IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INCLUDES
40
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
STEP-BY-STEP WALKS WITH OS MAPS
FROM GENTLE VALLEYS TO THRILLING RIDGES: DISCOVER THE GREATEST WALKS IN BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE NATIONAL PARK
NEW 2016 WALKING GUIDE
PUBLISHED BY
BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING WALKING MAGAZINE
£4.99
The ultimate three-day walk through the very best of the Peak District
WHAT IS THE
PEAK DISTRICT? It’s the green lung of the north and the midlands, and it’s (possibly) the world’s favourite national park. You’re about to find out why.
I
PHOTO: TOM BAILEY
F YOU BELIEVE the urban legend, the Peak District is the world’s most popular national park – although just as many will claim that it’s in second place after Mount Fuji. The truth is, no-one really knows exactly how popular the Peak District is. What isn’t in doubt is that it’s very popular, and equally clear are the reasons why: its circumference touches the outer edges of Manchester, Sheffield, Derby; of Leek, Chesterfield and Oldham. For generations, people in those towns and cities have looked to the hills beyond them, and escaped into them whenever the chance arose. As Ewan MacColl sang in The Manchester Rambler: “I may be a wage-slave on Monday/But I am a free man on Sunday.” But apart from simple geography, it’s the sheer beauty that makes the Peak District so magnetic. It is, as you’ll see in this book, three separate landscapes – White Peak, Dark Peak and South
6 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
West Peak. A walk on the Roaches is as different from one in Monsal Dale as you can imagine; a blast along Stanage Edge is something else again. So this book has been put together by the experts at Country Walking magazine to take you on a journey through the Peak District from south to north. At the front you’ll find the inside stories of ten amazing places, all illustrated with awardwinning photography. At the back you’ll find stepby-step walking guides to each of those places, and 30 more as well. Plus, you’ll find the White to Dark Way, a three-day linear route that takes you right through the heart and soul of the Peak District. Along the way you’ll climb a prehistoric tropical reef. You’ll meet the 17th-century version of TripAdvisor and a mountain that eats roads. And you’ll try an accidental pudding. It’s all part of the fabulous tapestry that makes up the Peak District. Who cares if it’s the world’s favourite national park? It’s about to become yours.
HELLO WORLD Stand on the edge of The Roaches (Walk 15) and you’ll see nothing but freedom for miles on end.
IN THE ZONE Our map includes all the places which get special features in this book, as well as the key towns and cities in and around the national park.
I NTRO D U C I N G TH E PE AK DIS TR I C T HOLMFIRTH
DOVESTONES MOSS
GREATER MANCHESTER
GLOSSOP
DARK PEAK KINDER SCOUT SHEFFIELD EDALE MAM TOR
CHAPEL-ENLE-FRITH
STANAGE EDGE CASTLETON
BRADWELL
TIDESWELL
MACCLESFIELD BUXTON
MONSAL DALE SHUTLINGSLOE
SOUTH WEST PEAK THE ROACHES
BAKEWELL CHROME HILL
WHITE PEAK MATLOCK
LEEK
WOLFSCOTE DALE
WHITE TO DARK WAY PENNINE WAY
DOVEDALE
Your journey begins over the page… COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 7
ILLUSTRATION: STEVEN HALL
KEY
CONTENTS 6
WHAT IS IT?
28
A quick introduction to the magic of the Peak District before our journey begins.
20
THE WHITE PEAK
8
DOVEDALE
An adventure playground of rocky spires, spectacular caves and tumbling rivers.
12
WOLFSCOTE DALE
Discover the quieter, more secluded valley that the Dovedale throngs miss.
16
MONSAL DALE
16
Follow an abandoned railway line to the best valley viewpoint of all.
20 CHROME HILL
Climb the mini-peaks of Dowel Dale – and ride on the Dragon’s Back!
SOUTH WEST PEAK
24
28
THE ROACHES An amazing ridge of sandy rocks where green-toothed witches and medieval giants may lurk.
SHUTLINGSLOE
They call it Cheshire’s Matterhorn – thankfully it’s a little easier to climb than its Swiss counterpart…
THE DARK PEAK
32
MAM TOR The Shivering Mountain and Great Ridge: one of the finest walks in Britain.
36 STANAGE EDGE
An immense millstone scarp that has to be seen to be believed.
