• Darwen Tower , Darwen – Built in 1898 to commemorate both the jubilee of Queen Victoria and the victory of the local people to win access to the moor. This octagonal tower with its two viewing platforms looks at a distance like a space rocket. In later years the structure became dilapidated, but in the early 1970s it was restored.
• Hartshead Pike, Mossley – The present Pike was built in 1863, probably built by mill workers to give them some work during the cotton famine. The tall circular tower with a conical roof overlooks the plain of Manchester. In January 1928 it was damaged by storm, after which funds were raised to repair it to its present state.
• Lund Tower, Above Cowling – It is believed it was built by James Lund of Malsis Hall, but why or when he built is a mystery. A viewing platform at the top is freely accessible by a winding staircase.
• Nab End Tower, Longwood (Overlooking Colne Valley) – This tower was erected by local working folk, as a novelty for the Longwood "Thump" (Feast) of 1861. No architects were employed or plans made. The young men of the neighbourhood, simply purloined stones from disused delfs nearby. Neighbours provided them with money for drinks. The work was supervised by a local mason George Hellawell, who was deaf and dumb. His initials and the date are carved on a stone set into the tower.
• Peels Monument, Ramsbottom – The tower, first opened 9 September 1852, was built to commemorate Sir Robert Peel, famous as the founder of the police force. He was born in nearby Bury in 1788. During the 1939-45 war the tower was used as a look out post. It was closed to the public in 1947, but restored and re-opened in 1985.
• Rivington Pike, near Horwich – The oldest Tower in the South Pennines, this was built for John Andrews in 1733. The tower is 5m square and 6m high and stands about 360m above sea level. It once had a wooden roof, windows and fireplace. In 1902 Liverpool corporation proposed to demolish it. The tower is now protected as a listed building.
• Standsfield Tower, Above Blacko – This circular rough stone tower was built by a local grocer, Jonathan Stansfield. It is said he hoped to see into Ribbledale, but it was never built high enough. One night in 1964 it was mysteriously whitewashed by person / persons unknown.
• Stoodley Pike Monument, Mankinholes (near Hebden Bridge) – Situated where it can be seen throughout the upper Calder Valley, the original pike was built to commemorate the surrender of Paris, March 1814. It fell when it was struck by lightening on the very moment war was declared on Russia in 1854. The Pike was rebuilt in 1856. A dark internal winding staircase, gives access to the viewing platform.
• Victoria Tower (Jubilee Tower), Huddersfield -Situated on the site of a Norman keep, which in turn was built on a Brigantian hill fort. The tower was built in 1898 to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. When the foundations were dug out in 1897, the dungeons of the old keep were found. Unfortunately they were filled in with rubble and now lie lost under several tons of heavy masonry. The tower standing almost 100 feet high, was built by public conscription, and is now open on bank holidays and summer weekends.
• Wainwrights Tower, Halifax – Built by John Edwards Wainwright in 1898. Built allegedly to overlook a neighbours estate, The tower is in fact a dye works chimney, which was given a staircase and viewing turrets.

The Cragg Coiners

(Heptonstall)
Early coins were made of precious metals, such as gold. They were roughly made especially the foreign coins, such as the Portuguese Moidores, which were in wide circulation in the eighteenth century. They could easily be clipped and the gold produced used to make counterfeit coins.

In the middle of the eighteenth century there were several gangs of coiners operating in this area. One of the more notorious of these gangs were the Cragg Vale Coiners, led by ‘King’ David Hartley. Their homes and hiding places, Keelham SD997244 and Bell House SD996246, can still be seen in a remote corner of the vale. Some of the equipment they used can be seen at the Hinchcliffe Arms Cragg Vale.

Some key members of the gang including ‘King’ David Hartley were captured and Hartley was hung in York in 1770. His grave can be seen in at Heptonstall SD997280 churchyard and in the Heptonstall museum is more of the equipment used by the coiners The gang foolishly murdered William Deighton, the official who investigated Dave Hartley, and most of them were subsequently caught, tried and hung their bodies displayed in chains on Beacon Hill in Halifax as a gruesome warning to other coiners.

The Brontës

Brontë, The family name of three important literary sisters; Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), Emily (Jane) Brontë (1818-1848), and Anne Brontë (1820-1849) who were born in Thornton, Yorkshire. Their father, Patrick Brontë, who had been born in Ireland, was appointed rector of Haworth, a village on the South Pennine Moors. In 1824, when their mother died, Charlotte and Emily were sent to the Clergy Daughters’ School in Cowan Bridge; this was the original on which was modelled the infamous Lowood School of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre. Charlotte and Emily were later taken away from the school due to the grim conditions and the sisters’ illness.

The Brontë children wrote about the imaginary kingdom of Angria-the property of Charlotte and brother Branwell-and the kingdom of Gondal-which belonged to Emily and Anne. A hundred tiny hand-written volumes (started in 1829) of the chronicles of Angria survive, but nothing of the Gondal saga (started in 1834), except some of Emily’s poems.

Charlotte went away to school again, in Roe Head, in 1831, returning home a year later to continue her education and teach her sisters. She returned to Roe Head in 1835 as a teacher, taking Emily with her. In 1842, conceiving the idea of opening a small private school of their own, and to improve their French, Charlotte and Emily went to Brussels, to a private boarding school. The death of their aunt, who had kept house for the family, compelled their return, however. Emily stayed at Haworth as housekeeper. Anne became governess in a family near York. Charlotte went back to Brussels, her experiences there forming the basis of the rendering, in Villette (1853), of Lucy Snow’s loneliness, longing and isolation.

Charlotte’s discovery of Emily’s poems led to the decision to have the sisters’ verses published; these appeared, at their own expense, as Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (1846), each sister using her own initials in these pseudonyms. Two copies were sold.

Each sister then embarked on a novel. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre was published first, in 1847; Anne’s Agnes Grey and Emily’s Wuthering Heights appeared a little later that year. Speculation about the authors’ identities was rife until they visited London and met their publishers.

On their return to Haworth Emily caught cold and died December 19, 1848. Anne too died, on May 28, 1849. Her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, had been published the year before; the account of a drunkard’s degeneration, it was as deeply rooted in personal observation as Agnes Grey, the study of a governess’ life.

Alone now with her father at Haworth, Charlotte resumed work on the novel Shirley (1849). This was the least successful of her novels, although its depiction of the struggle between masters and workers in the Yorkshire weaving industry a generation earlier precluded Charlotte’s relying solely on intense subjectivity. This strain of realism was the source of her power, as can be seen earlier in Jane Eyre and later in Villette and The Professor (1857). In 1852, Charlotte married her father’s curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls. Pregnant in 1855, she became ill and died March 31 of that year of tuberculosis.

Since their deaths, new generations of readers have been fascinated by the circumstances of the Brontës” lives, their untimely deaths, and their astonishing achievements. Jane Eyre’s popularity has never waned; it is a passionate expression of female issues and concerns. The Brontës’ transcendent masterpiece, however, is almost certainly Emily’s novel Wuthering Heights, a story of passionate love, in which irreconcilable principles of energy and calm are ultimately harmonised.

Winter Hill Mass Trespass 1896

Winter Hill is the highest point on the moors between the towns of Bolton, Preston and Blackburn. Most of the moors are part of the Smithills Estate, owned by the Ainsworths, an old Bolton family who profited from the slave trade in the 18th Century. In the summer of 1896, Colonel Richard Henry Ainsworth erected gates across access roads, fixed "Trespassers will be prosecuted" signs and hired men to warn people off the property. The public outcry led to a small advertisement appearing in the Bolton paper, paid for by the Social Democratic Federation. It invited the public to join a demonstration on Sunday morning, 6 September 1896, to test the right of way over Winter Hill.

