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.





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.

listen to ‘Day 29 - #FeBOOary - Final Day Boo from Bleaklow’ on Audioboo

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.



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.





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 Loose 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 :-)





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.





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.

listen to ‘Peak District - Kinder Scout - Northern Edge Part 2’ on Audioboo

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.

Peak District Routes - Under Construction

Welcome to the new Peak District Routes blog, the home of the forthcoming Peak Routes Podcast. Over the coming weeks I will be adding new content to the site and also some great routes that I have already documented on my personal website. I plan to record podcasts for each route that I do and make GPX files available which can be loaded into GPS devices.



The reason I decided to create this site is because I would like to promote the wonders of the Peak District. I have explored many corners of the Peak and would like to share my experiences with you. If you like what you see, read or hear then you can download the route file and have a go yourself.



The idea came to me while I sat having lunch on the Eastern edge of Kinder Scout. I was surveying the surrounding area 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 Loose 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 :-)

Thanks for stopping bye and please come back soon.

Social Hiking - Peak District - Dark Peak Combi Map

Those of you who are regular visitors to my site will know I'm a huge fan of Social Hiking (shareyouradventure.com). A few months ago a great new feature called "Combi Map" was introduced, Obviously the name is pretty self explanatory but it basically allows you to combine a number of different maps into one.



I've been doing allot of walking in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District so I thought it was about time I shared my map here. I have combined all my walks into this map above which currently contains 10 different routes, they each individually contain tons of images, video, tweets an AudioBoos.



My collection of routes and maps is growing week by week as there is a wealth of routes to choose from. I've made it my mission to walk every inch (or as near as possible) of the Dark Peak, thanks to the genius developers of Social Hiking I now have an easy way of tracking my progress.

Peak District - Kinder Scout - Northern Edge in the Snow

I mentioned in a very recent blog post how I have a great passion for seeking out new routes in the Peak District. I really enjoy finding a spot on the map where I haven't visited and then trying to plot a nice route to get to know that area a little better. Today's route was plotted for that very reason, I have walked the Northern Edge of Kinder Scout a handful of times before but i have never approached from the Ashop Valley side. I decided it was high time that I paid it a visit so I plotted a nice route in ViewRanger and off I went to explore.

Peak District - Kinder Scout - Hayfield Route Revisited

It's always nice to find new routes while out walking, go new places, see new things or just explorer your surroundings. That's pretty much what I have been doing for the last year or so in the Peak District. The Peak has a hell of allot to offer, from dramatic edges, to vast moorland landscapes and breathtaking views aplenty. I don't really have favourites, as having them means you like somewhere or something less. I do however have a route which I can say I have favoured more than others. The route in question is one that I have done 100+ times but it never gets old to me, simply because it has it all.



The route I'm talking about is the one above, Kinder Scout from Hayfield. As I said before I have done this route hundreds of times in the past. My friend Stevo and I did this route pretty much every week for 2 years. It holds a special place in my heart and it's one that I would recommend with no fear of it disappointing. The edge path is a classic route which is no stranger to the crowds in summer, don't let that put you off. it passes the locations of a historical trespass, a future Alien evacuation, spots of scientific significance and wreckage sites with stories of tragedy. If you decide you want to get away from it all then look no further, as true isolation and the feeling of loneliness are just a few footsteps away from the edge.

I set off from home this morning and headed straight for Bowden Bridge car park near Hayfield. As I was getting all my kit together I recorded a quick section of today's AudioBoo. I had decided to record a different sort of Boo today, the iPhone app lets you pause while recorded so I thought a step by step guide Boo would be interesting. I had already recorded the first part while at home outlining todays plans so just gave a quick update on the weather conditions.



We set off walking and the first port of call is the Kinder Reservoir. The weather was great today, a little cloudy but the sun was breaking through casting some fantastic colours on the landscape. The route then takes you up William Clough, the site of the Mass Trespass which happened back on Sunday, April 24, 1932. The trespass which was a protest by around 400 ramblers had far reaching impact and paved the way for legislation in 1949 to establish the National Parks, and also the right to roam act in 2000. for more information about the Trespass visit http://kindertrespass.com/



The climb up William Clough is rewarded by fantastic views in all directions from the top at Ashop Head. The view back down towards the reservoir was particularly good today as the Crepuscular rays were breaking through the clouds. You now join the Pennine Way which start/ends at Edale depending on which way you decided to tackle it. The Pennine Way is a 268 mile long distant walking route that weaves its way north from Edale all the way to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, maybe one day i'll give it a go but you can be sure that i'll blog about it if I do.



After a short breather at Ashop Head I recorded another section of my AudioBoo and we then headed up on to Kinder itself. after a short walk along the edge path we turned north east and headed inwards to find the remains of the 2 Canadian Sabre Jets. I have blogged about this wreckage site in the past and you can find the post about it in the archives - Kinder Scout - Sabre Jets or Kinder Scout – Hayfield Route Highlights.

