The Dark Peak



The Peak District is divided into two main areas; the White Peak area refers to the southern end of the national park, beginning near Ashbourne and spreading up to Buxton. The north is known as the Dark Peak and is easy to get to from Manchester, being 50 minutes by train to Edale, 30 minutes to Glossop and 40 minutes to Marsden. It is the second most popular national park in the world but despite this, it is still easy to find solitude. The Pennine moorland can be split into numerous areas that are worth exploring, including Kinder Scout, Ladybower (including Bleaklow and Stanage Edge), Black Hill, Chew Valley and Marsden.

The area offers very pleasant walking. In addition there are plenty of rock climbing crags to be found on its Gritstone Edges.

Kinder Scout, Bleaklow & Ladybower Reservior


Kinder Scout is most easily accessible from either Edale or the summit of Snake Pass. Both areas are served by public transport. The moor rises to a summit at 636m, which lies in the middle of the plateau and isn't marked by any landmark. The plateau undulates very gently, making it difficult to pinpoint the precise location of the summit. Note that the 633m trig point on Kinder Low is not the highest point as some may think.

The plateau is vast, vaster than those found in the Cairngorms. It is thus an ideal place to practice navigation which is made doubly difficult by the peat trenches and general rough going.

The best features of the plateau lie around the edge: indeed there is a well-defined path on the edge with good views of Edale and Manchester on a clear day. So unless you are keen to practice navigation across bog an heather, or have a particular desire to "bag" the summit (if you can even identify it), you would do well to stick to the edge of the plateau. A circuit of the entirety of Kinder Scout is recommended. The Kinder Downfall, the tors overlooking Jacob's Ladder (known as wool packs) and the valleys in which Crowden Brook and Grinds Brook nestle are all highlights. The ascent of Crowden Brook involves one scrambly rock step. The holds are good and the rock is gritty so grip is pretty reasonable even when wet. Numerous rocky outcrops provide for some scrambling opportunities of varying levels of difficulty.

The valley of Edale lies to the south of Kinder Scout. It has several little hamlets and farms. Edale train station is a short walk from the main village of Grindsbrook Booth, home to the Nag's Head pub, start of the Pennine Way. The roads in the valley are fairly quiet and there are plenty of footpaths for a leisurely wander around in the valley bottom.

North of Kinder Scout lies Featherbed Moss, an expanse of moorland around 500m high. This rises gently to the flat top of Bleaklow beyond Snake Pass. The summit, known as Bleaklow Head, is the second highest in the Peak District at 633m. The surrounding country is very gentle and even more expansive than the Kinder plateau, providing an even tougher navigation challenge under poor conditions.

To the south of the main summit is another "top", Higher Shelf Stones, where the remains of a Boeing Superfortress bomber can be found. The aircraft crashed into the moor during World War II and has remained there ever since.

To the east is a third "top", Bleaklow Stones, which is the most easterly land over 2,000 feet in the United Kingdom.

Again the edges of the plateau, particularly the valleys, form the highlights. The obvious valley approach from Manchester can be started from Glossop via Shelf Brook. This gives an easy path walk up to Snake Pass where the route turns off to Bleaklow via Lower Shelf Stones and Shelf Moor. Yellow Slacks Brooks is another worthy narrow ascent route.

The most spectacular feature is the Alport Castles - a very alpine like tower was formed after the most massive landslide known in the United Kingdom. The summit of the tower is said to provide an easy scramble. The editor though doesn't know whether the tower is fenced off for safety or whether the ground is loose and unstable - something to check if you want to visit it.

To the South-East of Bleaklow, the Derwent Valley provides three reservoirs:- Howden, Derwent and Ladybower Reservoir. It provides some scenic walking by the lakeside but higher up, the moorland circuit provides a greater challenge. To the east of these reservoirs lies some moorland lying around the 400m mark. Here you'll find a few gritstone edges including the popular Stanage Edge.

(2.2x vertical exaggeration)

Black Hill, Chew Valley and Marsden


North of Bleaklow and Crowden rises the justifiably unpopular moorland of Black Hill, the highest point in the county of West Yorkshire. The summit lies at 582m and the moorland is less expansive than those of Bleaklow or Kinder Scout. The approach from Crowden starts in a valley before rising up to Laddow Rocks and the plateau. Thankfully the path on the bog at, and around, the summit of the hill has been paved, which makes what would be an otherwise terrible bog not so problematic. The summit can be reached more easily from the A635 to the North.

From the summit of Black Hill, a wide vista extends out across Yorkshire. From the top Emley Moor Mast, Europe's largest concrete structure, can seen to the East. The Pennine view is often clear enough to see as far northwards as Pendle Hill. On extremely clear days it is possible to see the Yorkshire Dales and High Street in the Lake District.

West of Black Hill lies the Chew Valley. Walkers on the Pennine Way never see it, yet it's a well known beauty spot. Despite being out of the way of the busiest walking routes, it's still very popular - the only quiet spots around here are on the high moors. Here the deep narrow v-shaped valleys drop down into Dovestone reservoir which is very easy to get to from Manchester (travel to Greenfield station). The boundary between moor and valley is lined regularly by crags and bluffs. Many are good rock climbs but there are a number of scrambles for those without ropes.

North of Black Hill lie the Wessenden & Saddleworth Moors. These are vast & boggy but have a great feeling of openness. The Wessenden brook is probably the most scenic/easiest descent to Marsden from Black Hill. West Nab is another summit worth climbing as it is rockier than many others surrounding it.

Another good walk is to get the train to Hadfield and walk over to Marsden, via Black Hill.

Eating and Drinking
There are numerous well known pubs in the Edale area. The famous Nag's Head at the start of the Pennine Way is nice while the Rambler's Inn is good for those waiting for the train. The Snake Pass Inn is another famous inn and is also justly popular. There are many others around particularly further down the Hope Valley.