Tag Archives: Roman Road

Peak District – Kinder Scout – Ringing Roger & Hope Cross

I’m having a great run at the moment it seems when it comes to walking weather, I had checked the advanced forecast and selected Thursday the 13th of December to have a wander this week. When the day finally arrived I still hadn’t chosen where I was going to walk, I quickly checked my Dark Peak Combi Map on ShareYourAdventure.com and had a look what gaps need filling in. I decided to go for a walk I have done before but I haven’t tracked it while Social Hiking. I got all my cold weather gear ready, set up my map on ShareYourAdventure.com, loaded the car, made coffee and off I went.

A frosty start in Edale

A frosty start in Edale

When I arrived in Edale I was met by a beautiful winter scene, hoar frost, valley fog, and the sun piercing through the clouds into the valley. I managed to grab a parking space next to the school, put my boots on and then went over to the Old Nag’s Head to film a snippet of video for a short film I had planned to make during my walk today.

I had been planning on making this short movie for some time, one of those projects that I dream up in my head while at work and then take a while to get around to actually doing. sadly, a lot of my projects are still on the “to do” list but this one has made it through to completion 🙂

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The views were stunning down in to the Vale of Edale as I climbed up towards Ringing Roger. The cloud was slowly dispersing and the sun was peeping out from behind Mam Tor to fill the valley with light.

Vale of Edale

Vale of Edale

Kinder Scout - Grindsbrook

Kinder Scout – Grindsbrook

Moors for the Future - Workers Tools

Moors for the Future – Workers Tools

I spotted a couple of guys who were working on the footpath on behalf of Moors For The Future. They have been doing some great conservation work over the last few years, not only have they been building or repairing paths, they have been planting various things to help keep the moors in good condition. You can really see how the vegetation they have planted is taking hold and protecting the bare peat.

Ringing Roger on Kinder Scout

Ringing Roger on Kinder Scout

Moors for the Future - Bags of Rocks

Moors for the Future – Bags of Rocks

Moors for the Future path work on Kinder Scout

Moors for the Future path work on Kinder Scout

Ringing Roger on Kinder Scout

Ringing Roger on Kinder Scout

The final part of the video was filmed up on Ringing Roger itself, I had envisaged myself looking out over a valley at the crescendo of the movie and this was a great spot to choose. The views from Ringing Roger are stunning as you look down to Edale and up Grindsbrook. The cloud was lingering at around 600 metres today so I had to go for a slightly higher shooting angle. The video itself was only really ever supposed to be a bit of fun, i’m hoping that a few more serious walking route videos will follow soon.

Kinder Scout Upper Tor

Kinder Scout Upper Tor

These 2 Bambuser Videos were being broadcast live while I was stood up there on Ringing Roger. The first one ends abruptly as I received a phone call, the second one ends after 9 minutes as my phone decided to switch off :-).

Win Hill and Lose Hill valley fog

Win Hill and Lose Hill valley fog

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As I walked across towards Crookstone Knoll I witnessed a fantastic sight when looking down towards Hope Valley. The fog was rolling up the valley, it looked stunning as it was framed by Win Hill and Lose Hill. I recorded the AudioBoo above while I was stood there totally amazed 🙂

Looking down Jaggers Clough

Looking down Jaggers Clough

Crookstone Moor

Crookstone Moor

Crookstone Moor - PeakRoutes Logo Sign

Crookstone Moor – PeakRoutes Logo Sign

I always like visiting Crookstone Moor, The sign post there has got to be one of my favourites now. I have kind of adopted it as the logo for PeakRoutes which means I look at it a lot now days, Its always nice to physically go back there and see it in person.

Roman Road to Hope Cross

Roman Road to Hope Cross

Great Ridge looking from Bridleway near Hope Cross

Great Ridge looking from Bridleway near Hope Cross

I’m not sure which farm owns the land up here but they really do not want you to stray off the path. They have done everything than can to keep you “Off My Land” here. The Bridleway down to Edale and the Old Roman Road down to Hope is rather hemmed in.

