Penistone Hill
Haworth
The POC at Penistone CP is accessible by heading West (uphill) from Haworth. It is a fantastic viewpoint but is best avoided on a windy or a wet day as it is very exposed.
Update: June 2019
Control posts last checked, June 2019. All in place except post B which is missing.
Control F ; Correct description Pond S Side. The area around this control is overgrown.
Parking
Parking is best in the car park on the west side of Bradford Road, Shipley (A650).
Details
The least windy place to start is the Eastern car park at GR 025369. The alternative – very good views – is the SW car park (GR 021363). The course has some easy posts but it can be challenging if you go across the heather to the harder posts. Although bounded by a road on 3 sides and fields on the other, this area needs using with caution with children because of the exposure and one or two large crags. The roads can be quite busy and should be avoided. Danefield (Otley) or Middleton Woods (Ilkley) are easier and safer for younger children. On the course, the difficulty of the posts is indicated by stars – more stars is harder to find.
Introducing children
Start from the car park. Explain how to keep the map Northed and walk with them round a couple of posts (eg L and F from the East parking, or J and I from the SW parking) pointing out map features on the way. They can then have a go, in small groups, at finding some nearby one * posts. Then give each group a challenge, possibly timed, of finding ten posts, perhaps those they have already found plus the other one * posts. After that, with older children, they could try the other posts, noting that the difficulty of the posts is indicated by stars. The easiest strategy is to give them a time limit, say an hour, and tell them to get as many posts as they can in the time. Alternatively, if the weather is good and the students competent, drive up to the other car park and suggest as many as possible in an hour.
Courses
Easy from East Car Park: L, F, E, T, Q, M
Harder from East Car Park: L, F, G (harder), D, C, T, O, K, S, N (hard) Easy from SW Car Park: H, R, T, Q, K, O, I, J
Harder from SW Car Park: J, K, S, P, N, L, G, D, C, A, B, H
The ultimate: get round all the posts in any order in the shortest time.