Victoria Tower

It doesn't look like it's open as there is no sign but walk up the stairs and you come to a small booth where you pay your £2.50 per person and you can climb the steps to the top for an amazing view .

There’s some great views of Huddersfield Town from the heights of Castle Hill. It was a great day to take the camera for a walk: it was pleasantly warm, and the air at the summit was surprisingly calm considering the hill reaches a thousand feet above sea level. Best of all though, the light was great; there was cloud cover – quite heavy at times – but it was really patchy and sailed quickly through the heavens, creating swathes of contrasting light which washed over the top of the hill and out over the vista which lay before my eager lens. I’ve only driven through Huddersfield on a couple of occasions, and I’d never been through the district which led me to Castle Hill. The traffic was quite heavy and, as is the way of these old towns with a medieval heritage, the roads are all over the place. And being unfamiliar with the lay-out meant I missed a few of the turns my sat-nav was suggesting. I got there eventually though; climbing out of the traffic and up onto the brow of Castle Hill where I was surprised by just how rural Huddersfield looked from this vantage point – despite the choking traffic I had to navigate to get there. Having parked the car, I walked up the final slope towards the Victoria Tower – an enormous edifice built on the crown of the hill to celebrate Queen Victoria’s jubilee year – and unpacked the camera. As ever, I took a huge number of pictures, most of which will never see post-processing. I enjoyed the experience though, and I hope you like some of the results. One point worth mentioning: one of the monochrome images I’ve posted here shows a tower in the background. This is the Emley Moor Transmitting Station, it stands 1,084 ft. tall and is, I was surprised to learn, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom; higher, by 20m, than London’s famous ‘Shard’.

Such a cool historic place to visit. If you are ever visiting the area/Huddersfield, the tower is a beautiful and picturesque place to visit. You get 360 degrees views pointing to the High Peaks, borders of Lancashire and of course Yorkshire. Whilst the tower itself tends to be shut, this place is great for catching the sunset when the weather is good. Great place for taking photos or having a picnic. It is free to park and there is ample space. Single track road with lay-by in order to get to the top. Some significant potholes so be careful. The gates are closed at night. It is less than 10 minutes drive from the town centre.

We have been here several times - it is an interesting walking route from the city and takes several hours. The view from the hill of the surrounding area is gorgeous. We recommend it to those who live in urban areas and cannot see anything beyond their street and the wall of their neighbor's house. And we were lucky - we were there on Saturday and the entrance to the tower was open - the ticket office was open, we bought tickets and climbed to the top of the tower! Excellent. A good option for a long walk in good dry weather.

free car park at the top. Said it was open on Google, but when we got there it wasn't. Nice views, but not much else around a nice spot for a picnic if you're local but not worth travelling to if you're far away.