40 KINDER SCOUT
Head onto the moors in the footsteps of the walkers who changed history.
4 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
36 08
40
24
NAVIGATION GUIDE
44 CROSS WILD HILLS
Use your OS map to unlock the secret places of the Dark Peak – and hone your skills as a navigator.
THE WHITE TO DARK
48 SEE IT ALL!
44
40
Your complete guide to taking on our three-day walk through the heart of the Peak District.
PAGE 55
walks with OS Maps
Step-by-step directions and Ordnance Survey maps for the greatest walks in the Peak District National Park.
40 ROUTES with Ordnance Surv ey Maps
YOUR PASSPORT TO THE
PEAK DISTRICT We’ve collected the 40 greatest walks in Britain’s favourite national park. From Bakewell to Bradwell, from Curbar to Castleto n – discover the amazing places that make the Peak so special…
08
19
LATHKILL DALE
WINDGATHER ROCKS
22
37
LYME PARK
THE WHITE TO DARK
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 5
STOCK PHOTO
A few of our favourites…
PHOTO: © JAMES GRANT / ALAMY
DERWENT EDGE
See this view for yourself on Walk 29
VALLEY OF
THE DOVE Where better to start a journey through the Peak District than its most famous valley? Dovedale is a marvel: a geological theme park whose every summit, cave and gorge provides a thrilling ride for all‌
8 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
W H ITE P E A K DOVEDALE Topping out on the summit of Thorpe Cloud, the tiny mountain at the bottom of Dovedale that packs a colossal wallop when it comes to views.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 9
Dove Holes. Or as we prefer to call them, ‘The Nostrils’.
C
OUNTRY WALKING MAGAZINE calls Dovedale ‘the Alton Towers of the walking world’. It’s not hard to see why: it’s a thrill-ride rollercoaster for your walking shoes. You’ll climb dizzying heights, plunge deep into strange, twisting canyons. You’ll find superstar caves and places of sublime calm. Whether you walk for adrenaline or for clarity; for adventure or escape – Dovedale is the one attraction that’s got everything, for every age. It helps that it’s so approachable: the tiny hamlet of Thorpe at its southern end is just a short jaunt from the town of Ashbourne, which itself is within easy reach of Nottingham and Derby. The first two landmarks of Dovedale are obvious: as you head up the valley from the car park, you’ll come upon the famous stepping stones which cross the river Dove at a sweet bend beneath Bunster Hill. For generations, families have taken pictures here, with everyone from toddlers to great-grandparents making their way across the rocks.
Soaring above this idyllic scene is Thorpe Cloud, a tiny peak (just 902ft; smaller than anything that calls itself a hill in the Lake District) which nonetheless carries all the characteristics of Mount Everest: a perfect pyramid fed by exhilarating ridges; plunging cliffs and a woozy summit ridge. It’s Everest in grass, and it has a strange magnetism for anyone who ventures into this fine dale. The path ahead is a parade of superstar rocks and parapets: the knobbly pulpit of Lover’s Leap; the deep-sliced buttresses of the Tissington Spires; the absurd leaning needle of Ilam Rock; the colossal water-hewn arch at Reynard’s Cave, and the Lion Rock which, er, looks a bit like a lion. It’s an uppy-downy sort of path; not quite pushchair-friendly (there are some tough steps to the lookout point of Lover’s Leap) but welcoming to pretty much anyone with feet. Reynard’s Cave, in particular, is one of the biggest thrills in the nation: a steep, rocky scramble leading to an improbably perfect rock-arch and a fearsomelooking cave above it. (Actually it’s just a pussycat – despite its awe-inspiring exterior, the cave is just a few feet deep on the inside.) The next stretch of the rollercoaster leaps out above the river: the limestone walls encroach so steeply above the water that a boardwalk has been built to carry walkers around the cragface. It’s a great place to pause and feel connected to the river Dove as it babbles beneath your feet. Then it’s on to Ilam Rock, which is the stuff of JRR Tolkien. It’s a sheer finger of limestone, shooting 90ft up in the air from the side of the river, where a side-path splits off towards the village of Ilam itself. For the adventurous walker, Ilam Rock hides a secret path: climb round the back of it and you’ll find it, steep and brambly but definitely there, carrying you straight up the side of the valley to the ridge of Dovedale Wood above. It’s one of the few
LITTLE EVEREST Thorpe Cloud towers above the famous stepping stones at the head of Dove Dale.
