Peak District - Bamford Edge and Stanage High Neb

Date: Saturday 25th May
Route: Hollin Bank circular via Bamford Edge and Stanage Edge
Distance: 10.4 miles

After visiting the Peak District last year, I was keen to go back and try out some walks in the area - since all of my previous visits had been very short-lived school trips, I wasn't really as familiar with the UK's most-visited National Park as I probably ought to be, even though it's not really that far from the area that I grew up in.

I'm glad to report that the weekend massively over-delivered vs expectations, thanks to a fantastic combination of challenging (but not impossible) walks in breathtakingly impressive countryside, aided and abetted by bright sunshine.

Our first walk came from a guidebook by Norman Taylor and Barry Pope, the straightforwardly titled "Day Walks in the Peak District", which contains details of 20 circular walks of between 8 and 12 miles and is highly recommended.

The drive up to the car park at Hollin Bank, just north of Hathersage, gives a hint of what is to come, as the skyline is dominated by the imposing crags of Stanage Edge, popular not just with walkers but with climbers and families on a day out.

However, the walk begins by heading away from Stanage Edge, passing through woodland to emerge  in a lush green valley, before crossing a stream and heading up again. The views here are spectacular, across rolling hills dotted with sheep and farmland. After a short stretch of uphill walking on the road, the path skirts a large disused quarry, then hugs the top of Bamford Edge, with a steep slope down to the left.

The views here continue to impress, then go back into spectacular territory, as the Ladybower Reservoir comes into view. As the crags come to an end, the path descends via heather and rounds the hillside. The next section of the walk struggles to compare with the beauty of the first section, however on any other walk it would be a fantastic stretch.

After another steady climb, the reward is the view from the first crags of Stanage Edge, a great place to stop for lunch. The path continues along to the top of the crags, passing a triangulation pillar at High Neb and multiple climbers before joining an old packhorse route to descend to the car park.

At more than 10 miles and with some strength-sapping climbs, this is not an easy walk but it is a great introduction to the Peak District, combining dramatic views and contrasting scenery.