Famous gritstone formations on Derwent Edge high above the Derwent
Reservoirs, wooded Bradfield Dale with its reservoirs and folly tower.
Back across moorland to Ladybower.
Length: 25.8 km (16.0 mi) [shorter walks possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 850m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ¾ hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10
Take the 10.00 bus line 257 from Sheffield Interchange (Stand D3),
arrives Ashopton, Ladybower Inn 10.33.
From the Hope Valley, take a bus in the opposite
direction: Grindleford (Mount Pleasant) 09.33, Hathersage (Little John Hotel) 09.40, Bamford (Bus Turnaround) 09.44, Yorkshire Bridge Hotel 09.49, arrives Ashopton,
Ladybower Inn 09.52 (which gives time for breakfast, or an early start)
Return bus to Sheffield: 17.52, 18.52.
Return bus to the Hope Valley: 16.33, 17.33, 18.59.
A walk of contrasts on the Derbyshire/South Yorkshire boundary in the
north east corner of the Dark Peak area of The Peak District. From the
Ladybower Inn you rise in stages up to Derwent Edge, towering above the Upper
Derwent Valley – with ever-improving views over the surrounding hills of the
Central Dark Peak area and along Ladybower Reservoir. You then follow a clear
and well-engineered path along the edge past some famous gritstone rock
formations to the highest point of the walk at Back Tor and out to a
magnificent viewpoint on Lost Lad hill. Derwent Head, Bleaklow and Kinder Scout
dominate the views from here.
An easy gradual descent through the moors on a good track, leads into Bradfield Dale to lunch in Strines, overlooking the Strines Reservoir.
Through woods and pastures, you then reach the elongated Dale Dike Reservoir and loop around it through some pretty woods with views up and down dale. Rise to Boot’s Folly, a tower on a grassy ledge above Strines Reservoir, and further up Lodge Moor, and follow ancient turnpike roads (with far views) past remote farms and pastures back to a viewpoint above Ladybower Reservoir, where the morning ascent route is met. Turn left along Lead Hill and Ladybower Tor for final views to Win Hill and the Hope Valley and descend back to the Ladybower Inn.
Walk Options:
For ways to shorten the walk and for Alternative Endings (or Starts) in High and Low Bradfield,
see the pdf or the webpage for details.
Tea Bradfield Endings: see the pdf
or the webpage.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile
and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.348
1 comment:
We lost 3 walkers compared to yesterday (the hybrid SWC/Capital walker, SW London's most famous SWC walker, and the Glossop based one), but gained 1, up on the very early train from The Smoke, so N=18
The Hathersage Five arrived early at Ladybower and got going immediately, so we only caught up with them halfway along Derwent Edge. By then we had been very firmly confronted by a father and son mountain biker combo, who were hurtling down the permissive footpath (same as we experienced 5 years ago), and when gesturely and verbally reminded that they had no business to be there, stopped and walked back up the hill for some heavily swear-wordy utterings and more than passive aggressive behaviour. Situation elegantly diffused, we could continue uphill. It was windy on the tops and 2 turned right by Back Tor for the direct route to The Strikes Inn, while the rest walked out to Lost Lad first.
All but 1 turned into the Inn, with food mostly had outside though (near fully booked inside).
Then we got fragmented and quite a bit at that: the 2 plus 1 sandwichers were ahead,with the 2 intending a short ending at the Moscar Lodge bus stop, but missed a turning, trying to make sense of the myriad GPS files, so when the rest of us walked along Strines Reservoir (bluebells very much not out yet), they were coming up the other way. Several others joined them, but finished the walk with just this minor shortcut rather than at Moscar.
Later 2 fell behind, intending to get hold of a farmer to alert them that a newborn calf seemed to be struggling in a field we walked through.
They then overtook the main group by following the (closed due to a landslip) road after Sugworth Hall.
Later, 2 took the last possible shortcut, from Cutthroat Bridge straight on to Ladybower, rather than going back up to the saddle and around via Lead Hill.
18.52 bus for the Main Walk group. The sun tried hard to break through late pm, but only succeeded when we were already on the bus back, so w=mildly-ocercast-all-day
Gorse in bloom, a fine daffodil display at Sugworth Hall, patches of wood sorrel (or Missing Richard, there were differing opinions) in the bluebell wood, low water levels in the reservoirs, 4 peacocks by the Strines Inn, as per usual, only one grouse, some lapwings, and a man with a 360 Deg camera on an extendable pole that recorded his walk but he paused to let us pass so that no humans would appear on his video. Everyone needs a hobby...
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