LION ROCK Feel free to re-enact scenes from The Lion King at this point.
BEST PUB NEAR HERE The Izaak Walton Hotel: 01335 350981, www.izaakwalton hotel.com
“As befits an Alton Towers comparison, Dove Dale can be busy. But sometimes a place is busy for a reason” 10 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
W H ITE P E A K DOVEDALE
ways of making a really great circular walk of Dovedale; most mortals simply walk up to the hamlet of Milldale and back. Nothing wrong with that – it never feels like a chore, retracing your steps through Dovedale – but sometimes, a little adventure off the beaten track is something special. That said, for the very best route of all, see the one at the back of this book. The final geological superstars of Dovedale are the Dove Holes. Or as we’ve always called them, The Nostrils. Check them out and you’ll agree it’s a better name, because they look like nostrils. I once pointed this out to our photographer as we clambered about inside these enormous limestone cavities, but regretted it when he pointed out that I was dressed in bright green. “So you must be a bogey,” he remarked. I’ve kept my observations to myself ever since. At the top of Dovedale sits Milldale, entered across the stone packhorse arch known as Viator’s Bridge. It gets its name from a wonderful 17thcentury tome called The Compleat Angler, written by the obsessive fisherman, thinker and walker, Izaak Walton. It’s the earliest known treatise on the art of fishing, and Walton wrote much of it while indulging his passion here on the River Dove. The book relates the chats of two characters (thinly
disguised versions of Walton and his friend Charles Cotton); one codenamed Piscator (‘Fisherman’) and the other Viator (‘Traveller’). At Milldale, Viator moans about the bridge that was there in his time, complaining that “a mouse could not cross it; ’tis not two fingers broad!” This may explain why they built a better one for him. Izaak Walton: spiritual father of TripAdvisor. Milldale itself is gorgeous, being a tiny cluster of stone-built homes implausibly shoehorned into a wooded dell. And the tiny tearoom of Polly’s Café (a window in a wall) is perfect for tea and ice cream. So there you have it: the theme park of the walking world, from rollercoaster path to perfect refreshments stop. And as befits an Alton Towers comparison, Dovedale is popular; perhaps sometimes too popular. But sometimes you have to accept that things are popular for a reason. Dovedale is easily one of the prettiest places in England. And that’s a darn good reason, I’d say.
ILAM ROCK This limestone buttress hides a secret path up the wall of Dovedale for those prepared for a muddy scramble.
WALK HERE: See WALK 1 in this book. COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 11
The spectacular limestone pinnacle of Drabber Tor dominates the Dove as it gallops through Wolfscote Dale.
12 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
W H ITE P E A K WO LFSCOTE DALE
VALLEY OF THE WOLF
Just north of Dovedale is a quieter, calmer valley flanked by little-walked hills where wildflowers run riot… COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 13
REEF ENCOUNTER The reef mountains of Dowel Dale are a thrilling reminder that the White Peak once lay a very long way from here‌
20 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
W H ITE P E A K REEF MOUNTAINS Once the floor of a warm tropical ocean, the pointy limestone cones of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill (behind) have come a long way to get here.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 21
PHOTO: © © ALAN NOVELLI / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
The distinctive mini-peak of Shutlingsloe as seen from Shining Tor. Often called ‘Cheshire’s Matterhorn’, it represents the border between the Peak District and the Cheshire Plain beyond.
28 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
SO UTH W E S T P E A K S H UTLI N G S LO E
THE LITTLE
MATTERHORN Fair enough, the comparison with its Swiss counterpart is a little stretched. But Shutlingsloe is still very special – a miniature mountain that guards a hidden universe of water, woods and wilderness.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 29
PHOTO: JAMES OSMOND PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY
Fragile land: the collapsed east face of Mam Tor, with the Great Ridge beyond.
32 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
DA R K P E A K G R E AT R I D G E
THE
SHIVERING MOUNTAIN A hill that eats roads. The mining of a one-of-a-kind gemstone. And quite possibly the nation’s favourite walk. Find out why the Mam Tor and the Great Ridge make up the ultimate Peak District day out…
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 33
The gritstone ridge of Stanage Edge sails high above the Derbyshire dales, for what looks like forever‌
36 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
DA R K P E A K S TANAG E EDG E
LIVING ON THE EDGE This is Stanage Edge, the longest outcrop of millstone grit in England. If it doesn’t scream ‘walk here now’ at you, you may not be human…
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 37
PHOTO: © ELI PASCALL-WILLIS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Kinder Downfall, with Hayfield and Kinder Reservoir in the distance. This is where walkers made history.
