Wednesday June 15th

 Edale, Hope Cross, Madwoman's Stones and Pt.590

We tried a walk from Bradwell's "Longer Walks in the Peak District" to walk from Edale to Madwoman's Stones and back to Edale. In the end, we modified the route from the stones, but it was still a very enjoyable day out.

The forecast was good and the weather remained warm and mostly sunny all day. The route from Edale is a familiar one, turning right just before the church and then walking up to the Youth Hostel. This was built as a grand Victorian villa on the site of a farm that was a part of the Duke of Devonshire's estate. All the way from Edale, we had a good view of The Great Ridge.

The Great Ridge.
L-R: Lose Hill, Back Tor, Mam Tor and Rushup Edge in the distance

We also enjoyed the spectacle of a farmer's pickup being mobbed by sheep from every direction!


We took the path onto the National Trust's Nether Moor Estate where the path traces the northern flank of the Noe Valley to reach the thick Backside Wood alongside the lower reaches of Jaggers Clough.

Backside Wood and Jaggers Clough- the climb up to Crookstone Barn

We stopped for lunch just before the Hope Cross (dated 1737). We were entertained by a succession of sheep and their (now quite big) lambs trotting past.


After our lunch we went back to the short section of the walk that followed the probable course of the Roman road (although this is disputed), and made our way steadily up Crookstone Hill, passing the carved waymarker and The Lonely Trees.

Waymarker and The Lonely Trees

The walk climbs up beside the disused quarries, reaching a flat-topped and layered rock high above Jaggers Clough, from where we could see our crossing beside Backside Wood. There's a narrow but distinct path leading to Madwoman's Stones; the question in David's mind about which outcrop was actually Madwoman's Stones was answered by looking at the OS Maps app. We stopped here to admire the tremendous view, catching a glimpse of a hare and listening to the birds (curlew, plover) which thrive on upland areas like Kinder. We walked up to the trig point at Pt.590, with new views of The Great Ridge.

The Great Ridge from the flanks of Kinder

Our original plan was to come down via Grindslow Knoll but, having had a grand day out, we descended via Golden Clough below the rocky buttress of Ringing Roger. We stopped at The Nab to admire the view of Edale below the Mam Tor Road.

Edale and the Mam Tor Road

We had a reviving cuppa and ice cream before heading back to the car.

8.2 miles, 496m ascent.


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