0:00:05 > 0:00:08Well, I've come to Halifax in West Yorkshire,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11and I have to admit, I haven't got a clue where I'm going next.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I was told to prepare for an unusual journey
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and to come here and await further instructions.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17All very mysterious.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Oh, thanks.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22"Welcome, Mr Jones, to a marvellous mystery trail.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24"You must follow the clues and be sure not to fail.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27"Prepare for a journey uphill and through vale
0:00:27 > 0:00:30"as you explore the place called Calderdale."
0:00:30 > 0:00:33At least it rhymes. Better get going, I suppose.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39So, join me as I set off into the unknown
0:00:39 > 0:00:42on a tour of this beautiful part of Yorkshire.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'll be meeting some fascinating people along the way
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and there'll be some wonderful hymns.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Well, it wouldn't be Songs Of Praise without them.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07The River Calder has flowed through the rugged landscape of West Yorkshire
0:01:07 > 0:01:11for thousands of years, winding its way down from the glorious South Pennine moorland
0:01:11 > 0:01:16into the Calder Valley, which is part of wider Calderdale.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Lining the Dale are textile towns and villages that flourished during the Industrial Revolution
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and still remain close communities today.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Halifax, Calderdale's largest town,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31has its own proud industrial heritage
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and a rich musical tradition.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40This building, blackened by centuries of industry, has been at its heart for 900 years.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43MUSIC: "Jerusalem" by Sir Hubert Parry
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Once Halifax's parish church, it was recently given the title Halifax Minster,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51and it's where congregations and choirs from all over the area have gathered
0:01:51 > 0:01:55to sing our hymns this week. The first one is Immortal Invisible.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Back on my quest, I reckoned what I needed was another clue,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and, sure enough, I found it, a few miles from Halifax,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19in the town of Hebden Bridge.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24"Be sure to pack a raincoat to keep the weather at bay,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27"as many modes of transport will take you on your way.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31"On foot, on wheels, on water onward like an arrow,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35"but first go to the boat that is so long and narrow."
0:04:37 > 0:04:39I think I'm in the right place!
0:04:40 > 0:04:43DUCKS QUACK
0:04:44 > 0:04:46This is the way to travel, is it?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It really is, isn't it? It's a wonderful, unique place, Aled.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I'm delighted you've come to see it because this is where I live
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and I've lived for 40 years. I absolutely love it.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58When you move into this valley, it's a whole different culture.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00And it always has been.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02If you were here 1,400 years ago,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05this was the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet
0:05:05 > 0:05:07and when you pass over here, you'd have to speak Welsh.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- You'd know all about that.- That's why I'm feeling at home, obviously!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14So, Calderdale, where does it start and where does it end?
0:05:14 > 0:05:17If you go to the other side of Todmorden, we all call it Tod here.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19So it starts there and ends...?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Starts there and if you go the other way,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26you go to the other side of Brighouse and the canal goes right through.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Some of the place names, even for a Welshman, they're pretty bizarre.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Oh, yes! I was talking to evacuees who came here from Brighton during the war
0:05:34 > 0:05:38and he said he'd never been able to say Mytholmroyd properly!
0:05:38 > 0:05:40THEY BOTH LAUGH
0:05:40 > 0:05:42What's so special about Calderdale?
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Well, it's an area that's changed immensely
0:05:46 > 0:05:51because if you came here, say, 50, 60 years ago even,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54there'd be mills as far as the eye could see.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57This was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution here
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and they were handloom-weaving in the villages up there.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05And when you go wandering now through those little valleys that come down into the Calder Valley,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08you can still see the old ruins of the mills and that.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10It's a wonderful place to go walking.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15There are things that still exist here, there are practices,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19there are traditions, that have died out elsewhere.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24There's a lot of eccentric people, a lot of very arty people, actually. That's probably why I'm here!