A crowd of 1000 met in Bolton to listen to some speeches. Numbers increased tenfold as they marched up Halliwell road towards the edge of the moor. At the gate they were confronted by a small contingency of police. According to the Bolton Chronicle, "Amid the lusty shouting of the crowd the gate was attacked by powerful hands…… short work was made of the barrier, and with a ring of triumph the demonstrators rushed through onto the disputed territory."

Plans were soon in place to repeat the procession. A song was commissioned.
"Will you come on Sunday morning’,
For a walk o’er Winter Hill.
Ten thousand went last Sunday,
But there’s room for thousands still!"

"O the moors are rare and bonny,
And the heather’s sweet and fine,
And the road across this hill top,
Is the public’s – Yours and mine!"

Despite some rain the following Sunday, 2000 people came and listened to speeches. Again the crowd grew as it set off for the moor, completely blocking Halliwell Road.

This spontaneous movement of 1896 did not quite achieve what it set out to do. For years the right of access to Winter Hill was embroiled in the British Legal System. However less than 40 years later, better organised and more capable men set in train the events of Kinder Scout, which proved momentous to those who enjoy the freedom to roam our hills and moors.

Kinder Mass Trespass 1932

Access to the large area of moorland, between the Manchester and Sheffield conurbations, was severely restricted. Its only use being for grouse shooting and water collection. Repeated attempts to introduce an Access to Mountains Bill, were rejected. The sportsmen claimed "You can’t have ramblers and grouse!" The water engineers believed that ramblers on their water gathering ground so close to the cities might cause a typhoid epidemic.

In 1932 more than 400 people met at Hayfield for a much publicised mass trespass on Kinder Scout. This act of public defiance contributed to the development of the Peak District National Park and the Pennine Way.
(See Forbidden Land by Tom Stephenson)

Walkleys Clogs (Mytholmroyd)

The wooden soled footwear known as clogs were once worn by everyone but the wealthy in these parts and its history stretches back to the romans. On the road between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd is Maude Walkleys Clogs. The only surviving clog making factory in the world. It is part factory, part museum, part shop and part restaurant. It offers visitors a first hand view of one of the oldest crafts and traditions which characterise the north of England. It is open daily and is well worth a visit.

Dock Pudding (Mythemroyd)

The passion dock (Bistort), which grows in the area, are used to make a real Yorkshire delicacy. The leaves are boiled with nettles and oats, and then cooked in a frying pan

Low level route – Distance: 24.5 km – Climb: 300 metres Time: 7 hour 30 mins (excluding breaks)

Start:  "The Wagon and Horses" – Langsett GridRef: SE 211005

Finish:  "Ye Derwent Hotel" – Bamford – GridRef: SK 208834

Going: xx.

Waymarking: We are following the Alternative Pennine Way, which is not waymarked.

Maps:

• Outdoor Leisure 1 (The Peak District – Dark Peak area) 1:25 000 scale

Books:

• The Alternative Pennine Way – by Denis Brook & Phil Hinchliffe – Published by Cicerone Press, Police Square, Minthorpe – ISBN 1-85284-095-1

Langsett – Cut Gate End 6.5 km

  Start:  "The Wagon and Horses" – Langsett GridRef: SE 211005 Altitude: 250 m

Take the path behind the pub and get onto the north shore of Langsett Reservoir. Go west along path on the shore for about 1.5 km. About 150m beyond the end of the reservoir, join the path that crosses the Little Don River, here it is no more than a stream.

  1.5 km Little Don Stream

A well defined path crosses the stream and zigzags to the south. It swinging east for 100 m and then back to the west, as you climb upto Highcliffe Common. The path goes to the east of the common, crossing the top of the tiny stream Ratten Gutter.

After reaching an altitude of around 350 m, you dip down to cross Haslingshaw Stream, which flows off to the west. In a further 300 m you reach a national park access point which is the start of Mickleden Edge.

  3.2 km Mickleden Edge

The path follows the edge, with Mickleden Beck down below to the right, for about 1.5 km due south.

For the next 2 km the path climbs more slowly, through a area of deep peat. Cut Gate Path at places makes a deep cutting in the peat. It is difficult to give a compass bearing as the path is curving gradually towards the west, so keep to the well defined path. The highest point of the crossing is Cut Gate End at 530 m altitude.

Cut Gate End – Howden Dam – 5.5 km

  6.5 km Cut Gate End – 530 m altitude – 2 hours 30 mins

From here a well defined path lead SW down the hill. After 1.5 km you descend into a steep sided valley, Cranberry Clough. This bring you onto the banks of the River Derwent at Slippery Stones.

  8.7 km Slippery Stones

Keep to the path on the east of the River Derwent. In 700 m or so you should reach the top of the Howden Reservoir, but this depends on how full the reservoir is.

Follow the east shore of the reservoir for 2.5 km, till you reach the Dam

Howden Dam – Ladybower Inn – 8.2 km

12.0 km Howden Dam – 270 m altitude – 4 hours 30 min

Follow the track along the lower, Derwent Reservoir for about 500 m, to where a path on the left goes up into Abbey Tip plantation.

12.5 km Abbey Tip plantation

• Here you have a choice-
  • The high level route via Derwent Edge and Stanage Edge
  • The Low level route via Ladybower Inn – (12 km to Bamford from here)

The low level route takes you along the side of Derwent Reservoir for 4.2 km

14.7 km Derwent Dam

After descending from the dam you pick up a good road for 1.5 km to Wellhead. After a further 1 km you take a path through the woods along Ladybower Reservoir.

This path takes us almost to the viaduct where the A57 crosses the reservoir.

19.2 km Ladybower Viaduct

Don’t joint the main A57 road, but take the track that keeps to the north of the road. In 1 km this descends to the Ladybower Inn. 

Ladybower Inn – Bamford – 4 km

20.2 km Ladybower Inn – 6 hour 30 mins

There is no choice but to follow the road from here for 1.2 km. Return along the A57 for 200 m, then turn left down the A6013 towards Bamford.

21.5 km Ladybower Dam

Below the dam take the path on the right which cuts SW to the valley bottom. When you reach the small road, turn right across the bridge and then follow the road south for 1.5 km to a point just short of Thornhill village.

23.5 km Thornhill

A public footpath on the left, takes you down to the flat meadows on the valley bottom. Follow the path across the fields for 500 m to the stepping stones across the River Derwent. Go round the left of the mill to a lane that runs NE into Bamford village.

24.5 km Bamford - 7 hour 30 mins

At the main road turn right and in 100m you will reach Ye Derwent Hotel

Finish:  "Ye Derwent Hotel" – Bamford – GridRef: SK 208834

Distance: 24 km – Climb: less than 100 metres – Time: 6 hours (excluding breaks)

Start:  "The White Lion" – Market Place- Clitheroe GridRef: SD743419

Finish:  "The Myerscough" – Samlesbury – GridRef: SD 618312

Going: Mainly gentle riverside walking, beware bulls.

Waymarking: The Ribble Way is well waymarked as far as Ribchester Bridge. After that, following the field paths around Balderstone takes some navigation and the Pathfinder Map 680 is highly recommended.

