The South Pennines are one of the easiest English uplands to reach without a car. The Caldervale Line runs along the bottom of the Calder Valley with hourly stopping services between Manchester Victoria and Leeds; useful stations include Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, and Sowerby Bridge. Any walk in the area can start from a platform.
By car, the M62 trans-Pennine motorway skirts the southern edge of the area; from the north, the A646 runs through the Calder Valley from Halifax to Burnley. Parking in the smaller villages is limited at weekends — use the train when you can.
Manchester Airport is around 50 minutes by train; Leeds Bradford Airport is closer but has fewer connections.