A criss-cross route climbing Bleaklow via the unusual approach of Near Black Clough, and descending through Lady Clough to regain high ground at Mill Hill via the Snake Path. The Pennine Way is used to cross the moor to Doctor’s Gate and complete the circuit to Old Glossop.
The east held the greatest promise for some halfway decent weather and I made a solo trip to renew acquaintance with the old familiar peat and gritstone of Bleaklow. Old Glossop gave me several choices of approach route and I could decide on the day depending on the conditions: this was a trip I partially made up as I went along based on some ideas from the map.
7 Comments
Did you use your Pro Rush Mids. What size did you get compared to your Montrail Stratos?
Yes, the Pro Rush Mids are now my primary choice. I bought my standard hillwalking footwear size, which is a half-size bigger than my normal town shoes. For the Montrail Stratos I used to buy a full size bigger.
The Pro Rush are nice and roomy at the toes and the cut is at the lowish end of the mid range like the Stratos, just right.
Another interesting trip, Geoff, across land - some of which I know. However have never been up from the Old Glossop side. Some of the OFC walkers went that way recently and I clocked it as a possible route in the future.
Great report and piccies, thanks. It brought back some Pennine Way memories for me.
You asked: “Why does the curlew sing in the middle of the night?”
Well, I don’t know. However, I read some months ago that in built-up areas some birds have started singing in the middle of the night, because things have become so noisy during the day that they basically can’t make themselves heard properly to other birds. I’m not sure how that might gel, if at all, with why curlews might be singing at 3am in a remote place like that, but maybe the walkers are getting louder
Phil,
If I recall, the OFC members approached via Cock Hill and Torside castle, another familiar route. There are quite a few routes from that side, I have a couple more in mind that are very seldom used.
PW,
Thanks very much. We are quite used to the curlew songs, mainly in Yorkshire. I can understand him being alarmed to find this funny green thing appearing in his territory, but finding it for the first time at 3AM in pitch dark - what was he doing there?. A mystery of bird world…
What a superb site! I live near the Peak District and have walked all over the area. I got back into car camping last year after retiring and really enjoyed myself even in November (frost & ice on the tent). I have got the bug for backpacking and wild camping and am now setting myself up with lightweight gear. The question I ask is, after curiously noting some potentially good wild camping sites around the Peak, do we need permissions to camp, or do we just do it but with little impact on the surroundings.
Thanks Stu.
Permission is an irrelevance - you wouldn’t get it. We’ve never had any problems in the Peak, mainly because we pitch in the wild and remote locations that are relatively little walked, such as these recent trips around Margery Hill and Bleaklow Hill. On both occasions there was nobody in sight for a good distance when the time came to pitch.
You would be asking for trouble if you pitched near any popular spots, and especially near the Pennine Way. Pitch a long way from popular paths and preferably out of sight of them with an inconspicuous tent. It also depends on the time of year and conditions: in the winter months or wet spells, nobody is likely to bother you.