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INTRODUCTION

On a beautiful winter’s day with a sky that was powder blue and dotted with brilliant white clouds, I dropped down from Barrow Stones to Ridgewalk Moor. As the path levelled out the wind suddenly became stronger, not enough to blow me over, but enough for me to think it was time to be getting off the high moor and down into the valley. The afternoon was drawing to a close and my walk that day had been one of the most enjoyable that winter. I hadn’t seen a soul, it being a weekday, and my walk had taken me off the footpath and across a succession of moors, rising up to Bleaklow Stones via a series of spot heights that formed a natural ascent. As I turned to head towards Round Hill I had the most amazing sense of the ocean. I stopped and breathed in the air, taking huge draughts into my lungs. I could smell and taste sea salt on the wind, fresh, tangy and exhilarating. It is a moment I relive, and it is just one of many memories that I have of the Dark Peak.

Full winter kit on Kinder Scout (Walk 24)

The area has a habit of producing days that are to be remembered; it is one of the reasons it is loved by so many people. It is a place of great beauty and variety, with a landscape that changes with the seasons. Its primary trait is one of restrained menace. The land broods, waiting for an excuse to show its dark side, often suddenly from nowhere and in a most brutal way. There is a reason why seven Mountain Rescue teams surround the Dark Peak, which alone is enough of a warning to any walker to treat the area with respect.

The Dark Peak is fringed with gritstone edges that look out across wide valleys to high peat moorland. It is famous for two things. The first is gritstone, coarse sandstone laid down between 360 million and 300 million years ago when the area was a vast river delta. The gritstone forms long high edges, a Mecca for climbers, and outcrops that give walkers superb viewpoints across wide valleys to the high moors beyond. The second feature the Dark Peak is famous for is encountered by all who venture onto the high moors: peat. In summer, it takes the form of a dark chocolate brownie that has a gentle bounce which makes a gait slightly comical. In wet weather it is an entirely different matter. Chocolate fondant is perhaps an appropriate description. Peat, when saturated, still maintains its solid appearance, which makes crossing the moors a challenge, especially if you enter a grough, a steep-sided incision from which egress is less than noble. At best you can end up covered in the black ooze up to your knees; at worst it can be up to your thighs.

Peat is one of the Dark Peak’s characteristics

The walks are not just about this incredible landscape. They are also about the human element that lies deep within the Dark Peak. From the Neolithic remains of fire platforms to Bronze Age cairns and burial mounds, we walk in footsteps long ago imprinted into the soft peat. It is an area that has witnessed murder, with the martyrs at Padley Chapel (Walk 5), mystery at Cutthroat Bridge (Walk 8), and human despair in Hannah Mitchell, who lived a life under such cruelty at Alport Hamlet, yet went on to become a Manchester magistrate and writer (Walk 13). The first national park to be granted this status was the Peak National Park, in April 1951, with those who fought for the Right to Roam frequently at the forefront of the national parks campaign.

Industry has made its mark, first with the peat cutting and then more visibly along the gritstone edges and the quarries producing the famous millstones and the stone for the great dams. War also has played its part, with at least three areas taking part in military training, the most famous being the Dambusters of the Upper Derwent Valley. In the last century the area has been the resting place of many aircraft, the remains of which can still be seen.

The Dark Peak presents a different experience with each season. Autumn invites you to savour the blazing colours of the ancient woodlands around Longshaw, and the smell of the landscape readying for the winter slumber. Then take a winter’s walk on Higger Tor, the wind driving snow horizontally across the moor, the cold biting the cheeks: perhaps you will be lucky enough to experience the thrill of sighting a mountain hare in its white winter cloak. In spring the path up to Grindle Barn from Ladybower has a beautiful meadow full of cornflowers and buttercups. And finally summer beckons, promising long days exploring the groughs of the Kinder Scout plateau, lunch at Crowden Head, reclining on soft sweet-smelling grass, and bathing in the Fairie Pools at Slippery Stones after a hard day’s walking. There are ample opportunities for challenge and character-building, testing navigational skill and self-reliance, and endless moments of pleasure discovering this rich and varied landscape.

I hope you enjoy the walks in this book and that it leads to further exploration of the Dark Peak and some wonderful memories.

Geology

The Peak District is formed mainly of gritstone, which sits above a limestone bed. In the southern part of the Peak District, the White Peak, the gritstone has eroded away leaving the white limestone formed some 360 million years ago now visible on the surface. In the north and on the eastern and western fringes, the gritstone remains in place on the surface giving us the Dark Peak.

