miserable thicket of weeds. I believe phase 2 of the improvement work will take place eventually, but I fear the aim of the entire project (as with most things these days) is to ensure the motorist continues to get his/her car as close as possible.

Incidentally, at Castle Hill the car actually gets “inside” the Iron Age fort since the access road was bulldozed straight through the original earthbank fortifications.

It’s a shame that Huddersfield’s crowning glory is, and will continue to be a car park.

Uncle Grumpy

Golcar