40 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
DA R K P E A K K I N D ER SCO UT
ON THE
WAR PATH
This incredible Dark Peak view was once out of bounds to walkers. But on April 24th 1932, 400 working-class heroes set out to stake their claim to this mountain – and we’ve been reaping the rewards ever since. COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 41
THE WHITE
TO DARK Got a bank holiday weekend to play with? Then go from White Peak to Dark Peak on our fantastic 27-mile trail‌
48 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
TH E W H ITE TO DA R K I N TH R EE DAYS
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 49
40 ROUTES with Ordnance Survey Maps
YOUR PASSPORT TO THE
PEAK DISTRICT We’ve collected the 40 greatest walks in Britain’s favourite national park. From Bakewell to Bradwell, from Curbar to Castleton – discover the amazing places that make the Peak so special…
A few of our favourites… 07
19
LATHKILL DALE
WINDGATHER ROCKS
22
See this view for yourself on Walk 29
38
LYME PARK
THE WHITE TO DARK
PHOTO: © JAMES GRANT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
DERWENT EDGE
THE PEAK DISTRICT
IN YOUR HAND The next 40 pages contain all the information you need to enjoy fantastic walks in the Peak District. Here’s a breakdown of how they work…
WALK INFORMATION
GRADE Our routes are graded easy, moderate, challenging or occasionally extreme, depending on distance, terrain, elevation and ease of navigation.
An estimate of how long the route will take, based on a pace of about two miles per hour, with allowances made for slower, more hilly routes.
ABBREVIATIONS We have abbreviated left to L and right to R to save space in our directions. Some routes also abbreviate points of the compass to N, S, E & W.
PLANNING This panel gives you an indication of whether the walk is suited to your abilities plus all the practical information you need on parking, refreshments and public transport.
MAPS Follow the red route marked on the map. Our maps are based on Ordnance Survey Landranger (1:50,000) and Explorer (1:25,000) maps, where each square represents 1km x 1km.
OUR EXPERTS
NB: It’s essential to take the relevant Ordnance Survey map with you in case you get lost and inadvertently leave the area covered by our map.
All our routes are written by experienced and knowledgeable walkers who are experts at finding the best walks in their area and describing them clearly.
WANT MORE WALKS LIKE THESE? Every issue, Country Walking magazine has 27 route cards covering the whole country. And if you subscribe, you get FREE access to the entire archive – that’s well over 1,000 walks! Once you’ve subscribed, you can register on our partner website www.trailzilla. com and search the area you want to visit. You can then download the walks you want – and even send a digital version of the route to your phone or GPS device. Find great subscription offers at www.greatmagazines.co.uk/country-walking-magazine
56 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
RO U TE S I NTRO D U C TI O N
WALKS INDEX
The order runs loosely from south to north, and west to east…
01 Derbyshire/Staffordshire Dovedale
WHITE PEAK
02 Derbyshire Wolfscote Dale
SOUTH WEST PEAK
03 Derbyshire Matlock
HOLMFIRTH
37
04 Derbyshire Nine Ladies Stone Circle
DARK PEAK WHITE TO DARK
36
05 Staffordshire Longnor 06 Staffs/Derbys Chrome, Parkhouse & Hollins Hills 07 Derbyshire Lathkill Dale 08 Derbyshire Robin Hood’s Stride
34
09 Derbyshire Chee Dale 10 Derbyshire Litton 11 Derbyshire Monsal Head
GLOSSOP
35
12 Derbyshire Eyam & Foolow 13 Cheshire Danebridge 14 Staffordshire Tittesworth Reservoir
28
15 Staffordshire The Roaches
33
16 Staffordshire Flash
29
32
26
17 Cheshire Shutlingsloe 18 Cheshire/Derbyshire Goyt Valley 19 Derbyshire Windgather Rocks 20 Derbyshire Combs
30
27
25
CASTLETON
40
22
21 Derbyshire Peak Forest
23
21
20
