The hike up Mam Tor and along the magnificent Edale Ridges in the Peak District offers the finest views of the beautiful Vale of Edale below it and Kinder Scout on its opposite side. This route takes you from Edale up to Mam Tor (517m), then along the Great Ridge and Rushup Edge to Brown Knoll (569m), and finally to Jacob's Ladder, from where you will descend back towards Edale.
The path is relatively gentle and easy to ascend, and for the most part very quiet, with some authentic moorland wilderness around Brown Knoll.
How to get there?
You
can either take a train from Manchester or Sheffield to the village of
Edale, or drive and park there. The suggested trail starts and ends at Edale train station. One could also make a similar walk from Castleton on the Southern side of the Great Ridge (Edale is on the Northern side) -- then you would want to take the train to Hope or park somewhere around there.
 |
Vale of Edale view from Mam Tor
|
What's the weather like?
We ventured on this trail in late April, and the weather was warm with sunny spells (about 15 degrees in the valley, 10 degrees on the peaks). There was hardly any wind even on the summits, but do check the forecast. If the weather is like it was for us, pack lots of water with you and maybe even some sunscreen to avoid getting sunburnt.
How long does it take?
The route we took is a long one at 16 kilometres -- this can be cut short though if desired, as we explain below. The route took us about 6 hours with a long picnic break and stops for pictures.
If you're catching a train in Edale, make sure to aim to be back at the station in good time before your train, in case hiking takes longer than anticipated.
Click here for a detailed version.
What to wear?
We wore hiking boots and had lights jackets with us in case the wind got gusty on the ridges (it didn't in our case). Around Mam Tor, on the most well trodden part of the trail, many people were wearing trainers. The other parts of the trail on Brown Knoll and Jacob's Ladder are also good and not too steep paths that should be dry for most of the year, but the stone slabs on the path can be a bit tough on your feet unless you're wearing hiking boots.
Other interesting things?
Mam Tor is a paradise for paragliding -- if the weather is good, you'll see the air above it dotted with paragliders.
If you come in late spring, you'll see plenty of little lambs on the pastures around the trail.
Just after coming down Jacobs Ladder, the path crosses an iconic old stone bridge that is definitely worth a picture.
 |
Cute newborn lambs in Edale
|
 |
Sheep grazing with Kinder Scout in the background
|
 |
Paragliders on Mam Tor
|
 |
Paragliders are plentiful here
|
The route
The route we took starts from Edale train station, heading South East, crossing the River Noe and passing pastures and farms. After passing Hollins farm, the trail gets slightly steeper and a bit rocky, but is still quite easy to hike. You'll soon reach Hollins Cross (390 m) on top of the Great Ridge, and a stunning view opens to Hope Valley on the other side of the ridge, as well as back to Vale of Edale and Kinder Scout behind you. See my other post about Kinder Scout.
 |
River crossing over a small bridge
|
 |
the rocky part of the trail
|
From here you can already see Mam Tor (517 m) on your right, with the path to the summit following the Great Ridge. There is a nice and easy paved path from Hollins Cross to Mam Tor, and in good weather it will be quite busy.
 |
Path up to Mam Tor
|
Once you reach Mam Tor, you are in a great position to admire the view along the Great Ridge and the paragliders flying above you (if the weather is good). This is a good place for a picnic as well. Perhaps the most striking feature of Mam Tor is its Northern edge, which has collapsed to form a steep cliff as a result of landslips. You can also see some disused quarries in the horizon in that direction.
 |
A huge cliff borders the Mam Tor summit
|
From Mam Tor, you will continue forwards on the trail, descending some 50 metres on a good path, crossing a car road, and then ascending again to Rushup's Edge. The path up Rushup's Edge is relatively easy, but looks quite dramatic from a distance with its bumpy silhouette. You will soon reach the high point of Lord's Seat (550 m) where you can stop to take a look at the Edale Ridges extending to the horizon behind you.
 |
Rushup's edge
|
From Lord's Seat onwards, the rest of the trail is quite gentle -- there is only a slight ascent before Brown Knoll. The landscape has now changed from grassland to moorland extending as far as the eye can see. You will follow a clearly marked and easy-to-follow trail from Lord's Seat towards Brown Knoll. There is a turn to the right when you reach a gate after about 1 kilometre, and some 200 metres later a turn left at a crossroads. From there on, the path to Brown Knoll is a straight one, paved with stone slabs. In contrast to the paths on the Southern edge of Kinder Scout, this one is much less crowded and for most of the time you'll have the wilderness to yourself.
One could also make the route shorter (about 10 km) by descending to the Vale of Edale after Lord's Seat. For this route, you go straight instead of turning left at the crossroads and you'll end up down from the hills to Barber Booth, a short walk away from Edale.
 |
Wilderness as far as the eye can see
|
The slopes of Brown Knoll are quite gentle, but you will recognise you have reached the summit when you see a trig point. This is another great place to enjoy the view of the Vale of Edale and Kinder Scout, whose interesting rock formations you can already spot from this distance.
 |
Brown Knoll
|
After Brown Knoll, the rest of the trail is just downhill. There is a clear and easy path from Brown Knoll towards Kinder Scout, crossing a fence after some 200 metres and then turning right. After about 1 kilometre, you will reach a crossing where you will turn right, heading down along Jacob's Ladder (the other path goes up Kinder Scout).
 |
Close to the right turn to Jacob's Ladder
|
Jacob's Ladder is a stone staircase on the Pennine Way that takes you back down to the valley. Just when you reach its lower end, you will cross a beautiful little stone bridge. The rest of the trail is then a wide road and quite easy to hike. There is a small ascent just after Upper Booth Farm, and after that you will cross some pastures, behind which you can already see the village of Edale.
 |
Jacob's ladder looking down at the stone bridge
|
Comments
Post a Comment