EdaleBlackdenCrookstoneHopeCrossWinnHopeLoseMamFarmGreenlandEdale 14th November 2008 A Wreck and a Shivering Road |
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Parking: Park in the public car park at Edale. Its £5 and the toilets aren't open! The Walk From the car park walk up the road to the Nags Head pub. Pass the visitors centre and the church, which is very pretty with Grindsbrook in the background. Continue up the road past the Nags Head – it's too early for a pint – until just before a gate that announces the way ahead is private take a path (FP) that drops down and crosses Grinds Brook via a nice wooden bridge. Climb up the steps away from the Brook. The path follows the top side(eastern) edge of a wood . After 150m as the path divides take the right hand path that climbs up the eastern side of Grindsbrook Clough towards The Nab and Ringing Rodger. Having crossed a wall the path divides take the left hand path (main path) and climb up to the top of The Nab. Again the path divides, take the main path (left hand path) which takes you below Ringing Rodger. When the path divides take the right hand path which heads north east under the southern side of the Rodger and climbs up to the edge of the Kinder plateau at the junction with Ollerbrook Clough. Here head north up the Clough bed – there is a weak path. Keep to the main course which is sandy and easy to follow. After a short distance the path crosses a high level path that goes along Kinder plateau edge. Continue up the water course. Iit eventually outturns at the wreckage of a Halifax aircraft that crashed at the end of the 2 nd World War at 1.30 in the morning after a bombing raid over Frankfurt. 2 survived. What must they have thought as they landed in such a desolate place. From the wreckage continue just west of north on a path that rises up to the trig point. There were good views from the top. From the trig point a path goes off north and drops down towards the northern edge of the Kinder Plateau and Blackden Edge. As you get close to the edge walk down a sandy bottomed clough – the easiest way. At the edge there is a good path. Turn right and head towards Crookstone Knoll. The path is easy to follow if somewhat muddy in places. Eventually the path begins to move away from the edge turning south. After it crosses a line of grouse butts, a path goes off left heading towards the edge in the distance – Crookstone Knoll. Take the path and eventually you hit the Knoll. There are good views of over the Derwent valley and across to Derwent Edge – if it wasn't for the cloud. At the end of the Knoll you look down onto the ridge that leads up to Win Hill. The path turns sharp right and heads south west along the start of the southern edge of Kinder plateau. As you walk along the edge you can see the the path leading up from Hope Cross. After 200m turn left down the first path that you come across and drop down to the Hope Cross path and out of the cloud but not the rain. This initially heads down Crookstone Out Moor, initially north east but after 300m it turns right and heads south east crossing a wall and then dropping down to a single tree. Here as the path divides take the left hand path (FP). The path descends over the grassy moor until it meets a good track that ascends from Alport Bridge (FP& NT sign). Turn right through a gate and head down the track, which has recently been fenced. You drop down the edge of two fields until you reach Hope Cross. The cross has Edale, Hope, Glossop and Shefield on its four edges (note the spelling of Sheffield). Don't cross the last gate to the cross but turn left and immediately right up a track between the wood and a wall. It's out of the wind here and a good place to eat. Continue along the track. Eventually the wall turns right, climb the wooden fence and go straight. You join a good track coming up from Hope and climb up the moor towards the top of Win Hill. The track is wide and easy to follow and you can make good progress. As the gradient drops you cross a wall and track along the side of another wall (on your right). This wall eventually drops off right. Ahead is Win Hill. The path that takes you to the top is now fenced on its right hand side. The trig point at the top off Win Hill is not seen until you are on top of it. Keep looking to your left. The views from the top are magnificent – on a clear day. From the trig point retrace your steps heading towards Hope Cross. Take the first gate in the fence on your left after 200m. The path drops down the side of the Hill. Initially the gradient is easy but after crossing a couple of walls the gradient increases. Eventually you drop to a wall that overlooks Twitchill Farm (FP). Cross the wall and drop down to the Farm. Here, go through a gate and walk in front of the farm and its holiday cottages – which have access to a swimming pool; very nice. At the far end of the buildings turn left and drop down the metalled access track for the farm. The track descends to a lane (FP). Turn left on the lane, walk under the railway line and head towards Hope. The lane crosses the Noe and then climbs up to the Hope / Edale road. At the road you have a choice. You can turn