Stanage Edge from Hathersage
Up past North Lees Hall onto Stanage Edge, along the top to Higger Tor and back down to the village: about 12.5km from our Hathersage shop.
Stanage Edge is the long gritstone cliff on the skyline above Hathersage, close to four miles of it, and climbers come from all over the country to climb it. Walkers get the top, a level path along the lip with the Hope Valley below. This loop climbs to the edge from the shop through fields and woods, follows it south-east, and comes home over Higger Tor.
- Start and finish: Swift & Hale Hathersage. Hathersage station, on the line between Sheffield and Manchester, is a short walk away.
- Distance: about 12.5km (7¾ miles)
- Ascent: about 400m (1,300ft)
- Time: 4 to 4½ hours with stops
- Terrain: lanes and field paths with a few stiles, a stepped path through woodland, rocky gritstone along the top of the edge, open moor, and a rough, rocky descent off Higger Tor
- Map: Moorside Maps Dark Peak
The route
- From the shop, go up Baulk Lane past the cricket ground. Where the lane becomes a track, bear left round Brookfield Manor, cross the road and follow the path north into the woods. Cross Hood Brook on a footbridge and carry on past Green's House to the lane at North Lees.
- North Lees Hall, the tall gritstone tower house a little further on, was built in the late 16th century. It is thought to be the model for Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre, whose author stayed in Hathersage in the summer of 1845. Past the hall, the path climbs to the road by the Hollin Bank car park.
- Cross the road and take the stepped path up through the trees of Stanage Plantation to the top of the edge.
- Turn right and follow the edge south-east. Robin Hood's Cave is in the crag below the lip and is reached by a scramble, so look and leave it to the climbers. Carry on along the top to the trig point at 457m, then drop gently to the road at Upper Burbage Bridge.
- Cross the road and take the path south to Higger Tor, a flat-topped block of gritstone with a long view down the valley. The walled hilltop just to the south-east is Carl Wark, an ancient enclosure whose exact age is still argued over.
- Come down off the north-west end of Higger Tor to the road, then follow paths west past Mitchell Field and Toothill Farm, with a short stretch of lane, down to St Michael's church. Little John's grave is in the churchyard. From the church it is downhill into the village.
On the edge
Stanage has no fence and drops straight down, so keep back from the lip in wind and keep children and dogs close. There are often climbers on the crag below the path, and a stone kicked off the top can hurt someone. Dry gritstone grips well, but it turns greasy in the wet, especially where lichen grows on it. In low cloud the edge path is easy to follow, but the moor behind it isn't, so carry the map and a compass and know how to use them.
Our Path Fund paid towards repairing an eroded path on the moors above Hathersage last year. A panel that included colleagues from this shop helped choose the grant, and the fund's money comes partly from 1p of every Club purchase.
Led walks
We lead this loop on the second Saturday of each month, leaving the shop at 9.30am and back by about 2pm. If you are new to walking with a group, start with the Thursday morning beginners' walk along the Derwent, which Priya Nair, our assistant manager, leads every week. Led walks are free for Club members, with a qualified leader and a first aider on every one. Book in the app or at the till, and see led walks for the rest of the programme.
Before you go
Conditions on the edge change quickly, and the top is colder and a lot windier than the village. Check the mountain forecast on the morning you go, and turn back if the cloud comes down and you are not confident navigating in it. Bring a waterproof, a warm layer, water and food, as there is nowhere to buy food or water once you leave the village. On sunny weekends the car parks below the edge fill early, so the train is often easier.
