Hope Valley S33 7ZD
UK
Edale, Derbyshire, is at the heart of the Peak District: to its north is the beautifully bleak massif of Kinder Scout and the Dark Peak beyond; to the south the grass-covered “quivering mountain”, Mam Tor and the White Peak. The small village is famously the start of the Pennine Way long distance trail, which heads north to the Scottish borders. Originally it was a farming community: its dry-stone wall enclosed pastures, still grazed by sheep, are criss-crossed with footpaths and the occasional walker from near-by Sheffield and Manchester.
The weekend will be a self-organise one: arrange your own transport, accommodation and food. The leader will be staying at Coopers Campsite in Edale; there are several other campsites in the area, as well as B&Bs, or hotel accommodation further afield. Edale YHA is quite a large one, and is a 20 min walk across the fields (in the dark) to the pub of an evening. There will be a meal out on Saturday, probably in Hathersage at the end of the walk.
The Berkshire Walkers weekend to Edale will have four walks in the area. Although details are given below, an effort should be made to contact the leader by the night before to check for last-minute changes (due to weather, for example).
Friday 14th April, “Mind the gap”, 8 miles, moderate, 12.30pm
Starting at the carpark at SK124853 (the railway station is about 100m up the road, should you be arriving by train) we will head south and up the hill on the well-trodden pack-horse path to Hollins Cross. From here, on a clear day, you can get a good appreciation of the surrounding hills, valleys and villages (oh, and the cement factory at Hope – a useful navigational aid). Turning east, we will head to the end of the grassy ridge at Lose Hill before descending into the Hope Valley and the small town of Castleton. If you have time, and a hankering for enclosed spaces, Castleton is a wonderful place to experience some of Britain’s finest limestone caverns. We, however, will be heading for the broken remains of the A6187, which were abandoned in the early 1980s. The road was built on the geological fault which separates the Dark and the White Peak; the fault is also the reason for the caverns in the area and the formation of the semi-precious gemstone, Blue John. If there is time and the will, we shall pay a visit to the Blue John mine as we pass, en route to the top of Mam Tor. Here, we will again see Edale and our end-point.
Saturday 15th April, “The Edge: a linear walk”, 8miles, moderate
For this linear walk, we will be starting from Bamford station (SK208805) at 10.45am, after the arrival of the 10.34 departure from Edale. We will walk to Hathersage station, so if coming by train, please get a return to the further station (Hathersage from the Edale side). Our walk takes us up the initially gentle slopes to one of the most famous climbing sites in Britain: Stanage Edge. The rock outcrop extends for several kilometers, with climbs of a range of difficulties. We will follow the easier, footpath, route onto the top and the along to the trig-point at White Path Moss. Our descent to Hathersage will be across the moors, leading into pastures and finally the stone-build village. Hathersage is reputedly the burrial place of Little John, comrade of Robin Hood in his exploits in Sherwood forest; these days it has a large selection of walking shops, cafes and pubs.
Saturday 15th April, Evening: pub meal, TBD
We intend to eat out on Saturday evening, possibly at a pub in Hathersage at the end of the days walk. Get in touch with the leader on the day for details.
Sunday 16th April, “One small step; one giant leap”, 8 miles, challenging
On Easter Sunday we will start the Pennine Way from the Nags Head (SK123860) at 10.00 The well-worn path across the pastures of the Vale of Edale heads first to Upper Booth, before the steep-stepped path of Jacob’s Ladder to get us up onto the open moor of Kinder Scout. We will pause briefly at Edale Cross and continue to the hill where the Ramblers started. In 1932, keen walkers from the Manchester conurbation carried out a mass trespass onto the private grouse-moor of Kinder Scout, arguing that the moors and wild places of England should be for all to use and enjoy. This movement started the Ramblers organisation, the footpath and access campaigns we have fought for ever since. We will walk along the edge of the moor to Kinder Downfall (which in normal conditions, often comes up the hill) and use our hard-won right to cross the moor off-piste. Once we arrive at the trig-point above Edale, we’ll turn south, descending the steep path over Ringing Roger.
Monday 17th April, “A hill, a dale: a trail”, 12 miles, moderate.
We will set out on our final walk from the carpark at SK103723, at 11am. The area is typical White Peak territory, with a plateaux of limestone on which sits green pastures into which are cut deep v-shaped valleys. We start with the hill, climbing out the valley on the Pennine Bridleway to Priestcliffe and heading east to Monsal Dale. Our return to the cars follows the Monsal trail – a former railway line, removed by Dr Beeching in the 1960’s. The trail follows the dale on a level path, strewn with the remnants of the area’s industrial past, from mills through to Victorian mass-industry.
Those leaving us will find the route to the M1 easy through Chesterfield, though if there’s time a nicer road may be through the quaint villages of Bakewell and Matlock. If you’re staying the extra night, there may be time to call at “the plague village”, Eyam, on the way home.
Tuesday 18th April, Bonus social. TBD
After packing up, we will head off to the M1 and our journey south, calling at Bolsover Castle or, perhaps Haddon Hall on the way home. Get in touch with the leader to find out more.