Wednesday June 29th

 The Black Cloughs and Bleaklow

Our original plan was to head to the Eastern Peaks but this was scuppered as the Snake Pass was closed. Instead, we went up to the (old) Woodhead Station and parked up. We walked down to the stream ford which was the scene of the unfortunate incident in 2010, where Jacinta slipped and broke her wrist. Fortunately, an incident-free crossing this time!

The infamous ford...

The walk climbs up beside Swan Clough and then on to Far Black Clough. The going was a little tough as there is a lot of going up and down the hags. Set against this , this area feels a bit more wild, remote and less well travelled than many areas of the Dark Peak.

Wild and remote beside the upper reaches of Far Black Clough

In fact, we only saw one other person in five hours.

We stopped for a break at the Bleaklow Stones; they're a fantastic example of wind-eroded gritstone.

A sample  of the Bleaklow Stones

We took the obligatory pictures of someone posing by The Anvil:

David with The Anvil
It was quite a contrast with the time that David visited the stones with Rachel on Boxing Day, 2018:
Rachel and The Anvil, Boxing Day 2018

We decided to continue on to Bleaklow Head. Although the path from the Bleaklow Stones to Bleaklow Head is fairly clear with a line of stakes, and is marked on the OS 1:25,000 map, it's not on the Harvey maps. The path is fairly easy to follow. We were serenaded by Golden Plovers (who were possibly anxious about our presence) and saw a few small hares. So far, the weather was good- windy and sunny at times, with none of the downpours forecast.

We came down via Near Black Clough, rather than via the Pennine Way. The path chosen is about three miles, although the waist-high bracken and hidden rocks added a little interest. The route went back down to the infamous ford and we walked back to the car in the sun.

8.4 miles, 407m ascent over five hours- suggesting quite a strenuous walk.


Popular posts from this blog

Saturday December 31st

Image
 Lyme Park- Bowstonegate, Dale Top and Cluse Hay Our last walk of the year; less ambitious as it was not that clear what the rain would do. In the end, we enjoyed a dry and slightly different walk of a bit under four miles around Lyme Park. We parked at the top by Bowstones Farm and followed the path more or less south outside the wall of the park. Clear division between Lyme Park (right) and agricultural land The track looped around to the south west, giving us a view of the dreaming spires of Manchester. Dreaming Spires of Manchester Further on, we had a nicer view, the dovecote on Cluse Hay, one of the key buildings in the park. The dovecote on Cluse Hay After the dovecote we headed across and through the woods of Knights Low to reach the usual uphill route to Bowstonegate and the car. A pleasant walk and a satisfying end to our bumper year for getting about in the countryside- at home and abroad. 3.7 Miles, 250m ascent.
Read more

Friday December 2nd

Image
  Western Edale Circuit The forecast was for low-level cloud/mist and possibly clear tops so we abandoned our original plan to do the "Frisky Cows" walk from Castleton. We'll definitely save that for another day. An obvious alternative was to walk from Mam Tor and over Rushup Edge, and then see where we went to from there. On further reflection, starting from the Mam Tor car park would mean that the final stretch of the walk would be uphill so we took the sensible option of starting from Edale and having a coffee in The Penny Pot . As with our walk last Friday, we walked up to Hollins Cross. Although the mist was blowing in and out, we still managed to have some typical views. On the way up to Hollins Cross- Grindslow Knoll in the background At Hollins Cross we turned right rather than left as we had last week. As we made our way up towards Mam Tor it became more and more misty. Into the mist on Mam Tor Having walked over Rushup Edge we stopped at the junction of the path...
Read more

Friday November 25th

Image
 The Great Ridge, Lose Hill and Kinder The forecast was for a dry and sunny day and it certainly didn't disappoint. There was lovely sunshine all day and this only changed as the sun went down, just before 4pm and we were virtually back at the car. We made an early start- stopping for a coffee and a warm-up at the Penny Pot. Warmth at the Penny Pot We walked up, a pleasant walk under Cold Side (the landslipped side of Mam Tor) and up to Hollins Cross on The Great Ridge. Walking past Cold Side. Back Tor and Lose Hill in the sun ahead Arriving at Hollins Cross. Edale, Kinder and Grindslow Knoll in the background We had brilliant views all around, including back to Edale, across to Kinder and Grindslow Knoll, and to Mam Tor. Mam Tor, with the closed road below We then made our way to Lose Hill which is a great landmark. It felt easier going up this side than the other and it was a pleasant walk. We stopped for a snack at Lose Hill and made our way down to the outskirts of Hope an...
Read more