Maps:

• Pathfinder 669 (Clitheroe & Chipping) 1:25 000 scale
• Pathfinder 680 (Longridge & Grt Harwood) 1:25 000 scale

Books:

• The Ribble Way – A 70 Mile Walk – by Gladys Sellers -Cicerone Press – ISBN 0902 363 697-
  My edition of this is dated 1985 and the route has been changed in places by the Lancashire Planning Office so try also to get the following booklet.
• The Ribble Way – by Ian Goldthorp – for Lancashire County Council and Yorkshire dales National Park
  Obtain from – County Planning Office, Eastcliffe, County Office, PO Box 160, Preston PR1 3EX
  Telephone: 01772 263920

Clitheroe – Great Mitton 5.5 km

  Start:  "The White Lion" – Market Place

Leave the market place and go SW heading for the castle. Go round the right side of the castle down the B6243 signposted to Longridge. After 1.5 km along this road you will reach the Ribble at Eadsford Bridge.

2 km Eadsford Bridge

Do not cross the bridge, but turn south and keep to the east bank. After 1 km, at Siddows, you will join a small lane for 800m to Shuttleworth Farm. From here there is a riverside path again, for 1.3 km, to Mitton Bridge, by the "Aspinall Arms".

•  -"Aspinall Arms" – Tel: 01245 86223

5 km Mitton Bridge

Cross the bridge and in 500m you will come to Great Mitton, where you will find "The Three Fishes" .

Great Mitton – Hurst Green – 5.5 km

5.5 km Great Mitton

Continue north through Great Mitton along the B6246. In 600m keep left at junction with minor road going west for 500m to Lower Hodder Bridge.

6.7 km Lower Hodder Bridge

•  Cromwell’s Bridge 20 m downstream from Lower Hodder Bridge is a picturesque ruin of a three arch medieval bridge. Here in 1684 Cromwell made the decision to advance along the north bank of the Ribble to cut off the Scots at Preston.

Cross the Hodder, a main tributary of the Ribble, and continue up the road for 300m or so until you find a stile on your left, opposite a lane on the right.

• If you are short of time you can continue along the B6246 into Hurst Green and save 3 km and 45 minutes.

Take the stile on the left and cut through Spring wood to Winckley Hall Farm.

8 km Winckley Hall Farm

From here starts a very pleasant 2.4 km walk along the banks of the Ribble. Where a small wood meets the river, the path winds north west up to the village of Hurst Green.

Hurst Green – Ribchester Bridge – 4 km

•  "Shireburn Arms" Tel: 01254 86518
•  "Bayley Arms" Tel: 01254 86478
•  Stoney Hurst College Just 1.5 km to the north, up Sir Nicholas Shirebrook’s Avenue and between two pond you can visit one of the leading boarding schools for Roman Catholic boys. The impressive gate house dates from 1595, though most of the buildings of the hall date from 1799. There is a fine chapel dating from 1877.

11 km Hurst Green

Take Lamb Clough Lane directly south out of the village and reach the river an about 1 km. From here you can see Dinkley footbridge, which offers an alternative route along the south of the river.

100 m before the footbridge, the Ribble Way turns right across the fields to Hey Hurst Farm. Shortly after the farm the path brings you out onto a ridge above Coppy Scar.

  13.5 km Coppy Scar Ridge

•  The 30 m high ridge in a meander of the river offers good views east to Pendle Hill.

From here the path descend through Haugh Wood to the banks of the river. After 1 km you will reach Dewhurst House. Go through the farmyard and follow the track south east that will bring you to Ribchester Bridge in another 500m.

Ribchester Bridge – Balderstone 6 km

15 km Ribchester Bridge

Cross the bridge and turn right towards Blackburn, passing "De Tabley Arms" . In about 500 m, there is a small car park on the right. From this car park a public right of way leads across the fields to the west. The path is marked by small yellow arrows labeled Ribchester Walks.

Keeping roughly to the direction of WSW (240 deg), the path dips twice to two streams, which you can cross using substantial footbridges provided by Lancashire County Council. Just 400 metres from the car park, you will come to a narrow concrete farm road running up from a wide meander of the Ribble. Turn south and climb gently up the farm road.

16 km Roman Road

You are now on the course of an old roman road. This runs roughly SSE (160 deg) from the roman fort at Ribchester and no doubt was once the main way to the south. After 250 m, the farm road turns sharp left, but a stile on your right allows you to keep on in the SSE direction. After 300 m across the fields you come to another bit of lane, which you leave when it swings to the left. A line of electricity poles heads roughly in your direction. Keep just 10 degrees to the right of this pole line. Pass through a farm and leave by the farm track. 75m after the farm, at grid reference SD 662335 you will reach a little lane going east west.

17.5 km Grid Ref SD 662335

Turn right and follow the lane round a couple of bends until you work your way round to Showley Hall. Despite its name Showley Hall is now more than a few farm buildings. Follow the track that runs past the farm.

Just 100 m past Showley Hall the track enters a field. Be careful to turn WSW (230 deg) to find the stile into Mire Wood. The path crosses a footbridge and up through Old Park Wood, to Oxendale Hall.

19 km Oxendale Hall

•  Oxendale Hall is a fine old Tudor Building, with the date 1656 over the door.

Take the drive south to the lane and turn right to Park Gate. Where the lane takes a sharp turn to the south, you take the field path heading west to Balderstone. Don’t miss the stile on the right after crossing a footbridge. Generally keep a straight course following the hedges WSW (240 deg) to Pewter House Farm. A further 500 m will bring you to the lane at Balderstone

Balderstone – Myerscough Smithy (Samlesbury) 3 km

21 km Balderstone

Turn right along the road for 1.5 km, passed Lane Ends and along Jackson’s Bank Road.

When the main road turns left, you carry straight on along the lane passed Cheetham House. Carry on till you reach the track up to Pickering Fold Farm on the left.

23 km Pickering Fold Farm

Go down the drive to the farmyard and between the farm buildings a small gate lets you on to the path down to the footbridge over Bezza Brook. Cross the brook and turn left for 50 m to find the stile into the field to the south. Head ESE (120 deg) for 200 m to find the gate onto the track up to Rigby Fold Farm. Leave by the farm drive down to the main road at Myerscough Smithy.

At "The Myerscough" have a pint of Robinson’s for me.

Finish: 24 km  "The Myerscough" – Samlesbury – GridRef: SD 618312

Distance: 30 km – Climb: less than 50 metres – Time: 7.5 hours (excluding breaks)

Start:  " The White Lion " – Earby – GridRef: SD 926497

Finish:  "The White Lion" – Clitheroe – GridRef: SD743419

Going: This is a long walk, but the going is very easy. You start at 130m altitude and descending steadily to 80m. You leave the moorland Pennine Way behind at Earby and cross rolling farmland for about 12 km. Then you follow the banks of the Ribble down to Clitheroe.

Waymarking: Until you join the Ribble Way there are few signposts. Following field paths requires some navigation skills and the 1: 25 000 Outdoor Leisure 21 is highly recommended. The Ribble Way is well waymarked from Gisburn down to Clitheroe.

Maps:

• Outdoor Leisure 21 (South Pennines) 1:25 000 scale – Latest addition (printed on both sides) is essential as this now extends to overlap Pathfinder 669

• Pathfinder 669 (Clitheroe & Chipping) 1:25 000 scale

Books:

• The Ribble Way – A 70 Mile Walk – by Gladys Sellers -Cicerone Press – ISBN 0902 363 697-
  My edition of this is dated 1985 and the route has been changed in places by the Lancashire Planning Office so try also to get the following booklet.
• The Ribble Way – by Ian Goldthorp – for Lancashire County Council and Yorkshire dales National Park
  Obtain from – County Planning Office, Eastcliffe, County Office, PO Box 160, Preston PR1 3EX
  Telephone: 01772 263920

Earby to Leeds – Liverpool Canal – 3.5 km

Start:  " The White Lion " – Earby – GridRef: SD 926497

Walk into the centre of town, making for the four ways junction by the Post Office. Turn right and walk 100 m up the main road towards Skipton. Cross the road and take the track that goes under a bridge that once carried a railway line. Head due west toward Kay Field Farm, about 1 km off.