Looking up Jaggers Clough

Looking up Jaggers Clough

Jaggers Clough River Crossing

Jaggers Clough River Crossing

Jaggers Clough Bridleway

Jaggers Clough Bridleway

Win Hill and the Vale of Edale

Win Hill and the Vale of Edale

Lose Hill looking frosty

Lose Hill looking frosty

By this part of my walk the skies were totally clear and the sun was streaming down in to the valley, Lose Hill looked impressive with its icy northern flanks and I even snapped one of the many trains running through the valley.

Bridleway from Hope Cross to Edale

Bridleway from Hope Cross to Edale

It had been a great walk again today, infact every walk in the Peak District is great regardless of the weather. I would go out if it was chucking it down, I need to get my walking fix or all is not well with the world 🙂

Grindslow Knoll & Grindsbrook from Edale

Grindslow Knoll & Grindsbrook from Edale

I finished off the day by going for a pint of 1577 at the Old Nag’s Head. It was lovely and warm in there which felt very welcoming after being out in the sub zero temperatures all day. I got chatting with the lady behind the bar about history and she very kindly fetched a book for me to read. It was her copy of the History of Edale and it had a great wealth of information to soak in about the area. I have added it to my list of reading material to locate in the library the next time I go.

Edale - Old Nag's Head

Edale – Old Nag’s Head

I headed back to the car after I had finished reading and drinking. I scraped the ice from the windows and then begun to drive home. I spotted a chap who was trying to thumb a lift at the entrance to the main car park in the village. I thought.. what the heck, i’ll give him a lift. I’ve never picked up a hitchhiker before and he turned out to be a thoroughly nice chap. He was a fell runner who had been out on Kinder researching routes for an upcoming fell race in January. I gave him a lift to Hathersage and we chatted about running, the Peak, the Lakes, Scotland and Snowdonia.

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I’m hoping to be out again towards the end of next week, I shall bring you another bucket load of images, video and audio for you to sample. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read, watch, listen or just look 🙂

Peak District – Wild Camping – Edale Skyline Route

There are some times when just one day out on the hills just isn’t enough.. well.. I suppose one day is never enough really when I come to think about it. I have been doing lots of day walks in the Peak District lately so I thought it was about time that I chucked my tent in my bag and headed out for 2 days. As luck would have it I had 2 days spare so I consulted my mate Andy and a plan was set.

Andy decided that he could join me for 2 days of walking and I would Wild Camp alone inbetween as he had other commitments that night. We met up in Matlock yesterday morning at around 09:30, I chucked all my kit in his car and we made our way to Hope which was to be the start point of our walk on day 1. We had chosen to have another wander around the famous Edale Skyline Route which is a fantastic route which is ideal if you have a full day spare. We got on the way just after 10:00 and the first peak of the day was Lose Hill.

The Great Ridge from Lose Hill

Lose Hill stands at the end of the Great Ridge, it has amazing 360 Degree views and in my opinion has to be one of the top 10 vantage points in the whole of the Peak District. We arrived at the top in what seemed like no time at all and I quickly began to put my waterproofs on as the rain moved in from the west. A very friendly sheep came over to say hello, or more specifically try and extract some food from us. She had a nice rummage around my bag before deciding to give up and then wander off very displeased. I have since had a conversation with a handful of other hikers on Twitter who have come across the same scenario on Lose Hill, I posted a picture along with the ewes tag number and it turns out they had encountered the exact same one 🙂

Hope Cement Works

After Lose Hill we walked westward along the Great Ridge towards Back Tor, there was hardly anyone else about at this point which was surprising as this place is usually busy no matter what day you come.

Grindsbrook from Back Tor

Hollins Cross

After Back Tor we headed to Hollins Cross and then begun ascending up to Mam Tor. The rain which had been threatening most of the morning arrived for a short time here. Mam Tor was its usually busy self as the crowds love it here, it’s just so easily accessible from the carpark which is only a hop skip and a jump from the summit.

Mam Tor from Back Tor

After Mam Tor we crossed the road, headed along Rushup Edge over Lord’s Seat and then swung north west to Brown Knoll. It’s now time to stick in one of my disclaimers… A Bog Disclaimer. This section up towards the top of Brown Knoll can become very boggy indeed after rain, we have had some serious rainfall over the last 3 weeks so it was very moist under foot 🙂

After picking our way through the bog of eternal stench / misty marshes we eventually made it up to the trig at SK 1330 8511. I like it up here, it never seems to be crowded at all and the vantage point lower down at Horsehill Tor is superb. Anyway, back to today. The newly constructed path that leads towards the Pennine Way near Edale Cross has been well laid. Even if it looks rather sterile at times I’m 100% aware of the good it will eventually do as it keeps us off the peat.

