The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 7.1 miles (11.4km)
Time to walk: This is a hilly walk, & you’ll want to spend time exploring Hathersage & Stanage Edge, so why not allow a full day
Difficulty: Hilly &, at times, on uneven surfaces. A few stiles
Dog Friendly?: Lots of off-lead opportunities, but livestock will be present in place so watch out & keep them away from the Edge
Parking: Oddfellows Car Park. Be aware the machine does not accept cards. It’s either cash or payment via the app
Postcode: S32 1DD
what3words: applause.cabbies.frown
Public toilets: Cafes & pubs in the town but nothing en route
Map of the route:
Stanage Edge is a wonderful place & this walk wanders along the best of it. But it also allows you to explore lovely Hathersage in the stunning Hope Valley where it begins & ends
The name ‘Hathersage’ is an interesting one & is thought to mean ‘he-goat’s ridge’, again maybe a reference to Stanage Edge sitting above it. We didn’t see any goats on this walk, but there were plenty of sheep. It’s a pretty village, full of shops & restaurants & attracts many tourists, walkers & rock climbers each year. It’s also easily accessible, having its own railway station
Well worth a visit, just over the road from the car park, is the open-air swimming pool which was built in 1936. It’s a heated pool, a covered solarium, a bandstand & a cafe. The cafe is free to enter & to see the pool which has great views of the surrounding hills
Charlotte Brontë stayed at the Hathersage vicarage in 1845 whilst writing Jane Eyre. She loved the area so much she directly imported its geography & prominent names into the book
And of course, we’ll see the resting place of the other famous person this village is now noted for…’Little John’
Let’s Walk!
1. Leave the car park into Oddfellows Road (the swimming pool is opposite) & turn left. Walk down to the corner & keep straight on down the narrow lane…
At the end turn right. Cross the road & turn right up the hill & then, at the road junction turn left
2. Follow the road past some lovely cottages & The Scotman’s Pack Hotel…
The Hotel stands on an ancient track dating back prior to the 18th century that once led to Sheffield & Sheffield Manor Castle
Before proper roads existed in Derbyshire, the site served as a vital resting & watering place for traveling pedlars, drapers, & packhorse drivers
The pub gets its name from Scottish packmen & traders who walked down from Scotland to sell woollens, tweeds, & goods to local farms while carrying news from afar
Parts of the current building date back to the early 1900s or reflect a centuries-old footprint. An inn or shelter has occupied the historic location alongside the old valley packhorse trail for generations
3. At the junction bear left up the hill to the corner where you’ll see a path heading on the left up to the Church…
St Michael & All Angels’ Church dates from the 14th century & was restored between 1851 & 1852 by William Butterfield & reopened on 15 April 1852
4. But what most people come for is to visit the grave of Robin Hood’s right hand man…’Little John’
Approaching the church on the path above bear left to find it…
Little John, as a character, is referenced, alongside Robin, in the very early 15th century poems by the likes of Andrew Wyntoun & Walter Bower. He is referred to, initially, as a cunning character. However in later fables he becomes dimmer, & less capable. He tends to always be the second most prominent character, through fables & later television & film adaptions. He’s the only member of Hood’s Merry Men to be present in the ballad ‘Robin Hood’s Death’
In later ballads, more of Little John’s character was revealed, & he was reputed to have originated from Hathersage, & even settled there again in later life. He died in a small cottage by the River Derwent. In this site now lies a grade II farmhouse, named Nether House
It’s also alleged that Little John chose his gravesite in St. Michael’s Church himself. He did this by firing an arrow from Robin Hood’s Stoop, a boundary stone located on nearby Offerton Moor which landed in the tree above what became his burial site
Hathersage records suggest that Little John’s longbow, alongside his cap, were on display inside St Michael’s Church in 1652. The items were later taken by the Shuttleworth family & put on display at their stately home, Cawthrone
Little John’s grave was excavated in 1784, during which a thigh bone, measuring 30 inches long, was uncovered. This suggests a body of large stature is in fact buried in this plot of land, one measuring upwards of 8ft
It is a wonderful place to visit
5. Return to where you left the path & continue up the lane as it begins to rise…
As it bends left look for a narrow track heading off to the right
6. Cross the stile & keep climbing past an old container. Just past here is a good place to stop for a short breather to admire the view back down towards Hathersage…
The track climbs once more & is easy to follow. This is typical, stunning Derbyshire Peaks walking
7. The altimeter shows we’ve already reached 1407 feet which is well on the way to the highest point on Stanage Edge which is 1503 feet. But…now comes a twist in the tale…most of the height gained is now lost as the track descends for a while to arrive at a gate which leads onto a road…
Turn left & walk carefully up the road, being prepared to step onto the verge if traffic comes. Ignore the first footpath sign on the right &, where the road bends left, take the lane going off to the right which descends even more!
8. As you walk down the track the peak ahead is Higger Tor, a gritstone tor which overlooks the Burbage Valley & the Iron Age hill fort of Carl Wark to the southeast
Higger Tor is one of 95 ‘Ethels’ in the Peak District, named after English environmental campaigner & pioneer of the countryside movement Ethel Haythornthwaite
This walk goes very close to the Tor so there is an opportunity to make a short diversion to the rocky summit with its large ‘cheese’ boulders
9. It’s time now for the main climb to the plateau which is short & steep & passes through a small gate…
As you reach the plateau look across to the left to see the Edge. The grassy path reaches a grass track crossroads. If you wish to divert to climb the steps to the top of Higger Top turn right & cross the road
10. To continue towards the Edge take the left grass path leading to a gate onto another road. There’s lots of mini buses parked along here which are mainly school children on outward bound type days & rock climbers
Cross the road & follow the well marked path
11. As you walk towards it you begin to get an idea of the size of Stanage Edge…
One thing to keep an eye out for just at the foot of the Edge are abandoned millstones which are a feature here.
The millstone industry in the Peak District had been hugely successful for hundreds of years; there is reference to a millstone quarry at Alderwasley, on the edge of what is now the Peak District National Park, as far back as 1257. Right up until the 18th Century millstones made from millstone grit were in great demand & business was brisk. Then, two things changed
Firstly, at the start of the 18th Century white bread became more & more popular, which required finer, whiter flour. Unfortunately, the millstones made of Peak District gritstone often left tiny fragments of stone powder in the flour, which made it undesirable for use in a finer, whiter product
Secondly, in the late 19th Century machines became more commonplace in the mills. They allowed high speed grinding & thus subjected the millstones to more wear. The millstones made from Peak District gritstone wore down quickly
12. The scramble up the edge is quite easy, but be careful if there has been rain. Once you reach the top the views along it & across the valley are amazing. It’s also a great place for photography
Stanage Edge, or simply Stanage derives from “stone edge”. The next part of this walk follows the ridge as it curves into the distance. Just follow the small paths between the boulders…
A paved packhorse road ran along the top of the edge, & remains of it can be seen, as can remains of the Long Causeway, once thought to be a Roman road, which works its way over the edge on its route from Templeborough to Brough-on-Noe, crossing Hallam Moor & passing Stanedge Pole (note the slightly different spelling), an ancient way marker on the route to Sheffield
Some cairns along the top are even older, & there is a well-known cave in the cliff known as Robin Hood’s Cave. More recent features include early 20th century drinking basins, designed to collect pure rainwater for grouse to drink.
13. The other thing Stanage is famous for is its rock climbing & you should see plenty of this as you walk across it…
Although the edge reaches only 25 metres in height, it’s one of the most famous UK climbing venues. Aside from having a multitude of routes, it’s home to the route ‘Right Unconquerable (HVS 5a)’, which, when first climbed by Joe Brown in 1949, was considered a milestone achievement in British climbing. In spite of its height, the edge is home to the longest recorded rock route in the United Kingdom; the 5000m Girdle Traverse, completed by Ron Fawcett in 1992
14. As you walk along there’s so many different views…
You don’t walk to the very end of the ridge before you start to descend. Look for the path going off to the left which you can see winding down into the valley
15. The path descends slowly. Look out for the large boulder on your left known as The Buck Stone. A post-medieval structure, the west face of which has three rafter holes cut into it & several smaller holes. A close examination shows that it was once the centre of a homestead of some kind. There are at least three rafter sockets & several lesser socket holes as well as grooves cut to carry away rain-water
A series of pack-horse roads descend from Stanage Pole & High Neb, converging on the Buck Stone before descending to Hathersage. It is likely that any buildings at Buck Stone would be related to this road & may have been a beer-house &/or watering place for packmen & packhorses
16. At the bottom walk through the barrier & turn left on the lane beside the car park…
If you look ahead you’ll see the Edge you just walked along…
Cross the cattle grid & turn right at the footpath sign through the gate…
17. Keep close to the wall on your right. Then pass through the gate in the wall…
…& now continue down the hill with the wall on your left. The views are fabulous
18. At the bottom of the hill go through a gate into a farmyard…
Turn left & cross a stile & then immediately right through a squeeze
19. Cross the paddock to a gate where I met a couple of ‘stranded’ walkers from South Africa who were lost & following an out-of-date book…
So…like you do you get chatting & offer to take them back to Hathersage &, when you get there you realise you forgot to take many pictures 😉
It’s basically a straight well-marked path initially through a copse & across a bridge & a gate to arrive at a building
20. The track bends right & then left & continues past the cricket club to arrive back in Hathersage at the main road. Cross over into the alley you passed through at the start of this walk back into the car park once more
So that’s it & what a wonderful walk & a great opportunity to get some great hill walking in such a beautiful part of the country
You must ‘Go to the Edge’ at least once in your life so…
Go Walk!