  2 km Kay Field Farm

Follow the track going west for 500m to a junction with a small lane and turn right. Follow this lane for about 200 m then take the path bearing NW towards the outskirts of Barnoldswick and the bridge over the Leeds – Liverpool Canal

Leeds – Liverpool Canal to Horton – 7 km

3.5 km Bridge over Canal

Cross the bridge and follow the towpath north, past several mills and factories of Barnoldswick, counting the bridges as you go. At the fourth bridge, including the one where you joined the canal, get off the tow path.

5 km Fourth bridge

Turn left, take the lane going east for about 100m, past a large building. Here a footpath heads off NW across the fields.

After 800m a small footbridge takes you over Stock Beck. Go east for about 500m to the top of a small rise to a junction with another path going north. This descends in only 300 m to another bridge crossing the beck. Cross the bridge and head NW to a small hamlet called Stock.

8 km Stock

At the lane through Stock, turn left for about 70 metres and take the path going NW roughly parallel with the beck. In 1500 m you will reach Monk Bridge, where the A59 crosses the beck.

Attention: The A59 is a very busy road where drivers show little regard for walkers.

9.5 km Monks Bridge

By the bridge is the "Coronation Arms" 

Follow the lane north for 1 km into Horton Hamlet.

Horton to Gisburn Bridge – 4.5 km

10.5 km Horton

After the village green, the main lane turns left and heads west for about 1 km. Just after a right-hand bend a track on the left goes west to Painley farm. Take this track and at the farm carry on along the path going west, not south west.

700 metres after the farm you should go under a railway line and emerge just 300 metres from the A682.

  13.5 km A682

Cross the road and almost opposite is a public right of way leading into Gisburn Park. This track heads off west for about 300 then turns left and descend to a bridge over Stock Beck.

Go straight on across the cross roads and be sure to keep to the right of way around the Hall. The tracks eventually descends to Gisburn Bridge on the River Ribble.

Gisburn Bridge to Sawley – 7 km

15 km Gisburn Bridge

At the bridge turn left and go up the slope toward Gisburn for 500m as far as Coppy House.

• If you were to continue a further 1000m up this road you would come to the small town of Gisburn. Here you would find "New Inn"  Tel: 01200 54264

15.5 km Coppy House

Look carefully on the left side of the road and you will see the Ribble Way sign pointing right across the road at what looks like a private road to Coppy House. Take this road for about 300 m towards some houses. Follow the signs carefully and you will loop round the left of the buildings, through a farmyard and across a steep sided little clough.

The path winds past Wheatley Farm; climbs a little towards the railway line; then descends to the river bank at Steep Wood. 500m after descending to the river you reach the weir opposite Fooden Gill.

18 km weir 

•  The river bank overlooking the weir makes an ideal resting place. The wooded banks on this stretch are very beautiful, especially in spring when flowers abound. Look out for bluebells, ramsons, cowslips, primrose, early purple orchids.

Keep to the well signed path along the river and you will pass through the delightful Cold Park Wood, pass below Rainsber Scar and down to Sawley lodge. At the lodge you join a metalled track into Sawley

Sawley to Clitheroe – 8 km

22 km Sawley

•  "The Spread Eagle" Sawley Tel: 01200 41202
•  Sawley Abbey The Cistercian Abbey founded in 1147, can be visited free of charge. Most of the outer walls remain and the site has been excavated to give an idea of the overall layout.

Follow the river road past the "Spread Eagle" and cross the picturesque stone bridge. Over the bridge, on the left hand side, a small stile lets you onto a short riverside path. After 300 metres, going west, you rejoin the road which you follow for a further 1 km as far as Foxley Bank.

23.5 km Foxley Bank

Just after Foxley Bank House, a stile on the left allows you to cross the fields to the south and regain the river bank. This you follow to Grindleton Bridge.

26 km Grindleton Bridge

Turn left and cross the bridge to the south. The road leads back SE for 300 metres before you take a stile on the right. This takes you along the rim of a small ridge that boarders Salthill Quarry. This brings you back down onto the river bank which you follow to Bradford Bridge.

28 km Bradford Bridge

Keep to the south bank for 1.5 km to Municipal Park at Brungerly Bridge.

29.5 km Brungerly Bridge

Turn left and follow the road into Clitheroe. Take the second left after the railway bridge and you enter the market place.

Finish: 30 km  "The White Lion" – Market Place, Clitheroe – GridRef: SD743419

Distance: 28 km – Climb: – Time: (excluding breaks)

Start: Diggle, Saddleworth, Diggle Hotel 

Finish:

Start: Diggle, Saddleworth, Diggle Hotel 

• Barges were legged through the canal tunnel to Marsden. This meant men would lie on their backs on the barges and effectively walk along the roof of the tunnel. The ‘Boat Lane’ was used to get the horses to Marsden.

Take the ‘Boat Lane’ from behind the pub, going NE up the hill. We are still on the Oldham way and it is well marked upto the farm at Diggle Edge and onto the moor. Note the tunnel spoil heaps, now largely overgrown, on your left as you climb and the occasional circular brick built ventilation shaft.

The ascent for the day is complete (Yippee!) when we reach the Brun Clough Reservoir and meet the A62 Oldham to Huddersfield road.

From here to the M62 we are in the short space between sheets 1 and 21 of the Outdoor Leisure Series 1:25,000. You need both the sheets 109 and 110 of the 1:50,000 series to fill this gap. The way is fairly well marked with stone cairns, but I recommend you use the maps in the National Trail Guide Book 5 for this section.

• 1.6 km A62 Standedge Cutting – - Cross the road and go NE up the road 200m and you meet the Pennine Way again. Take track running west for 300m. Climb a wooden stile on your right and you are back unto the open moor.

Follow the path marked with cairns along the moor edge for one kilometre to a trig point at 448m altitude. Just a few metres beyond this, cemented onto a rock facing SW, is a plaque to commemorate Ammon Wrigley, a local poet whose ashes are scattered here.

After a further 1.5 km the path splits. The Oldham Way goes west, but we take the gravelled Pennine way going north. This curves round gradually to the NE and reaches the A640 in another 1.5 km. Note the old packhorse track from Marsden also joins us here, from the east.

• 5 km A640 - – Cross the road and follow path marked with cairns NW over a slight rise. After 1000m we cross a stream and then climb for another 500m to the trig point on White Hill (altitude 466m). From here we go 500m west and then turn north. The path on this stretch is not well marked so note this turn carefully if the mist is down. Another kilometre brings us to the A672. Cross by a lay-by where a van serves hot drinks and snacks. Continue north to the right of the radio mast at Windy Hill. After just 500m the peace and quiet of the moor is suddenly destroyed by the roar of the M62 motorway.

9 km M62 Motorway

• The motorway passes through a deep cutting here so it is not until we stand on its rim that we are aware of the thunder of the trans-pennine traffic. We cross the cutting via a 150 m span foot bridge, built especially to carry the Pennine Way. Stand in the middle of the footbridge and pity the poor commuters and freight drivers passing beneath. You can see their faces behind the wheel mesmerised by speed.