22 Cheshire Lyme Park
31
19
23 Derbyshire Bradwell 25 Derbyshire Cracken Edge
12
18
24 Derbyshire Curbar & Chatsworth
10
BUXTON
17
9
39 11
24
26 Derbyshire South Head 27 Derbyshire The Great Ridge 38 BAKEWELL
16
28 Derbyshire Alport Castles 29 Derbyshire Ladybower Reservoir 30 Derbyshire Stanage Edge
13
15
8
5
31 Derbyshire/S Yorks Grindleford 32 Derbyshire Kinder Scout
7
6
4
14
33 Derbyshire Kinder Trespass Trail
3
LEEK
34 South Yorkshire Langsett 35 Derbyshire Bleaklow 36 West Yorkshire Black Hill
2
37 West Yorkshire Dovestones Moss 38 White To Dark – Day 1 Bakewell To Litton
1
39 White To Dark – Day 2 Litton To Hathersage 40 White To Dark – Day 3 Hathersage To Hope
04
15
ASHBOURNE
28
40
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 57
WHITE PEAK – LATHKILL DALE
7
DERBYSHIRE LATHKILL DALE
uDistance: 11.1km/7 miles uTime: 3½ hours uGrade: Moderate
PLAN YOUR WALK ROUTE
PHOTO: ©MARK TITTERTON/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Start/parking Moor Lane car park near Youlgreave/Middleton, grid ref SK194644 Is it for me? Good tracks/paths, some lane walking. Some moderate ascents/descents. Overgrown paths in summer – take poles. Dogs on leads Stiles 15
PLANNING Nearest town Bakewell Refreshments On route Public toilets None Public transport None to start Map Ordnance Survey OL 24 – White Peak; Landranger 119
The classic limestone contours of Lathkill Dale.
L
athkill Dale is a ‘classic’ limestone Dale; one of the finest to be found in The Peak District. The River Lathkill flows along it and provides some lovely wooded landscapes. This route drops into Lathkill Dale via Cales Dale and then follows excellent paths and tracks easterly along the Dale. From Conksbury Bridge some lane walking followed by field paths return you to the start.
1
2
2.4km/1½ miles Drop down steps into Cales
Ordnance Survey mapping ©Crown Copyright 2015 in association with Memory-Map/Bauer Media’s Media Licence number 057/15
Start Exit car park going L on lane. At road junction/Give Way cross straight over, passing through stile and gate. Go half L across field. Cross stile (wall)cutting half R over corner of next field. Cross stile passing through gate. Rise towards trees to
pass through kissing gate continuing towards copse. Pass through gate into woods. Descend track exiting trees via stile/gate in field corner. Continue towards farm. Just before gate/field corner cross track and go through kissing gate. Follow path on R of wood curving L through kissing gate. Enter woodland going half R. Pass through gate going R of farm over field (wall L). Pass through kissing gate into woods. Descend through kissing gate. Descend field passing through kissing gate before gate. Follow sign for ‘Cales Dale’ passing through kissing gate in bottom R corner. Go half R on path through gate to descend through kissing gate (wall/sign).
Dale. At bottom cross stile and rise to path junction. Go R signposted ‘Lathkill Dale’ following path to descend Cales Dale. Descend to pass through gate/cross bridge. Rise to path junction in Lathkill Dale.
3
2.75km/1¾ miles Go R down Lathkill Dale following path (river R). Follow dale to pass through kissing gate. Continue on path through trees/ open areas (odd crags above). Cross stile (wall) continuing down dale on improving path. After weir pass through two gates in quick succession to enter ‘Penny Toll’ section of the dale. Follow wider path passing bridge/old building on R. Pass stone pillars continuing on path through gate/opening into open ground. After pair of gates
Buy maps at: www.ordnance survey. co.uk/mapshop
fork R at buildings to Lathkill Lodge/bridge. Go L before bridge, passing lodge. Pass through gate, up stone steps rising with fence R. Pass through gate/stile and another gate. Follow river R past weirs to pass through large kissing gate at end of meadow. Continue through gap/gate to Conksbury Bridge.