We stopped for a quick lunch break after joining the Pennine Way, the view down Jacob’s Ladder to Upper Booth is was as stunning as ever. After our short stop we left the Pennine Way then swung towards Pym Chair, the next section across the boulder field to Crowden Tower was as boggy as ever. We crossed Crowden Brook and then made our way over to the top of Grindsbrook. We hit some traffic here as there were plenty of school groups out around this area today.

Win Hill

Next came Upper Tor with its marvellous rock formations, the rain really started lashing down at this point and I did feel for the groups of kids who were getting a soaking. Andy and I however stayed dry in our Goretex jackets. Thankfully the rain moved on towards Win Hill and I managed to capture a few moody looking images of the view in that direction.

Heading for Hope Cross

We had some impressive pace at this point and the march was on as we descended down Crookstone Hill. We reached the now famous (to me anyway) sign that points you in the direction of Hope Cross, I had to take another picture as this little rock has become the logo for PeakRoutes.com 🙂

Wild Country Zephyros 1

Once we got down to Hope Cross it was time for Andy and I to part company. As the rain arrived again heavier than ever, Andy headed down the Roman Road towards Hope and I sought cover in the trees. This really heavy burst of rain lasted around 30mins so I took the opportunity to check the map and decided where I would camp. I then continued on in the rain for a few more minutes until I reached Wooller Knoll, I quickly made my way back into the forest and found a nice little spot to pitch. The wind was fairly strong so I chose a spot that was back from the edge of the forest, the noise of the breeze rushing through the trees wasn’t so loud further in so it was ideal.

Wild Country Zephyros 1

This was the 2nd time I had used my Terra Nova Wild Country Zephyros 1 and I must say i’m very happy with it indeed. It cost me around £100 and it is perfect for what I want. It’s sturdy, pretty lite and relatively roomy for a 1 man tent of this price range. Once pitched I decided to relaxed inside for half an hour or so while I waited for the weather to pass. Thankfully it did and I appeared back out into rays of light streaming into the forest from over towards the west.

I made some dinner, drank some coffee and relaxed beside the tent while listening to some AudioBoos. I even recorded a quick Boo of my own which you can find below. It was great to have some quiete time and have a chance to reflect on my surroundings. I feel at home in the forest as my friends and I have spent many a happy night amongst the pines while Bushcrafting.

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I eventually decided to call it a night at around 22:00 and retired to the tent feeling thoroughly relaxed after a great days walk in great company.

Wild Camping in the Woods

I awoke a few times during the night, mainly because of my old Alpkit Matt deflating on me. I’ve used and abused my Alpkit Wee Airic over the last 6 or 7 years so i’m not surprised its finally given up. If i’m completely honest, it gave up a few years ago but i’ve just been making do with it :-). The rain had been intermittent throughout the night but thankfully the sun came out as I stuck my head out of the tent at around 06:30.

I made myself some breakfast, boiled more water for a few cups of coffee and then packed away. I recorded myself dismantling the tent which you can see in the YouTube Video that is embedded further up in the post. I stowed away the Zephyros 1 in its stuff sack, chucked all my gear inside my rucksack and left for another day of walking without leaving any trace of my presence at camp.

Vale of Edale

I appeared out of the forest and was blessed with stunning sunny views down in the Vale of Edale. It was around 08:00 and there was not a soul in sight. I had arranged to meet Andy at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn so took a few pictures and got on my way.

Ladybower plughole

I had a gentle walk down hill taking in my surroundings as I knew Andy wouldn’t be at the pub until around 10:00. The walk down through the forest is rather nice as the Ashophton Viaduct comes into view down at Ladybower. As we have had lots of rain in recent weeks I found that the “Plug Holes” were being utilised which is a impressive sight to behold. I must say that they do look like a gateway to another dimension or something straight out of a science fiction movie.