Hurry over the bridge to get away from the noise. The path goes west for 300 m before turning NW onto the moor. Note the strange steel circle and wooden cross on the edge of the cutting put here I presume as a guide to the motorway builders. The way gets a bit boggy in area of redmires, but fortunately the worst bits are paved. Wooden posts join the occasional cairn to mark the climb upto the trig point (alt 472 m) on Blackstone edge.

• 11 km Blackstone Edge – - The white trig point stands on the top of one of the huge black boulders that form the edge. We follow the edge north for one kilometre to the Old Pack Horse Road.
• 12 km Aigin Stone – - A small standing stone marks the point were the way joins the pack horse road. Turn west and follow this track downhill. The paved section of this ancient road was once thought to be Roman, but is now thought to be more recent. After 400m we cross a waterworks channel that carries water to Blackstone Edge Reservoir. We follow this north for 800m to a quarry then left down to the A58. Turn right up the road and in 100m we reach the White House pub.
  • ‘The White House’ – 14 km – The welcome pub on the A58 serves good food and drink but has no accommodation. The nearest pub accommodation is at ‘The Huntsman’, at village of Summit, near Littleborough, a further 2.5 km in the valley bottom.

Accommodation Littleborough

The Huntsman – Grid ref: SD 947188 Tel: 0706 378009 Accommodation: 1T 3S Price per person B&B: £15.00 /£14.00 sharing. Transport: British Rail: 3 km Littleborough station

14 km ‘The White House’

• We follow the Pennine Way by continuing up the road another 100m to the foot of Blackstone Edge Reservoir. We cross the dam of Blackstone Edge Reservoir
  • The next 7 km the way is dead level. Good for fast walking or long talking. Watch out for curlews nesting on the moors and good views in the Rochdale Todmorden valley blow you to the west. This pass is the lowest crossing from Lancashire to Yorkshire and boasts a good transpennine links by road, rail and canal.
  • Follow the head drain to White Holme Reservoir and then along the dam of Warland Reservoir.
• 19 km Far end of Warland Reservoir – - Follow the drain 300 m north, then 600m east, then 500m north east, to where the drain doubles back south.
• 20.5 km Far end of Warland Drain – - we continue north over a section of the way that is well maintained. After 500m we pass a cairn on Coldwell Hill and we start a to descend. Good views open to the north and west of Todmorden and you should see Lumbutts Water Wheel Tower below you. After a 300 m the path turns west along the rim of the moor for 300 m.
• 22 km Withens Gate – - Here our way is crossed by the Calderdale Way which runs from west to east. Near by a tall white stone marked with a cross probably marks the ancient way from Todmorden to Cragg Vale.

For the youth hostel, turn west here and descend to Mankinholes in 1.2 km.

• We continue north east, climbing at first over an uneven track for 1.5 km to Stoodley Pike.

Accommodation Mankinholes, near Todmorden

Mankinholes YHA – grid ref: SD 960235 Tel: 01706 812340 Accommodation: 40 Beds Price per person B&B: £9.25

23.5 km Stoodley Pike

•  Leave the pike by descending the track to the east. In 500m pass through a stile, turn north and climb imediately over another stile and continue to descend for a further 500m to Swillington. Here we turn north west through a gate and across pasture for 400m until a stile on our right. Although this is not marked climb the stile and take the diagonal path north across a field until we meet a wall. Follow the wall north east to Rough Head Farm where it becomes a proper road. This road swings slowly north down a very green and wooded clough called Callis Wood.
• 26 km Callis Wood – - Look out for a bridleway sign on your right, just 300m after you start the wooded section of the clough. This takes us across the clough where it is still not to deep and wide. Descend 50m almost south to a bridge over the stream and turn north again onto the east rim of the clough. The path becomes a track and finally a metalled road running steeply down the hill into the centre of Hebden Bridge.
• At the bottom of the road from Callis Wood, turn first left then right onto the main A646 road. After 300m turn left at the turist office and at the top of that street is the White Lion.
• Finish: 28 km Hebden Bridge White Lion

Distance: 20 km – Climb: – Time: (excluding breaks)

Start: Padfield Village, Peels Arms 

Finish Diggle - Diggle Hotel 

Start: Padfield Village, Peels Arms 

• Turn left out of the front door of the Peels and turn right up Main Road. After just 50m there is a gap in the houses that leads to a track running NE through the fields After 1.5 km you gain access to the track that runs along the Old Woodhead Railway, now the Longdendale Trail.
• 1.5 km Longdendale Trail - The old Manchester to Sheffield railway via Woodhead has long been disused. The section from Hadfield to the Woodhead tunnel is now the part of the Longdendale Trail. We follow it for 3 km to bottom of Toreside Reservoir.
• 4.5 km Toreside Reservoir - Whilst it may be possible to cut the corner a bit, Buddy and I were too busy talking on this easy part of the walk to work out a shorter route. Better to go as far as the crossing with the B6105 Woodhead Road (yes the same road we met yesterday). This takes you 200m passed the end of the reservoir so you have to loop back to walk across the dam. You are now back on the official Pennine Way. At the far side of the dam take a new path going east along the north bank of the reservoir to the A628 (T) Manchester – Sheffield Road.

Follow the road to the east and after a few metres fork left up a track above the road. After 700 metres we find a track branching north up Crowden Valley.

If you go straight on east you will come to Crowden Youth Hostel.

If we are in good shape we go north. 

Crowden Accommodation

Crowden YHA, – SK 073993 Tel: 01629 825850 Accommodation: 50 Beds Price per person B&B: £9.25 Transport: Bus: National Express Manchester-Sheffield

6 km Crowden Valley

• Turn north and climb up the track that goes parallel with Crowden Great Brook. The track becomes a path that winds up and down the side of the valley. The valley is really a gritstone ravine and on an overcast day can look very sinister and threatening; a place of hobgoblins and giants. After 2 km the path starts to climb steeply crossing Oakenden Clough and upto Laddow Rocks. The climb from Crowden to the rocks is over 250m in altitude and the ground is very uneven so allow at least one hour for this climb.

• 8 km Laddow Rocks – - The Pennine way follows the edge to the NE, but the challenge here is to find the start of the path that runs NW towards Chew Reservoir. After 100 m from the start of the rocks a small stream runs to the left up onto the moor. Follow this for a few metres and you should pick up a chain of cairns that mark the way over the moor.

10 km Chew Reservoir

• At 480m above sea level this is the highest reservoir in the land. It is so flat and bleak here there is little more to be said. From the dam at the bottom of the reservoir is a metalled road, built by the water board, down Chew Valley.

Now if Crowden Valley was sinister, Chew Valley is evil. Black rocks hang threateningly from the rim of the deep ravine and huge boulders strew the valley. None of the rocks have moved in years but they look poised like props in a set to tumble down on the innocent hikers in some horror film. You have 2.5 km to savour this image before you reach the relative tranquillity of Dovestones Reservoir

• 12.5 km Dovestones Reservoir – - Here we join the well waymarked Oldham Way (owl symbol) and follow it all the way to Diggle. We go North, anticlockwise round the reservoir, to the dam across the bottom of Yeoman Hey reservoir. Climbing up through the forest plantation we reach to the Bin Green car park on the A635 Greenfield Holmfirth road.

