Home Start Point Peak District Text Only Diary

Summary

The walk starts at Fairholmes car park and proceeds up the eastern side of the Derwent and Howden reservoirs to Howden Clough. You ascend up the Clough across the head of Cranberry Clough to the Cute Gate End path. After crossing the path you contour around the edge of the Upper Derwent valley via Bull, Crow, Rocking, Horse, Shepherds Meeting and Dean Stones to Swains Head. The route then takes you up onto Bleaklow Stones, before you descend via The Ridge, Alport Castles to Woodcock Coppice. There's then a quick descent through woods to the car aprk at Fairholmes and the cafe

It's a great walk but one for good weather.

The route is mainly on paths but care is needed in poor visibility especially on the section from Dean Stones, over Swain Head, onto Bleaklow Stones and down to The Ridge. After a wet period the paths are always muddy as most of the route is over peat moors. Its a walk for a sunny day after a dry period.

Once on the tops, the views all the way round the route change constantly but are always magnificent. In particular the view down the Derwent from Crow Stones and Horse Stones are worth the effort alone. The magnificence of Grinah is best appreciated from The Ridge.

The great sadness is that the peat hags of Bleaklow are disappearing as the NT introduces heather, cotton grass and keeps the sheep away. The peat desert is becoming green.

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