In 1954 two Canadian Sabre Jets took off from their base at linton-on-Ouse near York, They failed to reply to radio messages and simply disappeared. A group of ramblers found the wreckage later that evening, It can only be assumed that they collided mid air. The reason why they were about 50 miles off course remains a mystery. The wreckage is spread across a wide area, there is more further north down in Ashop Valley which I have yet to find but will keep you posted. Another section of AudioBoo recorded and we were then on our way again.



The next interesting spot we visited is one where the tail of Alien Evacuations lingers. You may notice the white cross and the initials GK in white paint on the image below. They stand for George King and this is the point where Aetherians will be evacuated by Extra Terrestrials from Venus when the world ends in the year 2015. I’m yet to find an exact date for this but i’ll keep looking. If you manage to find out some more info and would like to view this spot or perhaps phone home with ET .. The co-ords are roughly N53°23’58.99″, W1°53’29.94.



There has been a large amount of rain in recent weeks which means Kinder Downfall is currently in full flow. The Downfall can range from being totally dried up in the summer months to a raging torrent after periods of heavy rain. today it was a nice gentle waterfall and we got to see it go into reverse. When the wind is coming from the west and the water is flowing you can witness this fantastic spectacle. I managed to get a few images of it happening via the camera on my new iPhone 4S, I also recorded a little video too.



I was very pleased to find that I had 3G mobile signal while at Kinder Downfall, I decided to fire up Bambuser and broadcast a little live footage. Bambuser is a live video streaming site and I've only used it a couple of times so far, I never had 3G signal in the Peak District while I was with O2 so I shall be using it allot more in the future now I'm with Orange which has better coverage.



I posted a picture on twitter a few days ago of all the leftover chocolate we have from christmas. A few of my followers recommended I should give them away and that they would send me their address. I decided I could go one better. Those of you who are familiar with Geocaching will probably like my new game Geochocing. if you are unsure about what Geocaching then have a quick read of my blog post entitled "Geocaching" in the archive section :-)

Anyway, I decided to hide a container full of Chocolate which you can see pictured below. The coordinates for said container are as follows 53.397130, -1.879470. I will be doing a blog post on the subject very soon and will give more clues then, the coords should be all you need if you wish to go off and reap the rewards.



I recorde another section of my Boo and then we proceeded over Kinder Downfall. We were pleased that the wind had died down as we would have got a soaking when crossing the river. As I mentioned before the downfall goes into reverse in high winds which means anyone stood at the top is going to get rather wet.



In no time at all we arrived at Kinder Low, the light was fantastic at this point as the cloud was beginning to disperse and we had fantastic 360 Degree views. We stopped for a quick lunch break here and took a few pictures before keeping moving so we didn't freeze solid. The wind coming in from the north west was icy cold and i managed to forget my gloves today which ment I felt the cold while messing about with my phone.



On the way down to KinderLow End you pass the KinderLow Bowl Barrow, It is a monument within a fence and is an early Bronze Age (2000-1500BC) burial mound. Over 500 barrows have been identified across the Peak District. Most are still highly visible in the landscape. Evidence shows that it was normal for between 5 to 20 burials to be placed individually, in various positions, within a barrow. It is thought that these monuments were probably built by family communities, to reflect the importance of ancestry and people’s relationship with the land. We made another quick stop so I could record another section of my AudioBoo and then made our way down the slippery path towards the steep steps.






The final section from Kinder Low End is down farmland to the road which eventually reaches Bowden Bridge. The views back toward Kinder are great from this angle while you descend through the rather slippery fields. It always seems like the day has gone in a flash when I reach this point, I usually contemplate turning around and going back the way I came :-)

When we got down to the road I recorded the final section of my AudioBoo which you can find below. I think I will continue Booing in this manner as I am pretty pleased with the results. I having been recording Boos on the way home after my last few walks but thought I would go for a different approach this time and I think this will be the norm from now on.



The following video is one that my friend Stevo and I made back in 2007, it follows the route I did today and at present is the most viewed Kinder Scout video on YouTube.. #Smug :-)



All being well I will be out again next week for another wander in the glorious Peak District. Keep an eye out for my Geochocing blog post and feel free to go and have a look for the container if you are passing. All I ask it that you remove the container if you find so i'm not littering the landscape :-) Why not hide it somewhere else in the Peak District and we can keep the game going. Thanks again for stopping by.

Peak District - Stanage & Bamford Edge

Well, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas break. Sadly I had to work the majority of it but never mind :-) I work shifts so it's always rough with the smooth. Now that things are starting to return to normal, its high time I get back to planning where and when I'm going to walk this year. I have plenty of grand plans flying around in my head but I decided to start with something small and close to home. Stanage and Bamford Edges to be more precise.

I had been planning to walk these two edges for some time, the lure of other parts of the dark peak always seem to draw me away from there. Stanage is a very popular place amongst Peak District walkers but I must admit I haven't devoted much time to it in the past, having only walked it once before. So I decided it was high time to give it a go again, the conditions today were looking relatively good so I called my mate Andy and we set up a plan.