KingsTreeWestendValleyBleaklowStonesBarrowDerwentSlipperyStonesKingsTree 12 th December 2008 A Great Way onto Bleaklow |
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Parking: Park at Kings Tree. It's free as long as you go on a weekday. Access is limited at weekends and at Bank holidays.
The Walk From the lay by on the dam side just before the tree planted by King George VI after the Second World War walk back down the valley road. At Windy Corner the tree cover over the road is less as you walk down into the Westend valley. The vista looking across or back down the valley changes with the seasons but it's always memorable. As the waters of the dam arm peters out the road crosses the feeder river the Westend - on a typical stone bridge. Just before the bridge turn right through a pedestrian gate by a 5 bar gate onto a forest track. In 30m turn left and cross a bridge over the Westend and walk up to a T junction. Turn right on a good track that takes you through the wooded bottom end of the Westend Valley. It is always peaceful here and one of the most enjoyable walks out of the Derwent Valley no matter what season. The track follows the left hand bank (southern) of the river, which constantly gurgles and bubbles breaking the quiet. After 0.75km turn right and cross the river using a bridge; it's a footbridge with a bird box hanging from the bridge . The path then follows the right hand bank for 100m before hitting a track the shooting track that fords the river just above the bridge. Turn right on the track, which climbs and then tracks the bottom of a wood and along the valley side 30m or so above the river. After 0.6km you leave the wood behind and in another 200m the track begins to climb away from the river. Here go straight, turning left off the track and drop down to a stile which crosses a fence on the bank of the river. From here a path tracks the right hand bank of the river and the real Westend valley starts to be exposed. As you walk down the valley shortly you cross another fence via a stile. 400m after leaving the track you cross Grinah Grain, a deepish valley on our right; the path continues up the valley. After crossing the Grinah Grain you have two options. Take the right hand path which climbs up 30m or so; note the left hand path tracks the river bank but dwindles out after the next clough on the left - Raven Clough. The path stays above the left hand bank of the river as you walk up a magnificent desolate valley. There are some interesting geological features around raven Clough which are clearly the remnants of a previous water course of the river. Gradually the path drops down to river as it crosses Deep Grain a Clough going off to your right. After crossing Deep Grain keep straight and shortly before the remains of a walled area, that previously housed a rain gauge, the valley divides. Take the left hand clough and in 150m the way ahead divides again. By now the valley sides are quite steep and the area is quite claustrophobic. Take the left hand clough and climb up the right hand side. The gradient for the next 0.5km is at its steepest and no matter. Eventually the gradient lessens and you come out of the steepest part of the clough at the junction with another coming from the right. Carry on straight; you are now on Westend Head. In a couple of 100m another clough goes off to the right, followed by a second with a clough off to the left. Take the first of these cloughs; you now walk up Westend Head on the final ascent onto the Bleaklow Plateau; about 300m east of The Ridge; a clear landmark on a clear day. The gradient is not difficult and the clough soon becomes wide and shallow. As the gradient lessens the distinct form of Bleaklow Stones can be seen up to the right. Continue up the clough until you hit the shallow stones that mark the edge of the plateau. You should also see a wooden post that marks the fence that traverses east/west this part of the Bleaklow plateau; it is a well trodden route and you should be able to see tracks in the peat moors. If the weather is down then as the gradient flattens, you hit some stones which leads into the plateau and peat groughs. Here turn right, east and walk 250m to the eastern edge of the Bleaklow plateau and The Stones. The Stones have some unusual shapes and there should have a competition naming them, a la the Kissing Stone of Wain Stones. The view from Bleaklow Stones is great. From Bleaklow Stones the path heads round the top of Deep Grain, descending off the plateau and heading in a direction just north of east. With the cloud down, care is needed over the path to Grinah Stones; you have been warned.There are two or three path options but take the widest and most marked, which is the second from the right. This drops around 80m, slowly bending southerly until it crosses the distinct clough of Deep Grain. Once you've crossed Deep Grain the path climbs up to Grinah Stones. From afar these Stones look very distinct. When you climb up to them on this path or from Barrow Stones you get no idea of their presence. Walk to the southern end of Grinah and from here a path goes off just east of north tracking the edge of the moor towards Crown Stones. The views from Grinah are worth the effort; on a bad day you could be anywhere. From Grinah the next target is Crown Stones and onwards to Barrow Stones on a good path heading just east of north. After 0.5km you hit Crown Stones on a clear day you can see the distinct rock formations of the southern part Barrow Stones known as Crown Stones having just left Grinah Stones; to their right is a gate in a fence from which a path leads to Round Hill and down Ridgewalk Moor. From the top of these Stones (left-hand side) a path continues north to a further set of Stones which marks the northern part of Barrow Stones. From Barrow Stones to the north is the upper reaches of the Derwent Valley; the next destination. From here head North East and begin the descent into the Derwent Valley. In 20/30m you have to clamber across a fence there is no gate but the fence isn't high and for the average sized man (sorry ladies for the chauvinism) it's easy to cross. The aim is to cross the River Derwent just above its junction with Barrow Clough. After crossing the fence picked up a grough, that is easy to follow, down to some large boulders. From the boulders the gradient increases sharply. In misty conditions you have to be careful because perspective becomes distorted and things look flat. Continue heading north east and as you drop towards the river there are clear paths' that people have used to ascend Barrow Stones from the Derwent. Pick one of these and follow the route down to the river. The nearer the river you get the wetter the ground becomes underfoot so beware. Cross the river above Barrow CLough and follow the bank until you are about opposite Barrow Clough; you should then be able to pick out a path that climbs away from the Derwent, heading for Hoar Clough. Once Hoar Clough is crossed the path is quite clear, if wet and boggy. The path follows the line of the river for 0.5km to Coldwell Clough then continues by the river bank for 0.4km to Humber Knolls before climbing up left and away from the river. Don't be tempted to climb away too early; it's clear when you need to climb away as there is no clear path by the river obvious, of course it is when you know where you are! The going is now quite straight forward as the path rapidly turns into a track some 50m above the river, which is below you on your right. It's usually a quick descent. After 1.3km of descent the track crosses the bottom of Stainery Clough, and then in a further 0.75km Broadhead Clough. By now you can see the forest ahead that marks the end of Howden Reservoir. In a further 0.75km you hit Cranberry Clough and a path joins from the left from Cut Gate End. Cross the small footbridge across the bottom of Cranberry Clough and ahead take the right hand path that takes you to the bridge at Slippery Stones. Cross the bridge and climb up to the gate that gives access to a track that leads you through woods to the end of the dam and the road at Kings Tree.
Summary A grand walk with a good approach to Bleaklow. Route finding is straight forward until you get to the top part of the Westend Valley. Here there are no paths onto Bleaklow or across the plateau to the Stones. From Bleaklow Stones the route is clear to Barrow Stones but then generally pathless down to the River Derwent. Once you hit the river there is a good path/track back to Kings Tree.
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