Accent up Win Hill

Andy was bang on time and he was getting kitted up by the car as I walked around the corner from the dam wall. I decided to stow my overnight gear in the boot of his car as I would no longer need any of it. We then headed off to ascend back up to Win Hill via the very direct path which heads up from SK 1969 8502. Its a sharp accent but it has to be one of my favourite little climbs in the entire Peak District, It would feel pretty punishing after a long day but we were still pretty fresh so we breezed to the top with ease (ish) 🙂

Hope Cement Works from Win Hill

Once out of the forest its only a short walk to the summit of Win Hill. The weather was being pretty kind to us and the rain was staying away. It was pretty blustery up top and I sheltered behind a rock while having some more food. I’ve got used to the sight of the Hope Cement Works now days but if we are honest its a bit of an eye sore. I have no idea about the history or future of the works but I can’t help but think it kind of spoils one of the nicest areas in the Peak.

The Great Ridge from Win Hill

After our short break on Win Hill we headed of the summit and begun walking towards Hope Cross. The sun was still showing its face every now an then and we made good progress as we picked up the Roman Road. We had chosen to do a shorter route today so it wasn’t long before we were making our descent into the Woodlands Valley and down towards the River Ashop.

Vale of Edale from Hope Cross

We had originally considered the idea of heading towards Alport Dale and then looping back via Rowlee Pasture. The sight of the deep water rushing across the ford where the Roman Road crosses the River Ashop put us off that plan. We decided to take in a new section of footpath that we hadn’t walked before, we swung back east towards Ladybower and followed the course of the River Ashop Silt Trap.

River Ashop Silt Trap

River Ashop Silt Trap

The walk through Blackley Hey Wood is rather gentle and pleasant. We were certainly ready for a more relaxed wander today as yesterday’s challenge route around the Edale Skyline had taken its toll on our legs a little. It wasn’t long before we reached the banks of Ladybower and begun walking along the forestry track that is also used by anglers. It was a nice coincidence that we ran into a family friend who is a warden with the Ladybower Fisheries who i’d been meaning to drop in on for some time. He had said months ago that I should call in for a coffee if I was ever passing, me being me I had never managed to find the time after a walk.

It wasn’t long before we were weaving around the final few corners and the wall of Ladybower dam came into view. We could almost taste the refreshments at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn as we walked past the Plughole’s and along the wall itself. We quickly chucked our gear in the car and headed to the bar to toast a couple of great days out in the glorious Dark Peak. Thanks for reading and I hope to have more Peak District Wild Camping posts for you very soon.

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Peak Routes Podcast – Episode 1 – Bleaklow

The very first episode of the Peak Routes Podcast is now live and available for your listening pleasure. This is my first attempt at podcasting so please ignore the occasional wind noise and the breaks in concentration 🙂

This episode documents the route I did on the 29th of February 2012 which can be found at Peak District – Bleaklow. The route starts at Birchin Clough, goes via Lady Clough, Doctor’s Gate, The old Roman Road, The Pennine Way, through Devil’s Dike up to Bleaklow. I then turn eastward and head across the peat bog to Bleaklow Stones. After a short break I then descend to Alport and then climb steeply up to the top of Nether Reddale Clough. I then admire the via down into Alport Dale before heading over the top of Alport Moor to the head of Birchin Clough. A short while later I arrive back down at the car park at the Snake Road.

This episode is no longer available from iTunes, If you would like to download this episode or any from the archive then visit the dedicated Podcast page of the site.

Peak District – Bleaklow

Another week and another brand new route. I decided once again to head for the Birchin Clough car park on the Snake Road, this place has fast become a firm favourite for me. The area is just simply stunning. The beautiful pine forests with Kinder Scout lurking to the south makes for great viewing. Today however, the aim wasn’t Kinder, it was another peat covered favourite by the name of Bleaklow.

I set off from the Birchin Clough car park at around 10am and headed over the road down into the forest. I headed north following the river that winds under pines up Lady Clough. Today was to be the day that I would make the very first PeakRoutes.com podcast. I begun recording an introduction as I meandered alongside the tranquil flowing river. It had been an idea spawned by my frequent AudioBoo entries with which I had been summarising my walks in audio form. I decided it would be a great addition to my websites to have a larger audio accompaniment, even if no one was to listen it would be a great historical record to have an audible account as well as images.

