Crossing the Pennines - Blind Jack's Milestone Traditional Cache

The routes between the West Riding and Lancashire through the Standedge
gap laid the foundations for the prosperity of the South Pennine villages.
Follow in the footsteps of those who made and used these routes as you
explore our CROSSING THE PENNINES Heritage Trail.

John Metcalfe 'Blind Jack of Knaresborough' was blinded by smallpox when he was six, but he led a long and colourful life, as a musician, soldier, smuggler and card player, but he is best remembered as a clever self-taught road construction engineer, in the days of the new-fangled Turnpike Roads. Yes, you had to pay a toll every few miles to use any of the main roads in the UK! This milestone dates from around the 1770s, set on the Wakefield to Austerlands Turnpike road.