0:08:21 > 0:08:24These clues are getting more and more mysterious.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And more and more off the beaten track.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36I've now come up into the hills where I'm supposed to find a rather different mode of transport.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41And before I knew it,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46round the corner cycled mountain bike instructor Stephen Hall.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Going back a long, long time, a guy lent me a mountain bike for a day.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53He says, "Have a go at this, it's going to be the next big thing."
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I had a go and I thought, "That's fantastic."
0:08:56 > 0:08:59And then I met Ruth, who's now my wife.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04She was a local Mytholmroyd lass, so just down the road from here.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And she took me out on these trails and I've stayed...
0:09:07 > 0:09:09LAUGHS ..and just ridden here ever since.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11What do you get out of it, would you say?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Partly it's a really good workout.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19It's in a relatively safe environment in that it's away from cars.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24You get to see this fantastic scenery in complete peace and quiet.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26You're away from the crowds,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29you've just got the sound of the wind, the curlews,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31the grouse across the moorlands.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And it's just a complete escape.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38It's funny. My wife, when she was at church on Sunday,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43one of the chaps asked her, "Where does your husband worship?"
0:09:43 > 0:09:46And she says, "In the great outdoors.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49"There's no roof on his church."
0:09:50 > 0:09:52You look at this scenery and you think,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55well, as an ex-geography teacher, I can explain it
0:09:55 > 0:10:00by river processes and climatic change and all things like that,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05but really, just looking at it, the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09And as a local man, Ted Hughes, the ex-poet laureate,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13he had a poem called Moors, and the opening line was,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16"Moors are a stage for the performance of heaven."
0:10:16 > 0:10:20And, you know, when you see the light shafting down through the clouds,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22it really is quite an experience
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and it's far more than just being out on a bike.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- So what's the best thing about being a mountain-biker here?- The hills.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Really?- The hills.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35You get fit going up them and you have an absolutely fantastic time going down them again.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Here's the plan. I'll do the downhill bits and you can do the uphill bits. How's that?
0:10:40 > 0:10:45- Have a look at some of the downhill bits and see if you really want to have a go.- Really?
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'One of the reasons that it's so good here is as we're not a National Park,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54'we don't get hundreds of thousands of people piling in
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'like places like the Lake District and the Peak District at weekends.'
0:10:57 > 0:11:01It's one of those places that you could ride forever
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and still be exploring and finding new places.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's a relatively small area
0:11:08 > 0:11:11but it's absolutely riddled with bridleways
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and it means that whatever your ability,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17you can find something that's really good to ride.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23And I think part of the motivation is getting people to realise
0:11:23 > 0:11:26that themselves and the bike are a team.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31You can be going at speeds up to 30, 40 miles an hour in quite rough terrain,
0:11:31 > 0:11:36and if you do come off, it can be quite painful, to say the least.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38You find that...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41you more tend to lose yourself
0:11:41 > 0:11:44just in the environment and in the sounds.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48You become far more acutely aware of everything that's around,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53whether it's the birdsong or just tiny bits of the landscape,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and, yeah, it is quite a spiritual experience going out and riding
0:11:56 > 0:11:58in those sorts of conditions.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22"Another clue, another rhyme
0:15:22 > 0:15:24"For now, you must step back in time
0:15:24 > 0:15:26"Discover the truth of an ancient tale
0:15:26 > 0:15:28"of a man whose name is a brand-new ale."
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Any idea?
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Sounds good, though, doesn't it? Come on.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Inside the pub, I found that the local ale is named after the Archbishop of York.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Not the current one, but an early Christian missionary, Paulinus.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49Three years ago, we were researching into early Christianity,
0:15:49 > 0:15:54and Paulinus was part of the Augustine mission to Britain - 627 -
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and we discovered, to our amazement,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59that he spent most of his time in northern Britain.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03And the more we explored, we felt, "Well, how has this man been so forgotten?"
0:16:03 > 0:16:09He converted thousands and thousands and thousands of people.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And we thought, "Well, how had this man spread all of the word?"
0:16:12 > 0:16:16And it was literally by walking mile after mile,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18connecting one place to another.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26He, basically, was definitely known to be in Dewsbury,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and definitely known to be in Burnley and Whalley on the other side.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And so, thinking, "How did he get across?"