The gritstone of the Dark Peak was formed in the Carboniferous Period around 360–300 million years ago at a time of fluctuating sea levels due to ice melt. The gritstone of the Dark Peak, primarily made from sandstone and grit, was laid down when the area was a huge river delta that poured sediment from the north over the smooth limestone rock, resulting in the formation of gritstone rock, often in layers or strata. Between the layers can be found thin seams of shale and coal, formed from decaying plant material during periods of warmer weather.

Gritstone has a coarse surface that is harder than the limestone or shales upon which it sits. Layering of the gritstone deposits has produced horizontal banding while weathering has produced vertical fissures. This gives a distinctive look of long edges running in straight lines, with the edge interspersed with buttresses of horizontal layers separated by vertical cracks, as seen at Stanage Edge. Where harder sandstone deposits are present, erosion has resulted in gritstone tors where the surrounding softer stone has been weathered away. This is seen most clearly on Derwent Edge and Kinder Scout.

The Wheel Stones or Coach and Horses (Walk 12)

The shale formed from mud that lies deeper than the sandstone and grit can be found interspersed within a line of gritstone, the most easily visible being at Mam Tor, where gritstone sits above the shale at the base of the mountain. As shale breaks up easily this makes it a very unstable material and, as in Mam Tor, can produce significant landslips. Thin seams of coal are seldom visible but these remains of plant material laid down during warmer spells of the Carboniferous Period can be seen around Derbyshire Bridge and also in the Longdendale Valley.

Peat, formed from plant material some 10,000 years ago, sits behind the gritstone edges and on the slopes down into the valley at a depth of up to four metres. On the high moorlands the peat has been eroded, producing deep incisions called groughs where it has been eroded down to the underlying bedrock. This came about partially through natural processes but also through deliberate human activity. In the 19th and 20th century drains were cut into the peat in an attempt to make the moors drier for agricultural purposes. The effect of such drainage was to reduce the moors’ ability to hold water and also to take sediment from the moor down into the valleys. New peat could not be generated from rotting material, further reducing the moors’ water-retention abilities and affecting the delicate natural balance of plant and wildlife where drainage had occurred. Along with the peat, the Dark Peak is one of the world’s most important sites for blanket bog. Blanket bog enables the growth of plants such as sphagnum moss, a key plant for the production of new peat. The Moors For The Future Project seeks to reverse the damage caused by moorland peat erosion and promotes the development of new peat by the seeding of grasses, sphagnum moss and other plantlife that will increase the moors’ capacity to produce new peat material. The peat is also a major component of flood defences for the surrounding cities, the moor holding water for longer periods to allow floodwater to disperse without damaging settlements downstream.

Groughs should not be confused with cloughs, which are deeply incised valleys running down the hillside from the plateau above. They invariably have a stream running along the length that is cutting deeper into the hillside; many have waterfalls.

Plants and wildlife

Plant and wildlife within the Dark Peak is diverse. The high moorlands have a wide range of grasses and sedges, bilberry and crowberry and cottongrass, as well as managed bracken and heather. There is little tree cover except for the occasional rowan and conifer. The mountain hare is a common sight, as are grouse, which are heavily managed for sport shooting. Deer are also present on the Eastern Moors. Around the gritstone edges merlins, peregrine falcons, goshawks, hen harriers and buzzards may be spotted. Curlew, golden plover and dippers frequent the moors and valleys, while the common lizard and the adder may be found basking on moorland paths.

Cottongrass blowing in the soft breeze

Grouse moors have a cover of heather, managed to produce differing habitats suitable for the life-cycle of the red grouse. Three main types of heather can be found in the Dark Peak; the most ubiquitous is common heather that produces the purple blankets of late summer that the Dark Peak is famous for.

Ancient woodlands of oak, birch, rowan, holly and hazel can be found on the valley slopes and in the valley bottoms. Bluebells, wood anemone and wood sorrel are abundant, as is the pungent wild garlic along the bottom of the valley. Many of the valley sides were planted with conifer as a commercial crop. Where it is practical these are now being replaced with natural woodlands. The National Trust has also started a programme to introduce natural woodlands onto the steep slopes immediately below the high moors.

Farming is an important activity in the Dark Peak and farms cover the high moorlands as well as the lower slopes and valley bottoms. Sheep are the most common farm animal but there are cattle as well. Farmland is characterised by a drystone wall of medium size enclosing green pasture. In recent years Highland cattle have been used to control bracken, particularly on the Eastern Moors.

History

Ancient history

The area has long been inhabited by man and there is a great deal of evidence to be found on all the walks. Man’s first appearance was during the Neolithic period, some 10,000 years ago, evidenced by burial mounds, particularly on high viewpoints such as Pike Low, built around 2500BC. Bronze Age burial chambers and cairns are also common. A good place to view these is Bamford Moor (Walk 8) or the Eastern Moors (Walk 3).