14.5 km Bin Green car park

• Here there are toilets if you need them. Cross the A635 going slightly down hill for 50m and a track forks up to the right. This circles first west then north around the base of Alderman’s Hill and upto the obelisk at Pots and Pans.
• 16 km Pots and Pans – Pots and pans stone is a boulder with strange cup shaped dishes weathered into its top surface. The boulder is not high, so climb up and have a look for yourself. The view is something special. The obelisk is really a war memorial. On the Sunday nearest to the 11th of November, a brass band will climb upto this point 420 m above sea level for a rememberance service. As you scramble up the steep climb to the summit thank the almighty that you do not have to carry a tuba.

From Pots and Pans head straight onto the moor for 400 m NE to the Sugar Loaf rock. From here keep left along the rim of Saddleworth valley for another 500m. The path leads off the moor from here going west again. You should see Saddleworth Church ahead of you with a fine square tower.

• 18 km Saddleworth Church – - Here there are two great pubs, the first one you come to is the Cross Keys. You have walked 18 km and climbed twice to nearly 500m altitude so you will need some rest and recuperation. The Cross Keys has a stone paved bar at the back and is a favourite with walkers and climbers.

By the church, would you believe, there is the Church Inn, also worth a visit (hick!).

If you’ve time or energy its well worth hunting out Bill’s o Jack’s grave, at the south west corner of the grave yard. There carved on the tombstone is a gory tale of murder.

From the church itself take the lane going north for 2 km towards Diggle

• If you keep with the lane going north you will come out in the tiny hamlet of Diglea. Here you will find the Diggle Hotel
• 20 km Finish Diggle - Diggle Hotel

Distance: 22.5 km

Start: Ramblers Inn – SK 123855

Finish: Peels Arms, Padfield, near Glossop – SK 030960

Start: Edale – Ramblers Inn

• The Pennine way has two alternative routes out of Edale. Take the currently recommended route to the west. Go up the lane to the Post Office, then turn west across the fields and skirt the slopes of Broadlee-bank Tor. After two km descend to Upper Booth. Here turn north west and go up the tiny river Noe as far as Jacob’s Ladder.
• Jacob’s Ladder – 4.5 km – Jacob’s Ladder is the name of a steep path up to Edale Cross. In the first kilometre we climb up over 200m, so allow 40 minutes to reach the first plateau. The path divides here. Turn NNW and climb up another 100 m to Kinder Low. You should get a good view from here. At 633 m (2075 ft) above sea level there is nothing South of you in England that is higher. Follow the ridge NNE for two km to where the edge turns West at Kinder Downfall.

Kinder Downfall – 8.5 km -

• A small waterfall tumbles down a ragged outcrop. This is a barren spot, of wind worn rocks and sterile peat. Yet it does have a certain grandeur, and its hosts a unique flora and fauna (ref). The view below is of Kinder Reservoir feeding the town of Hayfield. This is the site of the famous Kinder mass trespass which led to the founding of the Peak District National Park. The path follows the escarpment, which turns NW here for two km. The path then descends steeply into the col at Ashop Head.

11 km Ashop Head -

Here a path running N-S crosses ours.

• If you turn south, you can go down William Clough to Kinder Reservoir and hence to Hayfield.
• If you turn north, you can follow Ashop Clough, to the Snake Pass. Alternative Route to Glossop- via Snake Pass Hotel, just 5 km away if you are weary.
• But we continue NW along the Pennine Way. And after just 300m we reach a low summit called Mill Hill marked by a cairn.

• Mill Hill Cairn – 11.3 km – The Pennine Way turns right here and goes North East along the watershed for 4 km to the A57.

In the past this 4 km section was slow and boggy, taking an hour and an half if you were lucky. Recently, by the miracle of job creation and the power of a helicopter, it has been paved with old stone slabs. The day Buddy and I discovered this hiker’s heavenly highway, the sun was shinning, the skylarks were souring overhead and we could not help singing as we tramped along. The sheep and the red grouse provided a plaintive chorus of ‘Bah!’ ‘Bah!’ and ‘Goback!’ ‘Goback!’. I guess they wanted this lonely wilderness to themselves.

Speeded by this fine footway you should reach the A57 in less than 50 minutes. Cross this busy road carefully and in another 400m more you reach the head of Doctor’s Gate. I suggest you count your steps carefully from the A57, because the turn off from the Pennine Way is marked only by a wooden signpost and wood does not last for long up here.

15.5 km Doctor’s Gate Path

Compared with the heavy foot bounding of the Pennine Way the path running NW down Doctor’s Gate is lightly used. After 100m from leaving the Pennine Way we come to the edge of ‘V’ shaped valley Doctor’s Gate named after the 16th century doctor who adopted it. The path descends steeply down the rock hillside, so watch your footing.

After about 2 km the path changes to the north bank of Shelf Brook. The further down from the moors we get the greener is the grass and the fatter the sheep. The wooded dome of Shire Hill at the foot of Doctor’s Gate nicely disguises the entrance to Old Glossop.

• Old Glossop – 20.5 km – By now your feet will be tired. There are three pubs near the church in the Village. The Weatsheaf is open all day at weekends, better chance of refreshment there.

Fortified and rested we are ready for the last 2 km to Padfield. Go up the alley between the two pubs and keep going NW through the residential estate for 100m. This takes us to a path through the fields that runs west of the hospital. After 1 km we come to Swineshaw Reservoir. Turn sharp left here and head west for 250m to gain the B6105 Woodhead Road opposite a farm. Turn right and left on to the track to the north of the farm and past the cemetery to Little Padfield Farm.

• You can see the tiny village of Padfield 250m in front of you from Little Padfield Farm, but I never did work out the best route to the north of the farm which would bring you to the Peels Arms by the shortest route. Truth is all the paths from the farm run into the village so just head for the northern corner of the triangle that is Padfield and that is where the Peels Arms is. If you work out the best route then email me and I owe you a pint.
• 22.5 km Finish Padfield Village -Peels arms 

Alternative Route to Glossop- via Snake Pass Hotel

Ashop head to Snake Pass Hotel – 5 km

• Ashop Head – Turn North off the Pennine way for half a km, then turn East to follow Ashop Clough down to the Snake. The path keeps to the north of the small stream and after 4 km it brings us to the A57, Snake Road.
• A57, Snake Road – 16 km from Edale - On reaching the road turn right and the Snake Pass Hotel (ref) is just 300 m down the road.

Snake Pass Hotel to Doctor’s Gate – 4.5 km

• Snake Pass Hotel – Go back 300m NW up the A57 road and turn towards Ashop Clough. Where you cross the stream take the path north up Lady Clough. Go through the woods for 2 km until you emerge below the A57. Follow the course of the stream for another 300 m until the path swings up to join the road.

Here you have a choice you can walk up the road for 400m or you can cross the road and walk parallel to it on the edge of the moor. Either way you should reach the start of the Doctor’s Gate path at Grid Ref: SK 095929

• Start Doctor’s Gate path – 3 km – Follow the path NW for 700m to the cross roads with the Pennine Way. Now follow the path as previously described to Padfield Near Glossop – 12 km after the Snake Pass Hotel

Another fairly easy stage to Edale for the start of the Pennine Way. Time before you start to get in provisions and explore the old peak village of Hope.

The climb to Winhill will cause you to pant a bit, but you will be amply rewarded by the views North and South. Stroll along the south banks of Ladybower Reservoir before climbing back into the Hope Valley again and winding into Edale.

Distance: 14 km – Climb: 450 metres – Time: 5 hours

Start: "Woodroffe Arms"  – Hope – GridRef: SK172835

Finish: "Woodroffe Arms"  – Hope – GridRef: SK172835

Going: A relative easy day but with a stiff climb in the morning and another climb after lunch. Quite firm underfoot, but will be boggy on the tops after rainfall.