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Obviously it was through Todmorden Gap,
0:16:35 > 0:16:41across the old Neolithic ways, and we found a Paulinus-style cross,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to our amazement, up on the moors above Todmorden.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49We hoped that we could open a new pilgrim way.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And we looked through the old maps and the old routes
0:16:53 > 0:16:57and we found that we could find a walkway in most of the area,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01from Todmorden to York, so we set about organising a festival
0:17:01 > 0:17:05and goodness knows what with all the people of Todmorden behind us.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10We then had all the community getting involved. It sort of grew.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And we had the Lord Bishop of Wakefield coming along,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17wanting to be involved, and supporting us from the beginning.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19We had the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23who was also supportive and wanted to meet us in York when we arrived there.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28And we even had someone creating a special footprint,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30so that pilgrims setting off on their first journey
0:17:30 > 0:17:34can place their foot in the footprint as they set off.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So what have you two taken from it?
0:17:37 > 0:17:41I think one of the things for me is, when you are researching
0:17:41 > 0:17:45someone like this, to actually walk in that person's footsteps,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48actually makes you realise for the first time how important
0:17:48 > 0:17:54these northern saints were, and the impact that they had on people, and people's lives.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58And, actually, the impact they're still having on us now.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I feel that, after being on the pilgrimage,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04it has given me a little closer connection to God.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09And it has really made me, sort of, feel quite humble, actually,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12to realise what these people actually achieved.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And just to walk for a little time in their footsteps
0:18:15 > 0:18:19has been quite magical, and quite an amazing experience.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03The village of Heptonstall provides a welcome rest stop
0:20:03 > 0:20:05on the Paulinus Way.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08But if the pilgrims choose to stop for longer,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11then there's plenty to be discovered in this historic little community,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15including Heptonstall Methodist Chapel.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached here frequently,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23and he personally oversaw the unusual octagonal design.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Completed back in 1764, it's the oldest Methodist chapel in the world
0:20:26 > 0:20:30that has been in continuous use,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and will soon celebrate 250 years of prayer and praise.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I'm now in Todmorden, the westernmost town of Calderdale
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and the point at which Yorkshire meets Lancashire,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and there's definitely something strange going on.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04All over the town, fruit and veg are growing in the most unusual places.
0:23:04 > 0:23:10I discovered it was all part of a remarkable project that's the brainchild of Pam Warhurst.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15We've got vegetables growing in very public places.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17We've got them in not-so-public places.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22We've got them in police stations, health centres. We've got them at the railway station, the bus station.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27So, suddenly, people who only see things wrapped in cellophane in a supermarket
0:23:27 > 0:23:29start to see where it grows in its natural state.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34We're working with all the schools.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37We've got children now doing qualifications in agriculture.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40This is a town that isn't naturally, you know, a farming community.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Uh-huh.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So, suddenly, there are job opportunities around local food.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49You've got people thinking about it, people growing it, kids learning about it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52That means that they start to think about how they spend their money.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55So that means they start to support the local market.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01That means they start to support local farmers. And suddenly, the town starts to work again as a community,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03as market towns always used to be.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06You know, every year we have a harvest festival,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10and it's where we bring all the produce from the town and cook it up.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14And we have a really fantastic time. It doesn't cost anybody anything.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16So if I'm walking past one of these spaces
0:24:16 > 0:24:18and I see a cabbage growing, I just help myself?
0:24:18 > 0:24:21You help yourself. You absolutely help yourself.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25We're trying to spread kindness, we're trying to reconnect people,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and when people are reconnected - particularly in hard times -
0:24:28 > 0:24:30fabulous and magical things happen.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35The story that I tell, which, to me, really touches my heart -
0:24:35 > 0:24:38my friend, Mary, turned her front garden, which was a rose garden,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42into a veg patch with a great big "please help yourself" sign on it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47So we found local families going past and picking with the kids.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50And one particular local family did that, and the next day,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53they left the soup they'd made from the veg on Mary's doorstep.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Now, these people - never spoken to Mary before in their entire life.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59That, for me, is what communities are all about,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and we're starting to see that all over the place.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08The churches in Todmorden have also embraced the spirit of Incredible Edible.
