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After many, arduous, daily walks from valley to tops we finally made our
initial target. We have now completed one of the most popular walks in
Calderdale to the
Stoodley Pike Monument -- we did, however, do it the hard way by walking
up the sheer side and I was carrying an extra 25 Ib in my rucksack.. We have
viewed and photographed the monument from all areas of the upper and lower
Calderdale area. The Pike stands a very impressive 110 feet tall and at
first site close up it put me immediately in mind of Cleopatra's Needle
(Although the specially designed cigar shaper container that brought
Cleopatra's Needle
to London in January 1878 was itself only 93 feet long). The existing,
Pike, monument, built in 1814, is the second to be erected as the
first one fell to the ground in 1854 after being struck by Lighting.
The original Pike Obelisk was built to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon's
armies at the Battle of Leipzig and coincidentally Cleopatra's Needle was
erected to Celebrate Britain's defeat over Napoleon (However, the needle was
erected 63 years after the said event).
The countryside views from Stoodely Pike are amazing especially the views
from the balcony that is reached after climbing the 39 steps inside the
monument. |
