01
From the kitchen
Seasonal pub food, generous Sunday lunches, and a table worth lingering around.
Explore food
Welcome to the inn
A proper Yorkshire welcome, seven centuries in the making
The Old Bridge Inn is a family-run village pub and restaurant in Ripponden, just outside Halifax. The inn has changed little over the last 700 years, but the welcome remains wonderfully current: good food, good drink, and time to settle in.
Our third and fourth generation hosts and the team look forward to welcoming you across the old packhorse bridge. Dogs are not permitted inside the pub, but our outside seating has dog tethers and drinking stations.
From 9.30am
Snug at the Inn
Start the day in the comfort of the inn. From 9.30am, join us for bar bakes, cakes, freshly made Darkwoods Coffee and tea, and a newspaper at your table.
Whether you are meeting a friend, taking a quiet moment, or easing into the day after a walk, settle in and stay a while.
- Open 9.30am Weekdays and 10.00am Weekends
- The inn opens for the morning
- Bar bakes
- Cakes and something delicious with your drink
- Take your time
- Coffee, tea, and newspapers in the snug
A little more than a pub
Steeped in the story of Ripponden
The earliest record of the Old Bridge Inn dates to 1307. Its lower bar retains cruck-frame construction, while the old route between York and Chester once brought weary travellers to the river crossing beside the inn.
Today, antiques, real fires, flowers, and the sound of the Ryburn keep that sense of repose alive. It is a place to pause, whether you have arrived for lunch, a pint, or the first or last mile of a walk.
- 1307
- Earliest record of the inn
- 1963
- The year our family took ownership
- River Ryburn
- Beside the ancient packhorse bridge
Make a day of it
Come for the welcome. Stay for the valley.
From a Sunday lunch to a quiet pint after the walk, make the Old Bridge Inn part of your time in the South Pennines.
02
From the bar
Hand-pulled ales, draught beer, and a wine list to suit an easy afternoon or evening.
Explore drinks
03
Out and about
Walk the valleys and moors, visit Halifax or Shibden Hall, then return to the fire.
Plan your visitThe valley beyond the bridge
A good base for exploring Calderdale
Ripponden sits among the green valleys and open moors of West Yorkshire. Walk from the door, follow the Calderdale Way, or make a day of Halifax, the Piece Hall, Eureka, and Shibden Hall.
Hebden Bridge is only a short drive away, while separately owned Over the Bridge offers a nearby place to stay when one day is not enough.
Further afield
Places worth the short journey
The Piece Hall
Step through the gates and into one of Yorkshire’s great public spaces: a vast Georgian courtyard framed by honey-coloured stone, independent shops, cafés, and bars.
Built in 1779 for merchants trading ‘pieces’ of handwoven woollen cloth, this Grade I-listed landmark is the sole survivor of the great eighteenth-century northern cloth halls. Its colonnades still tell the story of the trade that shaped Halifax and the West Riding.
Make time for A turn around the upper galleries, a browse through the independent shops, and a heritage tour if one falls on the day of your visit.
Worth knowing The courtyard hosts markets, exhibitions, workshops, and major open-air concerts, so it is always worth checking the programme before setting out.
Hebden Bridge
A lively little town tucked tightly between the wooded valley sides, where independent shops, makers, cafés, and old stone streets gather around the water.
Hebden Bridge grew from a medieval river crossing into a busy textile town when the Rochdale Canal and railway brought industry to the valley. The old packhorse bridge, restored canal, and distinctive ‘double-decker’ hillside houses still give the town a character all its own.
Make time for A wander along the canal, the independent shops around the centre, and a pause by the old bridge before choosing a café for the afternoon.
Go a little further Riverside paths and old stone causeways lead out towards the surrounding Pennine landscape, with Hardcastle Crags and hilltop Heptonstall close by.
Shibden Hall
A timber-framed house with six centuries of stories, set above Halifax in the folds of the Shibden Valley and known around the world as the home of Anne Lister.
Dating from 1420, Shibden Hall grew and changed with the generations who lived and worked there. Its rooms reflect that layered history, while the seventeenth-century aisled barn and workshops hold historic carriages and displays of local crafts, from blacksmithing to wheelwrighting.
Make time for Anne Lister’s story, the atmospheric rooms of the Hall, and the barn collections before heading down into the restored gardens and estate.
Worth knowing Timed entry is recommended. The walk from the main Shibden Park car park takes around ten minutes and climbs uphill to the Hall.
Eureka!
A full day of serious play at Halifax’s National Children’s Museum, created for curious minds, busy hands, and families with children aged 0–11.
There are around 400 interactive exhibits spread across six zones, inviting children to explore how their bodies work, experiment with sound, investigate science, and discover the world through imaginative play. Dedicated under-five areas give smaller visitors room to explore at their own pace.
Make time for The All About Me gallery, creative experiments in Spark, and plenty of unhurried play rather than trying to hurry through every exhibit.
Worth knowing Opening days and hours change between term time and school holidays. Booking online is recommended, and the museum is right beside Halifax railway station.
Ryburn Valley Walks
Step into the upper Ryburn Valley for open water, wooded paths, old field tracks, and wide Pennine views—all within a short journey of the inn.
The circular route around Ryburn and Baitings reservoirs is a rewarding introduction to the landscape above Ripponden. Its four miles link waterside woodland and farmland with reservoir embankments, the Baitings viaduct, and views across the surrounding moors.
The walk A moderate four-mile circuit with around 224 metres of ascent, beginning at the Yorkshire Water car park near Ryburn Reservoir.
Come prepared The route crosses fields, stiles, woodland, permissive paths, and short road sections. Check the weather, wear suitable footwear, and take the route map or GPX file with you.