Bamford to Edale via Win Hill and Great Ridge Walk

Tremendous views after steep ascent to Win Hill, then the Great Ridge on the boundary between the Dark and White Peak

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 15-Aug-20 The grandest of grand walks: Bamford to Edale via Win Hill and Great Ridge [Hope Valley Trip] 19 mostly overcast with late sunny breaks
Sat, 18-Aug-18 [Peak District Trip] Bamford to Edale via Win Hill and Great Ridge 28 clouds with sunny periods and dry

Saturday 15-Aug-20

Length: 20.3 km (12.6 mi) [shorter and longer versions possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 846/753 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 10 out of 10
From Sheffield: take the 09.14 Manchester Piccadilly stopping service via the Hope Valley (Dore & Totley 09.21, Grindleford 09.29, Hathersage 09.32), arriving Bamford at 09.36.
From Manchester Piccadilly: take the 08.49 Sheffield stopping service via the Hope Valley (New Mills Central 09.17, Chinley 09.23, Edale 09.32, Hope 09.38), arriving Bamford at 09.42.
Return trains from Edale : xx.47 until 19.47, then 20.44, 21.45 and 22.56 towards Manchester; 17.33, 17.47 (via Chinley), 18.32, 19.32, 20.32, 21.34 and 23.01 towards Sheffield.
From/to London: track works on the St. Pancras – Sheffield line mean that you have to travel from King’s X via Doncaster and with two changes to start almost an hour behind the action (7.35 train, arrives Bamford 10.36). Return trains to London: xx.42 to 19.42 (change at Sheffield and Doncaster or Luton, from 3 ¼ hours).
“This strenuous walk cuts through the boundary land between the Dark and White Peak areas of the Peak District National Park. A steep ascent up to Win Hill opens tremendous views to the surrounding Upper Derwent Valley reservoirs, the Vales of Edale and Hope and the exposed and isolated tracts of rugged moorlands, covered by cotton grass bogs and heather, and dramatically sculpted gritstone escarpments (or ‘edges’) of the Peak District’s iconic Dark Peak area.
From there you follow a heathery ridge running northwest to steeply descend and re-ascend to Lose Hill, the easterly end of The Great Ridge, which separates the vales of Edale and Hope. It extends for approximately 3 kilometres to Mam Tor at the western end and is very popular (in benign conditions). Mam Tor, once the home of Iron Age people, is on the southern edge of the Dark Peak (sandstones) and overlooks the White Peak (limestones), including the notable deep cut dry gorge of Winnats Pass.
Despite a lunch pub just off route, this walk lends itself to a picnic lunch on one of the tops or on the ridge.
Diversions to lunch or a finish in Hope and Castleton are described, as are an alternative start from Hope Station and shortcuts from the Great Ridge to Edale, as well as an extension across Brown Knoll’s upland peat bog and down from the head of the Vale of Edale via Jacob’s Ladder (path).”
Walk Options:
An Alternative Start from Hope Station cuts 4.9 km/3.0 mi and 263m ascent and is rated 6/10.
Diversions down from the Great Ridge to Hope and Castleton villages for lunch or an early finish:
· To Hope as an out-and-back (adds 3.0 km/1.8 mi and 40m ascent);
· To Castleton from Back Tor and back up to Hollins Cross (cuts the least interesting stretch of the Great Ridge, but adds 4.4 km/2.7 mi and 205m ascent);
· To Castleton from Back Tor and through the dramatic Winnats Pass to the end of the Great Ridge at Mam Nick, the pass between Mam Tor and Rushup Edge (adds 3.0 km/1.8 mi and 100m ascent).
A couple of Shortcuts lead down from the Great Ridge to Edale:
· From Hollins Cross, the lowest point on the Great Ridge just before the ascent to Mam Tor (cuts 6.7 km/4.1 mi and 350m ascent, rated 5/10);
· From the end of the Great Ridge at Mam Nick, the pass between Mam Tor and Rushup Edge (cuts 4.5 km/2.8 mi and 200m ascent, rated 7/10).
An Extension across Brown Knoll’s upland peat bog and down from the head of the Vale of Edale via Jacob’s Ladder adds 5.4 km/3.4 mi and 172m ascent.
See the route map and check the pdf for more details.
Lunch: The Cheshire Cheese Inn (500m off route, after 8.4 km/5.2 mi of walking, so only for late starters; food all day).
Tea: The Penny Pot Café, The Rambler Inn, The Old Nag's Head or Cooper’s Café/Cooper’s Chippy.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.302
  • Sat, 15-Aug-20

    With 2 new arrivals, we have 24 SWCers in the area, but only 16 were on today's group walk. 2 went on an experimental Chinley - Kinder Scout - Edale romp (met on the platform after the walk), 1 went cycling (met in Edale at the end of the walk), 3 were on the train out, but never seen on the walk and the other 2 are unaccounted for. We had our first stop for food and drinks on Win Hill, before facing the human highway traffic that is the Great Ridge (busier than ever). The day had started overcast and here is was windy as well, so extra layers were needed. Mam Tor was a real carnival of dozens of people of all stripes and colours. After Mam Nick it got quieter again and the contrast couldn't have been greater. At the end of Rushup Edge we stopped for a second break and soon after broke up into main walk and extended walk subgroups (a few had already taken one of the shortcuts off The Great Ridge).

