Length: 22.2 km (13.8 mi) [shorter and longer walks
possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 649m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
From the east (Sheffield): take the 09.15 Manchester Piccadilly stopping
service via the Hope Valley (Dore & Totley 09.21, Grindleford 09.29),
arriving Hathersage at 09.32.
From the west (Manchester Piccadilly): take the 08.48 Sheffield stopping service via the Hope Valley (…, Edale 09.33,
Hope 09.39, Bamford 09.42), arriving Hathersage at 09.45.
If you then follow the road pavement down to the Derwent rather than the
described route through fields, you have a good chance of catching up the main group
very quickly.
Return trains: xx.32 to Manchester; xx.46 to
Sheffield.
“Centred on Hathersage, an attractive village in the Hope Valley surrounded by
the ringed cliffs of the Stanage and Millstone edges as well as the ancient
iron-age hill fort of Carl Wark and the distinctive Higger Tor on Burbage Moor,
this walks leads through some outstandingly beautiful scenery: delightful
meadows with a jigsaw of drystone walls and other signs of small-scale
livestock farming, rolling hills backed by open moorland and the deep wooded
valleys of the Highlow Brook (one of the few remaining in the Peak District
with the remains of ancient oakwoods) and the Bretton Clough with their fast
flowing streams. You have magnificent views all day (weather permitting).
The middle part follows the geological fault line between the Dark and White
Peak areas along the Eyam and Hucklow Edges with tremendous views into the Hope
Valley and then descends through a wood into it, where you pass plenty of signs
of its mining heritage: (now grassy) spoil heaps and fenced-off unstable ground
suffering from subsidence.
You eventually reach the famous plague village of Eyam with its tea options.
Rise up steeply from Eyam to cross the heathery blanket peat bog of Eyam Moor
(along a clear path), and – after one last steep descent and partial re-ascent
through a remote green valley – re-cross the Derwent River back into
Hathersage.”
Walk Options:
A Shortcut down from the Hucklow Edge to Foolow cuts out Great Hucklow,
this cuts 2.8 km and 61m ascent and the resulting walk is rated 6/10.
Buses from Great Hucklow, Foolow or Eyam to Sheffield or Hope enable a
finish after 10.0 km/6.2 mi, 11.9 km/7.4 mi or 14.4 km/9.0 mi respectively: currently these are Lines 65 (to
Sheffield Interchange), 66 (to Chesterfield), 173 (Great Hucklow only, to Hope
Station Road) and 257 (to Hathersage, Bamford & Sheffield Interchange).
A Variation in the
Morning
routes out of the Bretton Clough up the Abney Clough and around Abney Low to
re-join the route in Nether Bretton, this adds 1.7 km and 50m ascent.
A short but tough out-and-back to the Wet Withens Bronze Age stone
circle and the Eyam Moor Barrow is described, just before the final descent
back into Hathersage.
Lunch: The Barrel Inn (7.3 km/4.5 mi, food to
14.00), The
Queen Anne Inn (9.8 km/6.1 mi into the full walk, only opens at
16.00 hours!), The Bull's Head (11.8 km/7.4 mi into
the full walk (9.6 km/6.1 mi if walking the shortcut), food all day). Tea: Plenty of options in Eyam and Hathersage, see the webpage or pdf for
details.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile
and gpx/kml files click here.t=swc.315
1 comment:
N=19 assembled outside the station for this walk.
We soon saw a heron in the Derwent River, before walking through the first bluebell wood, where the flowers were a solid 3 weeks or so behind the SE, i.e. not in flower much at all. Then there was a herd of highland cows in one field.
At the cutoff for the extension, group cohesion was blown into smithereens: 9 walked the extension, 3 of the main group had drinks at The Barrel Inn, but walked on when the extenders arrived. 1 of the 3 then walked the shortcut, as did some of the extenders later on.
At The Bull's Head, plenty of people had lunch but walked on in various sub-groups, some of which reassembled into larger groups in or after Eyam. 7 in total forked off on the extension to the Wet Withens stone circle, some apparently finding a better route than the walk author! Heavens, what next?
Some had drinks at The Plough, but most didn't. Almost all of the Sheffield based walkers met for dinner, with one peeling off to watch his team in a sports pub mid meal.
The weather was w=overcast-then-mostly-sunny
We saw gorse in bloom, a 20 odd large group of paragliders, some glider planes, skylarks and many very young lambs.
Great day out.
Post a Comment