Posts tagged Peak District
Peak District County Tops

On the Pennine Way between Black Chew Head and Black Hill

Our Peak District trip was the latest in what was now becoming an annual County Top bagging long weekend. We based ourselves at YHA Castleton and did day trips to conquer the historic and some present day county tops in the area.

First up wit Kinder Scout, the County Top of Derbyshire and the hugest peak in the area. We started from the car park at Edale station and too an anti clockwise route taking in Grindslow Knoll and Crowden Tower. We had to divert from the route to find the actual summit. With low visibility, drizzly rain and an ambiguous high point we relied on following a GPS bearing. With no Trig Pillar or obvious summit market we decided that the big stick on a clump was the summit and declared victory.

Although neither an historic nor present day County Top, Mam Tor was too iconic to miss. It was also close to our YHA and a quick and easy Trig Point bag, so we ticked it off in the way to Cheeks Hill.

This was the underwhelming peak of the trip. The high point of the historic county of Staffordshire is a short walk across boggy ground to a lonely corner of the county market by a sheep pen. One for County Top completists but at least it’s in the way to Shining Tor. This one makes up for the underwhelm of Cheeks Hill. It’s a short walk but rewarded by a Trig Pillar and good views on a clear day.

We saved the best walk for last on this trip. In one 8 mile walk you get an historic county top, a present day one and a scenic section of the Pennine Way. This was a point to point walk but we had the advantage of having 2 cars between the group so we could do a 2 car shuffle. We left one in a lay-by on the A635 and parked the other at our starting point at Crowden. For much of the walk we followed the Pennine Way, with a diversion after 3 km to visit Black Chew Head. If Black Hill is all you’re interested in then an out and back from the A635 is simpler.

Kinder Scout

Significance: Highest peak in Derbyshire (Historic CT), Peak District National Park High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Hardy, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Fountains Fell South Top
Elevation: 636m
Date climbed: 23rd September 2017
Coordinates: 53°23′0″N 1°52′2″W 

Route Start / End: Car park at Edale Train Station, anti-clockwise circular route via Grindslow Knoll, Crowden Tower and back via Jacobs Ladder
Route Distance: 14 km (8.7 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 480m
Subsidiary tops on route: Grindslow Knoll
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Pennine Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Map: OS Explorer OL1 The Peak District - Dark Peak area
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Derbyshire), Wikipedia (Kinder Scout), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, National Trust

Kinder Scout is an icon of the Peak District and extremely popular walk. Strangely though, the summit is amazingly hard to find and most walkers don't stray far from the footpaths to find it. We gave it a good go, taking a bearing from the main trail just west of Pym Chair. After 10 minutes of faffing around we found a pile of stones a stick which may have been the summit. That was good enough for us to call it the peak and celebrate with a 1 kilo, now frozen, gummy bear. 

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Mam Tor (and Lords Seat)

Significance: N/A
Member of: Dewey
Parent Peak: Kinder Scout. NHN = Lords Seat, then Brown Knoll
Historic County: Derbyshire (of which Kinder Scout is the County Top)
Elevation: 517m
Date climbed: 24th September 2017
Coordinates:  53°20′57″N 1°48′38″W

Route Start / End: Mam Nick Car Park, Sparrowpit, Buxton, S33 8WA
Route Distance: 4.2 km (2.6 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 145m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP4623 - Mam Tor
Map: OS Explorer OL1 The Peak District - Dark Peak area
Links (Mam Tor): Wikipedia, Peakbagger, Hillbagging, National Trust
Links (Lords Seat): Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Cheeks Hill

Also known as: Cheeks Hill-South Slope
Significance: Highest peak in Staffordshire (Historic CT)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Shining Tor. NHN = Whetstone Ridge
Elevation: 520m
Date climbed: 24th September 2017
Coordinates: 53°13′31″N 1°57′44″W

Route Start / End: Where Dane Valley Way crosses country road between A53 and A54
Route Distance: 1.5 km ( 0.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 25m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Dane Valley Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Map: OS Explorer OL24 The Peak District
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Cheeks Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagger

A competitor for the least interesting County Top prize at less than 1 mile and 30 metres of ascent. Only makes sense if done whilst in the area.

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Shining Tor

Significance: Highest peak in Cheshire (Present Day CT), Cheshire East Unitary Authority High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Dewey
Parent Peak: Black Hill. NHN = Brown Knoll
Historic County: Cheshire (of which Black Hill is the County Top)
Elevation: 559m
Date climbed: 24th September 2017
Coordinates:  53°15′39″N 2°00′34″W

Route Start / End: Car park of Peak View Tea Rooms, A537
Route Distance: 3.3 km (2.0 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 75m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: None
OS Trig Pillar: TP5950 - Shining Tor
Map: OS Explorer OL24 The Peak District
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Cheshire), Wikipedia (Cheshire East), Wikipedia (Shining Tor), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Black Chew Head

Significance Highest peak in Greater Manchester (Present Day CT), Oldham Unitary Authority High Point
Member of: Dewey
Parent Peak: Black Hill. NHN = Black Hill
Historic County: Yorkshire (of which Mickle Fell is the County Top)
Elevation: 542m
Coordinates: 53°30′57.96″N 1°55′17.76″W
Links: Wikipedia (Greater Manchester), Wikipedia (Oldham), Wikipedia (Black Chew Head), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Black Hill

Significance Highest peak in Cheshire (Historic CT), West Yorkshire (Present Day CT), Kirklees Unitary Authority High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Dewey
Parent Peak: Kinder Scout. NHN = Bleaklow Head
Elevation: 582m
Coordinates: 53°32′18″N 1°52′53″W
OS Trig Pillar: TP3980 - Holme Moss
Links: Wikipedia (Cheshire), Wikipedia (West Yorkshire), Wikipedia (Kirklees), Wikipedia (Black Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

For both peaks:

Date climbed: 25th September 2017
Route Start / End: Point to point walk along Pennine Way from Crowden to Greenfield Road
Route Distance: 12.9 km (8 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +531m / -296m. Net 235m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: The Pennine Way
Map: OS Explorer OL1 The Peak District - Dark Peak area
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)

Two County Tops for the price of one in a scenic section of the Pennine Way. The 11 km trek started in Crowden, finishing at the junction of the Pennine Way and the A635. A short diversion from the main path at Laddow Rocks takes you up to Black Chew Head, the high point of Greater Manchester and Oldham. It was a clear day and we found it easily. Be extra careful in low visibility, especially when re-joining the Pennine Way as the path follows a cliff-edge here. Black Hill, the (Historic) County Top of Cheshire is right on the Pennine Way path at around 8km into the trip.

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Other High Points In Cheshire

Other High Points In Derbyshire

Other High Points In Staffordshire

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, National Trust, Peak District, National Park, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, EnglandComment