The going was good today and I made swift progress through the forest as the track climbed up and away from the river. It rose towards the edge of the road and then dropped back down again as I prepared to leave the edge of the forest. Lady Clough opened out in front of me and I could then see the cloud hugging the surrounding hills. After crossing a stream that flows into Lady Clough river I climbed upwards to walk along side the Snake Road.

I crossed over the road at OS Grid Reference SK 0962 9287 and headed for Doctor’s Gate. I recorded another part for the podcast and then joined the Roman Road that rises to meet the Pennine Way. By this point I was rising into the cloud base and the mist was surrounding me. I proceeded upwards along the ancient route and listened to the sound of the grouse as I let my mind wander. It was at this point as I marched on through the mist along the cobbled path that I wondered what if must have been like here in Roman times. I could picture in my imagination the sight of a group armoured Roman soldier marching out of the mist towards me. How fantastic would it be to be able to wind back the clock to witness such a sight.

Anyway… Back to the work. I met the Pennine Way at SK 0900 9332 and turned north towards Bleaklow. The mist was thick and visibility was down to around 20 metres maximum at this point. I proceeded along Devil’s Dike which rises gently, the path then winds through Groughs and around Cloughs as it makes its way up to Bleaklow Head.

In no time at all I was standing at the very top of Bleaklow. I had not seen another soul or soul less person all morning 🙂 the place felt very bleak indeed as the cloud silently brushed across the top of this vast expanse of peat. I recorded another section of audio and then found the path over towards Bleaklow Stones.. I say the word “path” very loosely as there isn’t really a path of sorts. There Is a faint track that weaves across while you follow the Stake marked grass covered Groughs.

The route can become rather confusing at this point if you don’t keep your wits and your compass about you. I have learned from previous experiences that the thing to do is walk on a bearing and ignore what is happening under foot. The paths that do appear along this stretch are rather misleading. You begin to follow what looks like a path for it to fizzle out to nothing or spin around in totally the wrong direction. As I just said, the key to success in cloudy condition along this section is to walk on a bearing.

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After an exhilarating 30 minutes of navigational skill refreshing I arrived at Bleaklow Stones, I was very surprised to have 3G signal so I placed my backpack down and begun broadcasting some live video to Bambuser. Not that you could see a great deal but you do get a good idea of what it was like for me up there today.

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After a short break and an AudioBoo submission I decided to keep moving. Last time I was here I walked up from Howden Reservoir and the weather was stunning, I sat and admired the view for what must have been half an hour. The low cloud today however meant that the view was rather less spectacular. Not to worry, I soon began dropping down towards “The Ridge” and I was amazed to see a handful of mountain hares out in front of me. They looked spectacular with their brilliant white coats against the dark greens and browns of Alport Moor.

I decided to have a slight change of route at this point. I had originally planned to head across the top of Alport towards Alport Castles, drop down to the mouth of the valley and then pick up the roman road back to the car park. I have done this sections before in the past so I decided to go a little off piste and explore some areas where I have never set foot before. I chose to head down into Alport Dale from SK 1148 9461, I headed down towards the river and followed its course for a few minutes. I decided to head back up out the other side of the valley and climb up to the top near SK 1154 9353. The view from here was magnificent.. If the climb alone wasn’t enough to take my breath away then the view certainly was. The view down Alport from this angle is stunning.

I carried on along the moor and crossed the top of Nether Reddale Clough, there are no paths here but I was below the cloud base so made a beeline for the head of Birchin Clough. I was once again met by another glorious view. An angle over towards Kinder that I had never witnessed before. The northern edge of Kinder was framed perfectly by the falling hillsides at Birchin Clough and the spruce lined banks of Lady Clough. I was glad that I had diverted from my original plan as I saw a new side to Alport Moor.

In no time at all I had begun the steep decent down the path from SK 1095 9163 to the car park. I had managed to record a good half an hours worth of audio for the podcast, I’m sure I’ll probably thin this down to around 20 minutes during the editing process though. Another great new route, some old favourites revisited and some new places discovered.

Keep an eye or ear out for the forthcoming podcast. I’m a newcomer to podcasting so will have a look into the logistics and get a link posted here for you to be able to grab it from iTunes. Thanks for reading and your continued support. Join me again next week when I will hopefully be heading further north towards Black Hill. Images, words, video and audio will follow swiftly afterwards.