    Some had time for a drink at The Ramblers Inn before the 17.33 train. mostly overcast with late sunny breaks

  • Sun, 16-Aug-20

    The 3 on the train did indeed walk the 'From Hope' shortcut, but then walked the long version plus an extension along Kinder's edge. 19

Saturday 18-Aug-18

Length: 20.3 km (12.6 mi) [shorter and longer versions possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 846/753 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 10 out of 10
Take the 09.02 Sheffield train from St. Pancras, change at Sheffield for Manchester Piccadilly (11.02/11.14, usually departs from platform 2c, at the southern end of platform 5), arriving Bamford at 11.36.
Return trains to London: 16.32, 17.34, 18.32, 19.32 (change at Sheffield, from 3 hours)
Or, if staying in the area : xx.47 until 19.47, then 21.45 and 23.21 towards Manchester; 16.32, 17.34, 18.32, 19.32, 21.30 and 23.01 towards Sheffield.
“This strenuous walk cuts through the boundary land between the Dark and White Peak areas of the Peak District National Park. A steep ascent up to Win Hill opens tremendous views to the surrounding Upper Derwent Valley reservoirs, the Vales of Edale and Hope and the exposed and isolated tracts of rugged moorlands, covered by cotton grass bogs and heather, and dramatically sculpted gritstone escarpments (or ‘edges’) of the Peak District’s iconic Dark Peak area.
From there you follow a heathery ridge running northwest to steeply descend and re-ascend to Lose Hill, the easterly end of The Great Ridge, which separates the vales of Edale and Hope. It extends for approximately 3 kilometres to Mam Tor at the western end and is very popular (in benign conditions). Mam Tor, once the home of Iron Age people, is on the southern edge of the Dark Peak (sandstones) and overlooks the White Peak (limestones), including the notable deep cut dry gorge of Winnats Pass.
Despite a lunch pub just off route, this walk lends itself to a picnic lunch on one of the tops or on the ridge.
Diversions to lunch or a finish in Hope and Castleton are described, as are an alternative start from Hope Station and shortcuts from the Great Ridge to Edale, as well as an extension across Brown Knoll’s upland peat bog and down from the head of the Vale of Edale via Jacob’s Ladder (path).”
An Alternative Start from Hope Station cuts 4.9 km/3.0 mi and 263m ascent and is rated 6/10.
Diversions down from the Great Ridge to Hope and Castleton villages for lunch or an early finish:
· To Hope as an out-and-back (adds 3.0 km/1.8 mi and 40m ascent);
· To Castleton from Back Tor and back up to Hollins Cross (cuts the least interesting stretch of the Great Ridge, but adds 4.4 km/2.7 mi and 205m ascent);
· To Castleton from Back Tor and through the dramatic Winnats Pass to the end of the Great Ridge at Mam Nick, the pass between Mam Tor and Rushup Edge (adds 3.0 km/1.8 mi and 100m ascent).
A couple of Shortcuts lead down from the Great Ridge to Edale:
· From Hollins Cross, the lowest point on the Great Ridge just before the ascent to Mam Tor (cuts 6.7 km/4.1 mi and 350m ascent, rated 5/10);
· From the end of the Great Ridge at Mam Nick, the pass between Mam Tor and Rushup Edge (cuts 4.5 km/2.8 mi and 200m ascent, rated 7/10).
An Extension across Brown Knoll’s upland peat bog and down from the head of the Vale of Edale via Jacob’s Ladder adds 5.4 km/3.4 mi and 172m ascent.
See the route map and check the pdf for more details.
Lunch: The Cheshire Cheese Inn (500m off route, after 8.4 km/5.2 mi of walking, food all day).
Tea: The Penny Pot Café , The Rambler Inn , The Old Nag's Head or Cooper’s Café/Cooper’s Chippy .
For walk directions, map, height profile , photos and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.302
  • Tue, 12-Jun-18

    As far as I can tell, the cheap advance tickets don't come up if you do a London to Bamford, only by splitting, and doing London to Sheffield and Sheffield to Bamford. Oddly, you can get a through cheap ticket back to London on the Monday.

  • Sun, 19-Aug-18

    18 started the walk an hour early, mainly Friday arrivals plus one or other off the 8.02. A further 10 were on the posted (and jam packed) train, 1 of whom walked the short walk, starting from Hope, and 2 did there own thing from Grindleford. At Bamford 2 car drivers were awaiting, so in total 28 on the walk, with 2 doing other stuff. A couple more have announced arrival on Sunday. So 32 SWC folk will be in the valley.

    The weather was better than feared, namely clouds with sunny periods and dry .

    All 27 Bamford starters walked the main walk or the extended walk across the upland peat bog (12 did this version I believe). So the shortcuts off the ridge weren't tested. The later starters met the larger group as they were having their picnic by the Noe River, before the second fierce ascent of the day, so we strut on half way up Lose Hill before lunching ourselves. A good handful from both groups had earlier diverted to Hope for lunch.

    Plenty of Heather, gorse and bracken, with the heather a rather dark purple colour, not as vibrant as last year, due to the dry summer. The bog as well was very dry, easy to walk on when stepping off the engineered path through it.

    From the elevated big we could see Manchester and Blackpool Tower, showing how great the far views were on the day.

    Fab day.

  • Mon, 20-Aug-18

    28 plus a dog, I should have said