Waymarking: No waymarking, but the paths are well trodden and fairly easy to follow.

Maps:

• Sheet 1, Dark Peak Area, of Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure Series 1:25 000. This is printed on both sides to cover the whole of the Dark Peak, and some of the South Pennines.
• Sheet 24, White Peak Area. Unfortunately a tiny bit of this section, ie 2 km around Grindleford, is off the bottom of sheet 1. I have tried to fill the gap by giving more detail in this area. You might, however, want to buy sheet 24 , as it is a good map to have when you want to explore the limestone region.

Start: Hope Woodroffe Arms 

Leave Hope on Edale Rd, going north opposite the Church. After 400m bare right down a lane to Kilhill Bridge. The lane goes under the railway line after which we turn sharp right onto the track to Twitchill Farm

1.5 km Twitchill Farm - from Hope -

A gate from the corner of the farmyard starts a steep climb NE. After climbing up two fields we reach the rough pasture of open moorland. 500m from the farm we reach the ridge of Win Hill. Turn east to climb Winhill Pike.

3 km Winhill Pike- from Hope

This is really a grand view point. To the North is Ladybower Reservoir, with Derwent Reservoir beyond that. To the East is Bamford Edge, with Stanage beyond that. To the South is the gentle dome of the White Peak, somewhat marred from here by the huge chimney of the cement works at Bradwell, but the underlying limestone makes the grass look greener and more lush in this direction. To the West runs the curved ridge of Win Hill, with Kinder Plateau beyond that. It is getting closer. 

Bamford to Winhill Pike (if you overnighted at Bamford)

From Ye Derwent Hotel -

Turn right out of the hotel and go up the road for about 50 m, to a lane on the right signed ‘The Hollow’. Follow this downhill for about 300 m to a large dark stone mill on the banks of the Derwent. The path goes to the right of the mill, and takes you round the back of mill to some stepping stones and a wooden footbridge cross the river Derwent.

After you have crossed the river you have a pleasant walk for 400 m over the flat fertile fields of the valley bottom. Don’t worry, the shoulder of Winhill Pike looms ahead, to consume those extra calories taken on board at ‘Ye Derwent’. This starts with a steep climb to the road.

From Road to Thornhill -

Cross the lane and pick up the path that goes up the left hand side of a private house. The path leads behind the house garden to a flight of wooden steps that start the climb NW towards Win hill. After about 300m we come across an isolated terrace of stone cottages. Turn right onto a lane. The lane becomes a track which becomes a path. The hillside is criss-crossed by many other paths, but we keep to the one that climbs steadily NW up the west rim of the Derwent Valley. 1.3 km after the after the cottages we reach the woods of Winhill Plantation. A steep path W for 400m climbs 100m to the summit of Winhill Pike and is a cruel test of stamina.

3 km Winhill Pike- from Hope -

It is tempting from here to go west and follow the gentle ridge of Win Hill towards the Guide Post at Crookstone Barn. To do that would certainly save 1 km and perhaps 30 mins, but would miss a pleasant stroll along the reservoir. Leave the Pike to the east for 100 m, then follow the wall running down NE for 300m to the edge of the trees. Follow the path NW parallel to the edge of the plantation for another 300m. Here a stile leads into the trees and zigzags down the hill to the waters edge.

5 km Ladybower Reservoir

Walk east by the quietly lapping waters and watch the fishermen casting for trout. It is 3.2 km to the end of the reservoir. The path now zigzags first to the NW, then SW and so on until it climbs back to the top of the ridge. Here a sign post points out the paths in all four direction.

9 km Sign Post by Crookstone Barn

From here we go east towards Edale. The path takes us down into Jagger Clough. After another 500m take the path that takes us above Clough Farm. Keeping to the edge of the moor we reach Rowland Cote.

11.5 km Rowland Cote – Edale Youth Hostel 

  Edale Youth Hostel and Outdoor Pursuits Centre. You can get a cup of tea and a snack here at most times.

Set off west again along the edge of the moor. For a 600m we follow an old thorn hedge, but then the path turns down hill and we join the track from Nether Booth to Ollerbrook Booth. From Ollerbrook Booth there is a gentle field path into Edale

We reach Edale on the lane halfway between the post office to the right and the railway station to the left. We turn left and just before the station is the

14 km Finish Edale Village – Rambler’s Inn.  - 5 hour from Hope -

A fairly easy walk, starting the link along the Hope Valley towards the start of the Pennine Way. We take in, remnants of ancient woodland near the bizarre cafe / pub of Grindleford station.

From Higger Tor we have fine views of the Derwent valley towards Chatsworth before we climb to Stanedge a favourite haunt of gritstone climbers.

We descend to the dam buster pub in Bamford and finish with a pleasant stroll across the fields to Hope Village.

Distance: 18.5 km – Climb: 310 metres – Time: 6 hours

Start: "The Plough"  – Leadmill Bridge – GridRef: SK234805

Finish: "Woodroffe Arms"  – Hope – GridRef: SK172835

Going: A relative gentle walk with the climing taken in easy stages. Quite firm underfoot, but could be boggy on the moors after prolonged rainfall.

Waymarking: No waymarking and few sign posts on this section, but the paths are well trodden and fairly easy to follow.

Maps:

• Sheet 1, Dark Peak Area, of Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure Series 1:25 000. This is printed on both sides to cover the whole of the Dark Peak, and some of the South Pennines.
• Sheet 24, White Peak Area. Unfortunately a tiny bit of this section, ie 2 km around Grindleford, is off the bottom of sheet 1. I have tried to fill the gap by giving more detail in this area. You might, however, want to buy sheet 24 , as it is a good map to have when you want to explore the limestone region.

Hathersage to Grindleford

- Start "The Plough"  – Leadmill Bridge

From The Plough, cross Leadmill Bridge to the Hathersage side of the bridge. Here there is a signpost pointing downstream "footpath to Grindleford". Followed this metalled track for 700m to Harper Lee House. Here we enter the field to the right of the house and head south rejoining the river in 400m.

For the next 3.5 km we are off the Dark Peak map no. 1, so in case you haven’t got sheet no. 24 I will provide more detail.

Follow the river bank for 300m to the boundary with Coppice Wood, managed by the National Trust. This is a well established wood, with good signs of regeneration in oak, birch and rowan.

The path divides several times in the wood, keep to the left climbing towards the railway line. After 500m you cross over the line on a substantial stone bridge. Follow the path heading east, away from the line, for about 200m.

Here we join a metalled track going south towards Padley Chapel, scene of the burning of the Padley martyrs.

The track bends east and then south to reach Grindleford station

  Grindleford Station Cafe – 3 km From Hathersage

If there was a pub hiker’s restaurant at the end of the galaxy it would be the buffet on Grindleford Station. They serve hot and cold meals, tea and beer for most of the day. Open daily 0830 – 1830.

You deserve at least a cup of tea and a hot bacon butty to celebrate the start of your walk.

Padley Gorge 3.1 km from Hathersage

Retrace your steps, 150m north, to the last bend before the station. There is a small gap in the wall marked "National Trust, Padley Gorge".

The gorge is a good example of a moorland clough. It contains a wide variety of plants including remnants of the ancient woodland, birch, oak, beech and alder (see flora and fauna section). If you are interest is in natural history it is worth taking your time in the Gorge as you can visulise what the wilderness of the northern Britain might have been like before man started to chop down the trees and graze sheep.