4
7.6km/4¾ miles Go R over bridge. Climb up lane leaving it higher up facing telegraph pole/footpath sign L to go R on surfaced track for ‘Meadow Place’. Follow track through gate curving L to climb through gate/opening. Soon descend through gate/opening to farmyard. Go L before first barn to cross stile. Follow walled track exiting via gate to footpath sign/fork. Go half R by wall. When wall bends R go ahead up field to cross stile/wall. Go half L crossing stile in field corner. Go half L towards trees to cross stile to road.
5
10.1km/6¼ miles Cross straight over. Cross stile following path down meadow through gate. Pass through copse exiting via stile. Follow path on L field edge. Cross stile by gate to lane. Go R to car park. Steve Goodier
64 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
SOUTH WEST PEAK – THE ROACHES & LUD'S CHURCH
15
STAFFORDSHIRE THE ROACHES & LUD’S CHURCH
uDistance: 13km/8 miles uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Moderate Up high on the rocky ridgeline of the Roaches.
PLAN YOUR WALK ROUTE Start/parking Lay-by 1.5km north-west of Upper Hulme, grid ref SK005619 Is it for me? Good paths, a few climbs, one indistinct section near end Stiles 1
PLANNING
PHOTO: TOM BAILEY
Nearest town Leek Refreshments None Public toilets None Public transport Moorlands Connect bus to Paddock Farm, 1km from start Maps Ordnance Survey Explorer OL24; Landranger 118 & 119
T
he Roaches in the south-west Peak District derive their name from the French les roches meaning ‘the rocks’, and it’s appropriate as mighty blocks and strangely shaped boulders of gritstone pepper the long ridgeline that this route tracks. Great views aren’t just found up top on the escarpment, though – the walk also delves into the
bedrock, exploring the mossy ravine of Lud’s Church.
1
Start Walk uphill to bend in road and turn R at footpath sign to follow path up beside wall on R, with Rockhall Cottage in the crags over to your L. Bear R beside wall, past marker, and keep R at fork to follow wall round to bench with gate to R. Turn L away from gate, on path heading uphill into rocks,
keeping L halfway up. Continue climbing, passing between two gate stones and continue through boulders with rock stacks up to R. Turn R uphill at end of trees to ascend flagged/stepped path through gap in rocks to ridgeline.
2
0.8km/½ mile Turn L along ridgeline path with low wall and crags down to L. Pass Doxey Pool on R and continue on rocky path along ridge to reach triangulation point. Continue on path beyond and follow it down through rocks to flagstoned section which descends to a Tarmac lane.
3
Ordnance Survey mapping ©Crown Copyright 2015 in association with Memory-Map/Bauer Media’s Media Licence number 057/15
3.2km/2 miles Cross over and go up steps ahead, through squeeze-stile by sign for ‘Lud’s Church’. Walk ahead across small field with wall on R, through gate, and on along path with wall L. Continue to path junction and fork R on higher path signed ‘Swythamley via Ridge’. Go straight on at next junction, signed ‘Swythamley/Danebridge’ (ignore turn to R for Lud’s Church). Go through gate and uphill with wall R. Keep going to pass through gate and follow path to junction with fingerpost by wall.
4
5.5km/3½ miles Turn R, signed ‘Lud’s Church’ and walk along path with wall L, curving round to R and through woods to path junction by rock stack. Take R fork, signed ‘Lud’s Church’, to soon reach entrance to gorge on R. Walk in, curving L to
72 COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT
Buy maps at: www.ordnance survey. co.uk/mapshop
descend into Lud’s Church and explore. Return the way you came in and turn R to carry on along path through woods to junction and sign. Go straight on signed ‘Roaches’ and continue through woods to another junction. Turn R, signed ‘Roaches’ and walk up flagged path, which soon meets wall on L and leads up to stile at top. Go over and turn immediately L through squeeze-stile to lane.
5
8.3km/5¼ miles Cross over to pick up path from earlier and retrace your steps along ridgeline, past trig point and Doxey Pool, turning R back down stepped path, L through trees and down to reach bench by wall.
6
11.1km/7 miles Go ahead through gate, cross field and go through another gate, then follow clear path ahead up Hen Cloud. At summit, turn L on steps up through crag, then R to follow crags along top. The next section is steep and paths vague – fork L at end of rocks, then L again to wind your way down through rocky outcrops to woods and on downhill through trees. Bear R to pick up path round hill, which drops to a track (Roaches Hall drive). Go R and follow it all the way to the road. Turn R to walk on verge back to the start point. Jenny Walters