A fine example of a stone circle on Bamford Moor (Walk 8)

The Romans and Normans

Roman occupation has left its imprint on the landscape as well, with several of the walks using Roman roads, and of course, there were the forts at Hope (Walk 39) and Glossop (Walk 20). The Peak District was of interest to the Romans due to its central location within the country and the lead deposits that would provide a good source of the mineral for lead work in piping and guttering.

The Normans arrived in AD1086 at the settlement of Pechesers (literally translated as Peak’s Arse or Peak’s Tail), now known as Castleton. There, William Peveril, son of William the Conqueror, built Peveril Castle above Cave Dale as a stronghold and means of increasing his power and control over the area, while also serving as a prison for offenders. The site of the castle gave the Normans control of the Peak Forest, which stretched from the Derwent Valley in the northeast to the Goyt Valley in the west, including a large area of what is now the Dark Peak.

The enclosures

The 13th century witnessed the first major change to the landscape in the form of enclosures. Enclosure removed land from the community and placed it in the hands of the Lords and those who controlled areas of population. The primary reason for enclosure was profit from improved agricultural activities. The people who tended to lose out were the labourers and landless who were forced off the land and often into the towns. The first areas of land to be enclosed were those close to settlements and these can be easily identified as long narrow fields with straight boundaries. The next enclosures were more regular, rectangular shapes further up the valley slopes. The final enclosures occurred much later in the 19th century with the high moorlands being enclosed for sheep farming. Again, these are easily identified by very long stone walls that seem to stretch forever and lead nowhere useful!

The Industrial Revolution

Industry within the Dark Peak has been centred on the main areas of habitation. The very nature of the land and its geology precluded most mining activities, with the exception of small-scale coal mining on the western fringes and in the Longdendale Valley. It was not until the 17th century that industrial activity on a large scale became common. The availability of water powerful enough to work textile mills lead to the area becoming an important producer of cotton and woollen cloth, especially over on the western edge, which was bounded by the great industrial base of Lancashire. The position of the Dark Peak in the middle of the country and the plentiful supply of gritstone resulted in the export of stone wheels for milling flour and other crushing processes. Gritstone proved itself to be a good milling material but an even better source of building material, making it very attractive to the growing cities that surrounded the Dark Peak.

The ballooning population of the cities also led to an increased demand for water. The answer was the huge reservoirs; for a time the longest single chain in the world was in Longdendale (Walk 18). The reservoirs of the Upper Derwent Valley were completed in the 20th century and supplied much of the Midlands and Sheffield. As industry’s reliance on water power diminished, the rivers returned to being habitats for wildlife. The water companies are now major landholders, owning much of the land around the reservoirs. Originally the land was bought to safeguard the quality of the water; now it is seen as a major recreational asset.

Derwent Reservoir in the autumn (Walk 12)

The rise of national parks

The 19th and 20th centuries brought about big changes to the uplands and moors. Enclosures had taken what was once common land from the people and placed it into the hands of wealthy individuals. Originally it had been for sheep grazing, enabling large herds to be grazed at little cost. The introduction of red grouse for sport shooting shifted the economic balance: sheep did not bring in the same amount of income per hectare as red grouse, so the sheep and sheep farmers were removed and replaced with the grouse and gamekeeper. Enclosure also restricted access onto the moors and the introduction of shooting moors curtailed access for the vast majority of people. At a time when working classes were gaining a better standard of living, enabling them to travel and explore the countryside, they were prevented from doing so by private landowners. In conjunction, the political landscape was changing and a more socially inclusive attitude was developing. The fact that the high moors of the Dark Peak were closed to public access particularly annoyed and irritated the walkers of Manchester and Sheffield and it brought about a series of trespasses.

The most famous of these was the Mass Trespass of 1932 (Walk 22), when hundreds of walkers walked up onto Kinder Scout against the wishes of the Duke of Devonshire and the instructions of the police. As a result of that day six people were tried and five were convicted of trespass and imprisoned. After the war various reports were produced on social matters. Arthur Hobhouse, a Liberal politician, produced a report in 1947 proposing the establishment of a series of national parks and detailing their uses. This resulted in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, establishing 12 national parks across the country. They were chosen because of their outstanding natural beauty and unique identity. The first to open was the Peak National Park, now Peak District National Park, on 17April 1951.