0:25:08 > 0:25:14I met with a vicar who's helped open up one local graveyard to gardening.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18I suppose, if we put a positive spin on it, the rain is good for the vegetables.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Very good for the vegetables. They're doing remarkably well.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- I have to say, it's a normal day for Todmorden, really.- Right.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28It's not often you see vegetables growing in a graveyard.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33It's not. It's been four years now, and the community have accepted it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Originally, I think people thought, "That's a bit strange. People won't like it."
0:25:38 > 0:25:43But Incredible got in touch with us and said, "How about putting some vegetable beds in here?"
0:25:43 > 0:25:47We thought about it, went through the channels and said, "We'd welcome it."
0:25:47 > 0:25:49It's been a really good opportunity for the community.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51So who comes up here?
0:25:51 > 0:25:56A lot of the time, you'll see the children from the school through the back there.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58The children will come and tend the vegetables,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01but any vegetables are there to be taken by the community.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05So people who visit family graves come, people who just come
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and walk their dog through the woods and churchyard will come.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12- Everybody in the community comes and takes a look and enjoys. - It's a great idea.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Absolutely fabulous. It's quite anarchical,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I think, to have a churchyard that is a sacred space,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but actually to give it over to God's creation
0:26:22 > 0:26:24in a lateral-thinking sense, really.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32This sounds absolutely perfect, so why isn't it happening in every community around the world?
0:26:32 > 0:26:36It's starting to happen. We have 20 communities and we've got people working in Africa
0:26:36 > 0:26:41and in Spain and in Northern Ireland and in Holland, so it's starting to happen.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43We do have some wonderful leaders.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46We do have churches that have put fruit trees and bushes,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and we are working in the local church
0:26:49 > 0:26:51to put a nut orchard at the back.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But if we could actually have that push - that drive -
0:26:54 > 0:26:56by the churches in every single town, to say,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58"We are the heart of the town,
0:26:58 > 0:27:03"and edible churches is the way forward, so let's bring our community together and grow collectively."
0:27:03 > 0:27:08You've obviously got a massive passion for it - do you feel this is, er, a calling for you, in a way?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I've done lots in my life, in the private and public sector.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I've never done anything more important than this, ever,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19because this is about trying to change the world around us for our children.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Instead of being victims, it says,
0:27:21 > 0:27:26"If we're positive about it, we can make a heck of a difference and pass on a better world."
0:27:26 > 0:27:30So there... There is nothing more important to do than this.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Well, having reached the end of Calderdale in one direction,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I guessed it was time for me to head back.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44But if I was hoping for an easy ride, I was in for a shock.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Heavenly Father, as we look at the world around us,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11open our eyes to see you.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Help us to see your hand in the beauty of creation.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18To see your heart in our communities.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24To see your footsteps in those that have gone before us,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28and to see your face in everyone that we meet.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Amen.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36"The final rhyme, the final clue
0:30:36 > 0:30:38"There's nothing more for you to do
0:30:38 > 0:30:40"Congratulations - you've passed the test
0:30:40 > 0:30:43"We hope you enjoyed your Calderdale quest."
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Well, it's not been the most straightforward way
0:30:45 > 0:30:49of exploring an area, but I've thoroughly enjoyed my mystery tour of Calderdale.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54But if you don't mind, I think I'll go home using a more conventional mode of transport.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Until next time, goodbye.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Have you ever heard of a town in Essex called Camulodunum?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Well, Pam will be there next week to discover how Ancient Rome
0:33:26 > 0:33:27meets the hi-tech future.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31And as well as great hymns - ancient and modern -
0:33:31 > 0:33:35there's some wonderful music from new opera star Noah Stewart.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:33:54 > 0:33:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk