Bec and I went up to the Dark Peak for the day, hoping to dodge the showers after a very wet Saturday spent indoors. We parked in Hope village and took the direct route from there up to the summit of Lose Hill, enjoying the views towards Mam Tor and Winnats Pass. We were surprised that the path was deserted until we were almost at the top.
Once we’d taken in the views over Edale for a few minutes, we had cooled down in the breeze and continued along the ridge, over Back Tor and down to Hollins Cross. The section from Back Tor onwards has recently been improved with new stone pitching and gravelled sections, which should help manage the very heavy foot traffic that this ridge sees!
From Hollins Cross, we followed the bridleway down to Edale village, then re-ascended the other side of the valley, taking the path towards Grindsbrook then branching right on the zigzags up to Ringing Roger, where we paused for lunch in a spot behind the rocks that was much less sheltered than we hoped! The sun did come out for some good spells though.
After lunch, we continued east along the edge of Kinder Scout, pausing briefly to admire some pretty cascades in Jaggers Clough, then descended the path east to Hope Cross. The gentle ridge back up to Win Hill made for easy progress, with just a few spots of rain falling on Hope Brink. This just left a final steep descent via Thornhill back to Hope.
A good day in the local hills, pretty much entirely dry despite the forecast of showers. The air clarity was particularly good, making for excellent views of the Hope Valley, Edale, Woodlands Valley and Ladybower all day.
A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1542711
My full photo album is available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WiWY9dGKqJyzonoZ8
David Pettit's photo blog 