Edale West Circular Walking with my brother
RFM Blue Line
14/06/2024
This walk begins as most do in Edale at the main carpark. Walking through the village towards the start of the Pennine Way where this walk really begins was a joy. The old church and sheep in the field with Kinderscout as a back drop is hard to beat.
This was meant to be a walk with my brother but he has done his hamstring whilst street pastoring so I have had to recruit a sub in the form of my granddaughter Lacey. This would be a milestone for her as this is the first time she has been into the hills, as we normally walk in the countryside around Barnsley and Wakefield. Its definitely a step up but she is fit, able and sensible so it should be and wasn't a problem.
It was about 9.30 in the morning as we set off up the path past the start of the Pennine Way the hubub of children's voices following us from the village school.
Looking over the fields towards Mam Tor and the ridgeline of Rushup Edge I pointed out to Lacey that this was to be part of this walk but it would take a while to get round there. The slow steady upward path towards the bottom of Broadlee-Bank is a nice gentle intrduction to the Pennine Way and to our circular walk. A red and blue coloured figure with a big rucksack was preceding us by a few hundred yards. We were gaining on him so he must have had a heavy load.
The view towards the end of the valley was the direction the weather was coming from and it did not look good.
Dropping down the hill to Upper Booth we passed through the farm yard. I always enjoy this part of the trail as it reminds me of the Larkins for some reason. The sign below may be part of it.
Crossing the beautiful little bridge over the wooded valley we headed towards Jacob's Ladder.
A little further on just before Lee Farm we came across a lady walking her sheepdog. The dog brought a ball to Lacey for her to throw it for him. She duly obliged and, guess what, he brought it back to repeat. The lady stopped for a chat and we learned that the dogs name was Ted. He was a lovely happy dog and enjoyed being stroked. She explained that they were locals and the dog was a pet not a working sheep dog. We parted with best wishes on each part. A good start to our walk.
We caught up with the guy with heavy rucksack at the bridge over the River Noe at the bottom of Jacob's Ladder. He told us that he was just starting the Pennine Way and expected to complete in about 16 days. We discussed the problems of the last stretch to Kirk Yetholm as my brother and I will have to complete this for our own journey along the Pennine Way. Its the length of the section over tough high terrain which is the issue. He suggested staying enroute at the 2nd refuge doing the journey over 2 legs. This would mean just needing a sleeping bag and not a tent. A great suggestion I passed on to Peter, my brother.
We sent our regards with him as he purposefully began to climb the Ladder.
Water was rushing down the streams on the hillside whilst the tors on the tops were shrouded in low clouds and mists. The weather was definitely not the best for June.
We climbed Jacob's Ladder to the point it seperated at Edale Cross. The Pennine Way goes to the right up towards Kinder Low whilst we headed left towards Brown Knoll.
On the way to the Trig point at Brown Knoll we had long views of Manchester and the western edge of Kinderscount plus views over towards Edale with a very pretty lamb. To be honest we were more concerned about the weather than the views but we stopped at the trig for our first break and had a drink and snack perched on the concrete base, the first sitting place we had seen since Edale Cross. To put it mildly it was bleak.
At about this time we encountered a fortyish couple walking the opposite way to us. We stopped and chatted. The lady was very encouraging to Lacey when she heard it was Lacey's first high level walk and both her and Lacey were enthusiastic about walking despite the weather. They had done the Kinderscout circumnavigation on a slightly longer route than Peter and I had took and on this walk they were doing a 20 plus mile skyline walk. I was impressed with the itinery. Hope to Lose Hill along the ridge pass Mam Tor all the way around Kinderscout passeing Edale and then down to Hope Cross and along to Win Hill, down the other side and the back road back to Hope. Wow what a walk. I'm sure they made it but I am equally sure they got wet.
We passed the steaming ventilation shaft for the railway and could just make out its next stop of Chapel-en-le Frith in the gloomy valley.
The threatening clouds were heading straight for us from the North West and we feared we were in for a soaking.
It did rain but only briefly and not too heavily so we were lucky.
The long drag to Lord's Seat was slowly rising ground and the kind of surface where most of the times you were looking at the ground but that was fine because the views were limited, a green hillside to the left and a large long quarry in the distance to the right. It was also spitting with rain in the wind which for once was from behind us.
Lacey pointed out that this was a 4500 year old Burial mound and this just blew our minds. 4500 year old.
The view towards Mam Tor and the Hope and Edale valleys opened up and the boredom of Rushup Edge was quickly forgotten. At the barrow we met a group of 2 couples around my age and stopped for a chat. For some reason we discussed the Youth Hostel in Edale and the jobs you had to do if you stayed there. As the lady was 68 and I was 67 we speculated that we could have been there at the same time. Its a small world. She had to polish the banisters and I had to sweep the drive free of leaves or we would have had no tea. Also we both remembered the sleeping bags made from a stitched up sheet we had to have to stay there. Wonder if it's the same today. Interestingly as we parted we noticed they had a small scottie dog being carried in a rucksack. Not sure why but I am sure there is a story there.
The views of Edale and the hill fort below us were quite beautiful.
We then had a charming encouter with the most laid back cows in England. They didn't shift as we walked through them and even posed for photos. The views behind these hilltop cows are magnificent but the cows just take it in their stride. I particularly like the brown cow posing for her photo.
On the way down to the start of the stairs up Mam Tor we joined the busy section of the walk. We discussed again how people who only walked up and down Mam Tor were deserving of respect because this in itself can be a major achievement and anyway just being there is good for the soul.
Finding a lone rock a way off the busy path we sat and had our sandwiches. From here we had a view of Winnats Pass and Castleton. I promised to drive Lacey back over Mam Tor and down Winnats pass on our way home, a promise I duly fulfilled with pleasure. Regaining the path we made our way to the summit.
As ever it was busy on the top and there was no chance of getting any people free shots but it is still enjoyable to be there. The Hope Valley from the top of Mam Tor is a lovely vista.
From the monument at Hollins Cross we started down the path to Edale. I record my blue line walks on Google Earth and am always keen to have the walks partially overlap to form a network. Satisfyingly, Hollins Cross was the only point where this walk and the Lose Hill walk meet.
Just starting the descent we passed a girl coming up (you can just make her out down the hill in the photo) and I gave her a cheery greeting but with a dismissive wave of the hand and a breathless 'hi' she more than indicated she was out of puff. Descending the track the reason was easy to see why, it was very steep and quite uneven, a hard ascent.
As we descended we saw the storm clouds gathering over Grinds Brook at the back of Edale and wondered if we would get back to the car park in time. We did and a wonderful walk was completed. On the way back to Barnsley after we left Winnats Pass it rainded for about and hour, heavy, thundery and incessantly. I call that lucky.
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