left and walk down, past the village school into Hope or cross the road and take the path ahead that leads up to the Lose Hill path leading up from Hope to Lose Hill. For this walk turn left because of the lure of Woodbine Cafe. Walk down to the main Hathersage / Castleton road and turn right. The cafe is 100m on the right. Its welcoming to hikers (and bikers) and is open all year round – a treat. After a mug of tea and a piece of flap jackyou have to leave the warmth of the cafe. Turn left and retrace your steps for 50m. Take a path off left (FP). The path shortly climbs a couple of steps and goes between bungalows to an estate road. Turn right and walk up to a T junction. Cross the road and ahead take a path(FP) through a gate that goes up the side of a school. The path goes up the right hand side of a field and then crosses the top of a couple of narrow fields, the first of which meets the path from the right coming up from Edale road (FP). The path continues ahead tracking across a series of fields until the path crosses a footbridge over the Sheffield/Manchester railway line. After crossing a narrow field the path goes down the right hand side of a bungalow and past some cream and dark red coloured out buildings that always remind me of Nissan huts. The path then tracks along the right hand side of a field before tracking up what could have been a bush lined lane. In front the way ahead opens up and the ascent of Lose Hill begins. The path tracks up the left hand side of a couple of fields before crossing a stream via a footbridge and then ascending up the right hand side of a field to a barn. The path then tracks over to a wall and follows the wall ( on your lhs) to the east of Lose Hill Farm ( on your left). Cross the wall and turn left on a path that tracks behind the farm and then bends right, goes through a gate and climbs up the side of a wall ( on your right). Eventually you meet the path coming from Townhead then cross a fence via a stile before climbing a further fence (NT Lose Hill/ Ward's place). The path continues ahead up a series of steps to the summit. The views from the top are excellent – when the weather allows. The route now follows the line of the ridge to Mam Tor which you can see in the distance. From the top turn left (south west) and follow the line of a wall/fence( on your right) along the top of the ridge to Backtor. The path now drops down steeply to the right hand side of a fence before leveling, crossing to left hand side of the fence and continuing to the top of Barker Bank. Its crazy that before you get to the top there is an enormous cairn that blocks your way. What's the logic of the cairn? From Barkers Bank the path drops down to Hollins Cross. From Hollins Cross take the path that goes ahead left and tracks down the side of Mam Tor and into a wood. The path descends through the wood and around the top side of a building before joining the access road to the buildings. Walk up along the muddy access road to the main road, or the end of it. This is the old Mam Tor road and you outturn as far as you can go in a car on the Castleton Side. Continue ahead through a gate and walk up the line of the old road. The Eastern side of Mam Tor, which reaches high above you, is shale and after heavy rain it slips and slides. The fell side clearly has no strength and one wonders why they ever made a road here. Follow the line of the old road. Suddenly there is nothing in front of you as the road has dropped 30ft. However , the way ahead is easy to navigate and after 0.75km you hit the top part of the road that can be accessed by vehicles and acts as a car park for the Blue John mine, which is below the road on your left. Walk up the road to the A625. Here, turn right and walk up the road for 300m before turning right and climbing up the side of the hill until you hit the road to Edale as it passes the col between Rushup Edge (on your left) and Mam Tor. A path tracks the road on the right (Mam Tor side) over the top of the col and continues down into Edale. The path descends down into Edale, initially following the line of the road but as it bends to the left the path leaves the road and continues straight descending towards Edale, which is ahead of you in the valley bottom. The path tracks down the right hand side of a wall with Mam Tor high above you on your right. It's wet and muddy. After 0.5km the gradient eases and you track round Greenlands before, on its bottom side, you turn left through a gate and then turn right down the building access road. The road tracks down Harden Clough, past Hardenclough Farm to the Edale road just to the west of the village. Turn right along the road and in 100m you hit the public car park.
Summary A nice walk with interesting features at the start ( the Halifax aircraft wreck ) and the end ( the old Mam Tor road). The route finding is reasonably easy and the only section without a path is when you traverse Kinder plateau. The day we did the walk the weather was foul and were few people out, even on The Ridge; which goes to show that you can go on popular walks and see nobody; but only when the weather is bad!
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