You may think mass trespasses are long in the past, but that is not the case. The last mass trespass to take place in the Dark Peak took place in 1985 on Bamford Moor (Walk 8), as this was closed to the public unless they had the permission of the landowner. Today that is not the case. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000 finally gave walkers the right to walk unfettered on open access land. There is, of course, a fly in the ointment. Landowners have the right to close their land to the public by giving special notice for a limited number of days per year. If you are walking on the moors it is always worth checking to see whether there are any closures. It may well be due to sport shooting.

AIRCRAFT CRASH SITES

The Dark Peak has an unusual and sad side. There are a large number of aircraft crash sites upon the high moors: many are military, a few are civilian. Remnants of the planes are still easily visible at many of the sites; others there is just a change in the landscape. Due to the flat nature of the high moorlands, especially Bleaklow, Kinder and Howden, navigational problems were encountered in poor weather and bad visibility. Misjudging the height, many planes simply hit the moorland, spreading wreckage and debris over a wide area. The sites are often used as a navigation exercise and are of historical interest. The earliest crash happened in 1918. The most famous and frequented one is on Bleaklow (Walk 20), where a USAF B29 crashed and has left extensive debris. As it was a military flight a service is now held each year on Remembrance Day. Grid references to sites that are near the walks can be found in Appendix C. Should you choose to visit any of the sites, please be respectful and do not remove any material.

B29 Superfortress wreckage (Walk 20)

The future

The Dark Peak is a unique landscape within Britain and as such is designated as a National Character Area with a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation, and almost 50 per cent of the National Character Area has been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Today, many agencies are involved in the conservation of the area, ensuring that it remains special for generations to come. The National Trust, the RSPB, the Peak District National Park, the Wildlife Trust and Moors For The Future are changing the landscape, providing new woodlands of indigenous species and increasing the diversity of plants and wildlife.

The National Trust now owns large areas and its High Peak Estate and the Marsden Estates cover a large proportion of the Dark Peak. The Trust has a 50-year plan to promote and encourage care of this special landscape. They will develop healthy blanket bogs to increase the production of new peat and also trap millions of tonnes of carbon that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. The plan calls for an increase in the diversity of wildlife and birds of prey, along with the planting of thousands of native shrubs and trees in the valleys and cloughs.

The water companies, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities, are encouraging people to visit the reservoirs and surrounding moors for recreational purposes, building trails and infrastructure to enable everyone to enjoy this unique landscape. At the same time they are working to increase the diversity of wildlife and plants in the woodlands and on the moors that surround their operations.

Probably the biggest single project for the Dark Peak to date is the one being carried out by Moors For The Future: the restoration of the peat landscape. Repairing the damage done by years of industrial pollution from the surrounding cities will take time, energy and money, but the agency is bringing it back to life. The first stage is the seeding of grasses to lock in the peat that is still there. Then sphagnum moss seedlings are spread across the peat, taking root and holding water. When these rot down they will form new peat, and Moors For The Future intend to fill in the peat groughs (deep channels in the peat formed by erosion) by building thousands of small dams to hold back water and restore the landscape. These will also lock in carbon and increase the water-retention capacities of the peat, helping the atmosphere and saving communities downstream from flooding. By promoting tree and shrub growth in the cloughs they will also increase the quality of the water, reducing the need for extensive cleaning operations. Due to the agency’s activities the moors now have greater diversity of plantlife and wildlife, giving a whole new experience when walking across the land.

Dams across the groughs regenerating peat (Walk 32)

The Dark Peak is a major source of enjoyment and recreation for people who use the area. From walkers to climbers, mountain bikers, photographers, runners, bird watchers and people who just sit and enjoy this landscape, it has plenty to offer everyone.

Local services and transport

The Dark Peak sits predominantly within the Peak District National Park. This was Britain’s first national park, established on 17 April 1951. There are National Park Visitor Centres at Castleton, Edale and the Upper Derwent Valley, as well as ranger offices throughout the area. Details of all these and useful contacts can be found at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk.

Transport to and from the walks is more frequently by car and bike these days, but public transport is still available either by bus or train. The main Sheffield to Manchester rail line runs through the centre of the Dark Peak and is a useful means of accessing the area, with stations at Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope, Edale and New Mills. Glossop and Marsden also have stations for access to the more remote areas. Transport by bus is obtainable from Sheffield, Manchester, Derby and Buxton. For details visit www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/publictransport.

The north of the Peak District has fewer and less frequent transport connections, so please take time to ensure that transport is available, especially at the end of a walk.

The central section of the Dark Peak contains the major centres of commerce and residence. Hathersage, Castleton, Glossop and Marsden all have shops, bars, restaurants and accommodation, making them good bases for the walks. Once away from these areas there is little available, which is part of the attraction of the Dark Peak. Therefore it is wise to take plenty of food and drink along on the walks. Details of accommodation and events can be found at www.visitpeakdistrict.com.

