Bleaklow, Higher shelf stones & Alport Dale

This walk was done on 06 June 2011
Distance: 12.6 miles Approx.
Time 5 hours
Weather: Pleasantly overcast turned sunny for last hour.


View 06-06-2011 Bleaklow from snake pass in a larger map
If you click on the link you can see more details. I walked it in a clockwise direction.

 Epic days walk which included something to rant about, great views, a hard slog, a sombre time for reflection, more great views, some good news(ish) and a trip to the dentist.

Not may walks start with a trip to the dentist but today's did. All was good and I was out in 10 minutes. Remember children be good to your teeth and they will be good to you.  


The walk proper started from a layby in the snake pass, no parking fees this week. However lets get the rant over early.
The first part of the walk was through the Lady Clough woods. It was disgusting, there was litter everywhere, camp fires left not cleaned up with beer cans/bottles all around, I did not want to go anywhere near the areas the tissues had been left dotted around. 
Trees had been cut down for fire wood when there was lots of dead dry wood around. They had even tried to set fire to the trees they had half cut down, morons.Or just hacked at when it was just to big to cut down. Damage was seen everywhere. I don't know if is because it's next to the main road or close to the Manchester conurbation but I have not seen such crap left so bad for years. Where have this scum learnt to not clean up after themselves?
So if you want to look at this walk dont start from that layby go up the snake pass a mile or so and stop at the Doctors gate culvert/Pennine way laybys.

Having said all that I did find a rose among all the thorns

So beautiful & calming among the mess

I don't know if it was the walk through the woods but once I got over the road and heading up to the moors I decided to spend the day as little on the paths as possible, thats why your see on the map my wandering todoy been very random.
So I joined the moors at the north grain cut but turned left and climbed up a steep bank( little did I know at the time this was going to be a very common occurrence today) to gain a bearing onto the Higher Shelf Stones. This missed out the old woman path and the Pennine way . Once I got to the trig point there I got a great view overlooking Glossop and onto Manc.

The views the other way told me what to expect.

 The reason why I picked this one today was found by heading off from here head North East for a couple of hundred of metres. It amazed and humbled me.
I expected very little to be there and for it to be vandalised but I was pleasantly (if you can be here)  suprised that it was still respected.

 On November 3, 1948, the Boeing Superfortress RB-29A 44-61999 of the 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 91st Reconnaissance Group, 311th Air Division, Strategic Air Command, USAF was on a routine 25-minute flight from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire to the USAF base at Burtonwood, near Warrington. It was transporting payroll money and mail; a mild mission for the type of plane that dropped the devastating bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After 65 years It's still there are a memorial. They only had to a few meters higher and they would have made it. I gave my moments of respect and moved on.

I spied some interesting looking rock so head out that way, it became proper peat moor with a bit of up's and down's but nothing compared to what was coming.....

Looking back to the crash site

I then went west to Wains stones & Bleaklow Head which are the second highest points in the Peak district ( Higher Shelf trig point is the third)  I then headed over to Bleaklow stones.
This part of the route can be summed up as up,down,up,down, up,down, up,down, up,down, up,down

At this time of year I should have been kneed deep in peat mud however all I got was peat dust in my eyes. This was the most surprising thing of the day, if you want to visit the moors go soon unless we get a lot of rain they will be closed off due to fire risk as I saw a little later on.

While I was swearing at the up's and down I was passed by the easiest way to travel across the moors.

Camera has done a crap job of scale - it was lower

It was while walking across this bleak out of the way moor my phone rang.
It was a job for the rest of the week.Good news but how come I can be in the middle of nowhere and my phone works but I move into my kitchen at home I don't get a signal?
Once I got to the Stones I had a break and a good look around

Odd rock

Heading off this way.

The next leg was the hardest, down to Grains in the water. I dont know it was just called "Grains in the water".  It was hard for two reasons. One is was all on compass direction with no or little landmarks to guide you. Two the ground under foot was interesting, all across the moor you had to watch out for little steam paths which were hidden  but were wide enough to let your food drop in and were deep up to your knee or more so you can seriously damage yourself. But for this next stretch they were really bad

This one had collapsed and opened up but if you look at the top of the peat you cannot see the steam.

I made my way over to the trig point above Alport Dale.

Add caption

Now I decided to add this on while sitting at the Bleaklow stones because "it looked Nice" 

Just after this photo was taken the sun came out - bless

And it was, bare but nice and the view down into  Alport Dale looked good.
 I started to think this was not the best idea of the day on the route down.

Yoda would describe it as "steep it was"

Once in the bottom it was very nice with the river Alport looking lovely.

However I was thinking about the way out.

Yes it was up through the cut of the plantation but how steep could it be?

Bloody steep is the answer and did I say the sun had come out for the climb.
I think this proves there is a God and he likes to play with me.

Once at the top it turned back into the moors I had grown to love.

up,down,up,down, up,down

It was pretty straight walk back to the car.

My phone had died after 3 hours or so I added the second part of the route is a guestimate.

I was surprised it gave up so early as I had used it longer but I must have left something running in the background today or the update to my tracks(I received this week) uses more juice.

So I have already ordered a Power Monkey backup charger so it wont happen again.

I did really enjoy today is was a real solo walk only saw one couple in the distance all day. I Even enjoyed the climb out of Alport Dale.

OH once I got home, I noticed something. Did I say the sun had come out for the last hour or so? 

Because I now look like this.