Return trains: xx.47 to Manchester; xx.32 to Sheffield (or 16.47 and 17.47, changing at Chinley).
Trains back to London from Sheffield: 2 per hour to St. Pancras (until 20,00, then 21.00 and 21.45), plus others to King’s Cross via Doncaster.
“A walk of
many contrasts in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District, associated with
rugged moorlands and dramatically sculpted gritstone outcrops (or ‘edges’),
which also routes through the lush Vale of Edale, while in the afternoon
affording grand views into the Hope Valley (including the notable dry gorge of
Winnats Pass) from the Great Ridge, which separates the Dark Peak (sandstones)
from the White Peak (limestones).
Follow the Pennine Way from its start at The Old Nag’s Head pub up along the
fertile Vale of Edale, surrounded by towering hills, and up the Jacob’s Ladder
path to Edale Head and to the edge of the Kinder Scout moorland plateau, a
rugged, desolate peat bog. You then follow the edge past some magnificent rock
formations and through an area of scattered wind-and-rain-sculpted gritstone
boulders to choose one of three descent routes back to Edale village for lunch.
After lunch rise steeply onto the Great Ridge overlooking the Hope Valley and
up to Mam Tor, whose summit is a great vantage point and a former late Bronze
Age and early Iron Age hill fort. Its other name of “Shivering Mountain” is due
to frequent – and still active – landslips.
An extension to Kinder Downfall, the highest waterfall in the Peak District, either as an out-and-back or combined with a crossing of the Kinder Plateau upland peat bog (only for confident navigators), as well as some shortcuts before and after lunch, are described.”
2 comments:
Several departures plus one calling in with a cold meant that n=15 joined today's walk.
After a sunny start, the group split after Upper Booth, with 6 going up Crowden Clough for a scrambling ascent to the edge of Kinder by Crowden Tower (not a scripted route but straight forward), while 9 walked on along the route.
At the fork for the route to Kinder Downfall, 5 forked left to the fall and 4 followed the main route. There was a dark grey cloud passing through which produced 20 to 30 minutes of a light hail shower. The 4 never encountered the scramblers though, which I still don't understand as allegedly they - from Crowden Tower - reverse-walked the main route then went out and back to Kinder Downfall and then reverse-walked the main route back to Edale. But they are alive and well (I have spoken to 2 of them) so all is good.
Of the 4, 3 took an early route down Golden Clough, while I (text-checking anyway) followed the script.
We had lunch at The Rambler Inn as the Nag's Head was closed for a private function over lunch (a wake). I then walked on to check the rest of the route in glorious sunshine and bumped into several people just leaving when I got back to The Rambler at 17.40 or so.
Seemingly everyone enjoyed the day and company. Most are now on the way back home. Safe travels!
W=mostly-sunny
Strange and not so strange encounters:
Jarvis Cocker carrying a tray of sandwiches from the back of The Nag's Head to a cottage next door (from that wake);
Hashedic Jews, normally encountered in Stamford Hill or on Canvey Island, walking up the road in Edale and then another group up on the ridge between Hollins Cross and Mam Tor;
About a dozen paragliders above Rushup Edge.
Addendum - special birds heard today: one cuckoo and some curlews
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