The walks

The walks cover the whole of the Dark Peak. Some will be new to readers, others may be old friends. The book splits the Dark Peak into areas, each having a range of walks from short to long, some with more ascent than others. The shorter walks can be used as an introduction to each area, giving a brief taste of what is on offer. The medium-length walks offer a good day of walking that is not too taxing, while the longer walks are for those who want to lose the thronging crowds in the valley below and experience a true moorland wilderness experience.

Walking up Grindsbrook (Walk 24)

There are some steep climbs in the Dark Peak and some of these are included in the walks to get the blood pumping. Some ascents tend to be gentler giving the walker time to look around, which is a joy because this is a landscape of high wide vistas and big skies, especially on the high moorlands.

Responsible walking

Many of the walks are over grouse moors. These are highly managed environments specifically designed for the production of grouse for sport shooting. As such the landowners have the right to close a moor for public safety and the protection of the grouse and other ground-nesting birds. The landowner may also exclude dogs entirely from the moor or with certain exceptions. It is useful to check whether the moor has been closed or if there are any restrictions. This information can be found on the Natural England CRoW website at www.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk.

Walking in the Dark Peak also brings a responsibility to ensure that no damage comes to the moor or the plant and wildlife by our actions. A moorland fire in May 2016, resulting from a portable barbeque being carelessly left behind, caused extensive damage to the heath and the destruction of much wildlife. Please act responsibly when on the moor: do not have open fires or barbeques, do not discard cigarettes or leave litter. Please follow the countryside code and remember to leave only footprints and take only photos and memories.

Maps and navigation

All walks have been plotted using Ordnance Survey online mapping tools. The main paper maps for the area are the OS Explorer Dark Peak OL1 and White Peak OL24. Harvey and the BMC Dark Peak maps are also useful. Always take a map and compass, even if you are using a GPS device.

A word of caution: do not underestimate the area. Walking on the high moors – Bleaklow, Kinder Scout, Derwent and Howden – requires excellent navigation skills, especially in winter. It also requires good equipment and a knowledge of how to use it, and clothing that is appropriate to the time of year. The use of walking poles when crossing moorland can be helpful for maintaining balance and forward motion. They can also be useful when descending some of the steeper sections of the walks.

Smartphones can prove invaluable, especially when combined with a mapping app. However, these do drain the batteries, so be careful. One advantage of having a smartphone should you get into difficulty and need assistance from Mountain Rescue is its ability to let the teams know where you are, making rescue a much easier and quicker process. It is therefore advantageous to carry one of these devices for emergency purposes.

Big skies in the Dark Peak (Walk 7)

Using this guide

The book is split into areas running from the east over to the west. The walks were researched that way and it seemed a logical way of progressing. The first walk, from Chatsworth, is a gentle introduction to Dark Peak walking. The last, along the Roaches, ends the tour of the Dark Peak in the most magical way, looking out over England and on into Wales, a huge flat plain spread out before you. Perhaps you will pick an area and explore it. The walks have been kept as far away from each other as possible to allow for a fresh experience on each walk, and the routes stay as far from roads as possible also. This could have limited some walks, however, so some road walking is necessary on certain routes. Some walks can be cut short, such as the one from Grindleford to Higger Tor (Walk 5). There is so much to see and explore on all of the walks; there is nothing wrong in just walking to a particular feature and returning along the same path.

There is no perfect time to do the walks. The beauty of the Dark Peak is that it will serve you up a different experience every single time. It is recommended that you do the walks again and again and at different times of year for the full effect.

A rainbow on Barrow Stones (Walk 11)

This guide includes an overview map and a route summary table. Use these in conjunction with the walk introduction at the beginning of each walk to select a suitable walk or series of walks. Timings are my walk times and do not include stopping for photographs, tea, ice creams or any other such comestible, getting lost or taking wrong turns. I have been generous with time, as there is no reason to rush across this magnificent landscape. The refreshments listed in the information boxes are those which are passed on the walk; in some cases there will be other pubs and cafés nearby.

In addition to the guide, taking the Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps OL1 Dark Peak and OL24 White Peak is recommended. The place names and features marked in bold within the walk descriptions refer to places featured on the maps contained within the guide. These maps are based on OS 1:50000, with the exception of the five longer walks (Walks 36-40), which are 1:100000. The mapping within the guide is intended to complement and not replace the correct OS Explorer map. There are many additional place names and features included throughout the route descriptions which are labelled on the OS 1:25000 maps.

If you use a GPS-enabled device to navigate, GPX files are available for free download at www.cicerone.co.uk/519/GPX.