Peak District – Kinder Scout – Blackden Edge

Having looked at my Dark Peak Combi Map on http://www.shareyouradventure.com I decided I needed to fill in the last remaining space on Kinder Scout, it was the final piece in the jigsaw to make that area of the Peak District look explored. I have walked this way a handful of times in the past but it has been over a year. The last time I walked to this point was when I camped on the eastern edge of Kinder, so I thought it was high time I returned.

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We set off at 10am from the Birchin Clough car park on the snake road and headed over to Lady Clough Forest. Lady Clough forest is quickly becoming a new favourite area in the Peak District for both myself and my friend Andy who was with me today. We followed the river down stream to the point where it joins Ashop River and then walked eastward. We followed the rough path along the banks of the river down towards the bridge at OSGB Grid reference SK 1142 9015.

After crossing the bridge over the river Ashop we then had to cross Fairbrook to enable us to pick up the path that rises to Seal Stones. We walked through the sheep pens and then began the rather steep and unrelenting climb of approximately 300metres of accent up to Seal Stones at SK 1137 8886. It’s rather a slog and it get pretty steep towards the end. Not a problem really as Andy and I chatted the whole way up so it was over in a short space of time.

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When we arrived at Seal Stones we were at the base of the clouds, We picked our way eastward along the edge of the plateau around to the top of Blackden Brook. The cloud had begun to break at this point and the sun was shinning down on the hills across the Ashop valley and beyond.

The going was good today along Blackden Edge and after negotiating a few boggy patches we arrived at a rock formation near madwoman’s Stone at grid reference SK 1390 8807. We decided it would be a great place to stop for lunch and admire the views while sheltering from the wind. I begun to survey the surrounding area towards the east and it suddenly dawned on me…

In the last 8 months I had climbed to the top of every Hill, walked along every edge and meandered through every valley that I could see. Towards the north I had walked on Bleaklow, then looking clockwise I had stood atop Margery Hill and walked the entire length of the Derwent Edge. I had walked along Stanage and Bamford Edges. I remembered the day I walked the Edale Skyline route and finished upon Win Hill after starting at Lose Hill. I had left no feature unchecked from my list of Peak District achievements. It was at that moment that moment the idea of http://www.PeakRoutes.com took shape. I knew it was high time that I set up a website where I could share all my Peak District routes and experiences… Yes… I already do that on http://www.DeanRead.net but I wanted to create a site that was 100% dedicated to my love of the Peak, it would be my launch pad to promote the joys I have had from walking here. Peak Routes was born 🙂

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After our short break for lunch we left the Kinder Plateau and headed down towards Hope Cross, we joined the old Roman Road and headed north west down into the valley. We crossed the ford at SK 1407 8944 and just about managed to keep our feet dry. I’m sure there must have been a bridge over the water here at some point but sadly there isn’t anymore, after periods of heavy rain you would struggle to find a way across the river at this point.

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We crossed the road and carried on along the Roman Road. The going was good as we climbed out of the valley away from Hayridge farm that sits at the mouth of Alport Valley. The views were great along this stretch, back across the valley towards Blackden Edge and Blackden Brook. The Old Roman Road is pretty rough from here onwards. Andy and I spoke about how fascinating it would be to be able to turn back the clock and watch the Roman Army march across the valley. The road keeps rising up and up out of the valley until you eventually begin the descent towards Oyster Clough at SK 1195 9050. A quick hope step and jump over the river then you begin the sharp but short climb up towards the Forest. We stopped once again for a quick break and then continued along across the top edge of the Forest. You eventually begin to descend into the pines and there looks to have been some recent logging work here. Large trees have been removed from the clearing and small saplings have begun to grow in their wake. I had never been in this section of the forest before so it was another first for me today. The path rises and falls as you pass above the Snake Inn, it then descends all the way down to the road. We stuck to the path instead of walking along the road and reached the car park at Birchin Clough.

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Another fantastic route which we really enjoyed. The northern edge of Kinder Scout never fails to impress no matter what the weather. Today had been a stark contrast to the conditions we had enjoyed the last time we were here. the cold bite of Winter made way for the mild feel of spring today, it really does feel like winter has gone for another year and the days are gradually drawing out again. Thanks for reading and I will have another blog post for you this time next week when I tackle another new route in the Peak District.