Following the east bank of Burbage Brook for 600m where a small wooden bridge allows you to cross to the west bank. Climb the west bank a bit to find a good track winding up the gorge. Just before you leave the wooded section there is an old fenced area 20m to the west of the track. This small section of moorland was fenced around 1970. Note the complete regeneration, proof that free from grazing, gritstone moorland would eventually return to birch/oak woodland.

Continue up the track to the gate at the top of the wooded section. If you have time, visit a small disused quarry 150m NNW of the gate. It has a lot of almost complete millstones. What are they made of? Millstone grit of course. A good photo stop.

By the way, you are now back onto map no. 1. From the top of Padley Gorge follow Burbage Brook up to the A625 road at Toad’s Mouth

Toad’s Mouth – 5.5 km

Cross the road and find the second stile west of the bridge. Follow the path north up along the low ridge onto Hathersage Moor. The first craggy peak has the strange name ‘Carl Wark’ and is the site of an old iron age fort. There are good views to the south along the Derwent valley towards Chatsworth House mentioned in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. You are now on the high moor. Low bushes of heather and bilberry nestle in places the sheep cannot get and the plaintive call of the curlew reminds you this is their territory, not yours.

Continue north to a second crag called Higger Tor and get an even better view, if the day is clear. Follow the east rim of the rocky plateau then descend NNW to meet a tarmac road.

Cross this first road and follow the well used track 400m NW to cross a second small road. Follow the same line for 500m to climb onto the start of Stanage Edge The path brings you onto the edge near the trig point at 457m alt, a good navigational reference. By the way, you are now on the third stage of the Alternative Pennine Way.

Stanage Edge – Trig Point 457m altitude – 8.5 km – 2 hr 55 min from Hathersage

If you have time wander back NE along the edge for 300m to Cowper stone. This huge 4 metre cube of solid gritstone, is sliced diagonally by wind and rain to look like a huge 4 decker sandwich.

Now follow the edge NW. Admire the views in either direction. Looking west almost below you is Bamford Moor 426m and just behind that is the nippled shaped tip of Winhill Pike 462m. Beyond that is Lose Hill 476m at the east end of the Mam Tor Ridge. Finally 15 km to the west you should see the Kinder Plateau itself, at 636m the highest peak in the area.

After following the Edge for 2.1 km an ancient track called ‘the Long Causeway’ leads off Stanage Edge.

Descend this track past Buck Stone, another giant bolder left by the glaciers like Cowper’s Stone. Where water trickles off the edge there are pale green mounds of sphagnum moss.

Cotton grass, like balls of wool on stalks, covers the flat damp areas. The track runs east then south to join a tarmac road at a cattle grid at Dennis Knoll.

Cattle Grid Dennis Knoll 12.4 km -

Follow the tarmac road south for just 300m, then turn right onto a smaller road signposted Ladybower. This runs round Bole hill with a fine view to the South and West.

Looking down the lovely wooded Hurst Clough you can see the confluence of the River Derwent and the River Noe. It is the Noe which runs off Kinder down past Edale and Hope. On the banks of the River Derwent just 2 km below you, as the crow flies, is The Marquis of Granby Hotel. Who wants to be a crow? I do, I am getting hungry. After passing the top of Hurst Clough the road bends right round the shoulder of Bamford Moor.

Just as the road straightens out again a step stony road runs SW, straight into the centre Bamford Village. in just 750m you will descend 150m, your knees will ache, but keep going there is a good pint of beer waiting for you.

Bamford Village - 14.0 km – 4 hr 30 min

When you reach the main road turn left and in 100 m is ‘Ye Derwent Hotel’ 

From Ye Derwent Hotel -

turn right out of the hotel and go up the road for about 50 m, to a lane on the right signed ‘The Hollow’. Follow this downhill for about 300 m to a large dark stone mill on the banks of the Derwent. The path goes to the right of the mill, and takes you round the back of mill to some stepping stones and a wooden footbridge cross the river Derwent.

After you have crossed the river you have a pleasant walk for 400 m over the flat fertile fields of the valley bottom. Don’t worry, the shoulder of Winhill Pike looms ahead, to consume those extra calories taken on board at ‘Ye Derwent’. This starts with a steep climb to the road.

Road to Thornhill - 14.8 km -

The main route turns left into Thornhill village. However if you have rested overnight at Bamford you may be interested in a shortcut to Winhill Pike.

Thornhill – 15 km -

Follow the lane as it loops round to the west in the direction of Aston. Just 100m after the telephone kiosk in the village you come to a small church. Take a small track on the left for 25m then left again onto a path going SW. This cuts diagonally across the fields for 300m then turns south under the railway line and onto the A625 Hope Road. Follow the road W for just 400m where we take a path which cuts off on the left along the bank of the river towards the bridge at Brough Mill.

Bridge at Brough – 17 km -

Follow the road 200m SW through the village of Brough. A path leaves on the right heading north across a small stream. The path climbs NW across pastures overlooking the River Noe. After one kilometre we turn right onto a lane into Hope.

Hope Village – 18.5 km – 6 hour from Hathersage -

Keep right at next junction and we come into Hope, between the church and the Woodroffe Arms.

The UK is blessed with good maps from the Ordnance Survey.

• The Pathfinder and Outdoor Leisure Series maps are the ideal 1:25 000 scale for walkers.
• At a pinch you can use the Landranger Series at 1:50 000 scale.

Six Figure Grid References

The national grid divides the UK into 100 km by 100 km squares and each square given a two letter code. These are further divided into 100m by 100m squares and given a six figure reference. The first three digits counts the squares to the right (Eastings) and the second three digits count the squares up (Northings). Hence Edale YHA, Rowland Cote, Edale has grid reference SK 139865.

Waymarking

In the UK waymarking can be a little erratic, to say the least. Different symbols and styles of waymarking have evolved to meet the needs of each Long Distance Footpath rather than to fit to a national plan. However the following may help.

• Each LDFP has its own sign or symbol. For example, the Pennine Way uses the letters PW, while the Ribble Way is indicated by two wavy lives curved into the letter ‘R’. You may sometimes see an acorn symbol which is the generic sign for a LDFP.
• Legislation requires a clear ‘public footpath’ sign where a path joins or leaves a road. So if you lose a path it is often a good idea to make for the nearest road and search for the place where the path next crosses.
• Away from the roads waymarking depends on the discretion of the local council and the co-operation of the landowner. More and more ‘public rights of way’ are marked with a yellow circle.
• Stiles and ‘kissing gates’ are usually the best indicator you are on the path. If there is an arrow or sign post it is usually carefully aligned to indicate direction to walk to hit the next stile. A good pair of binoculars are useful to spot the next stile. Some kind farmers will place a high post with bright paint on it to guide you over a raised field where you cannot see the far fence.

On the mainland of Europe things are better organised. The French mark their GR (Grande Randonee) with a system of red and white stripes on rocks or tree trunks every 50 metres or so. Now there is a thought!

Trig Points

A trig or triangulation point is usually a small concrete pillar about 1.2m high, with a three spoked bronze plate cast into its top surface. They were originally provided to support optical equipment, as part of the military (ordinance) survey of the UK.

Shown on all OS maps as a small open triangle they make invaluable landmarks for hikers and climbers. Built in high places with good line of site to other landmarks they give a precise location in places which often lack distinctive features.

There was a public clamour when the government decided to abandon trig points, following the arrival of mapping satellites and laser measuring equipment. Since then many trig points have been adopted and maintained by local outdoor and hiking groups.