Tuesday March 3rd

 Cowms Moor and Kinder North Edge

A nice day for a walk, and the "Helicopter Walk" beckoned. I parked up at the Birchin Clough car park and started up through the depleted woodland (larch trees having been felled because of infections) and soon had a a view of Fairbrook Naze, looking like the prow of a ship.

Fairbrook Naze

Because time was limited (and I'd had a long walk a couple of days before), I skipped the trip to the Oyster Clough bothy. I piqued the interest of a couple of sheep as I walked through Cowms Moor.

Inquisitive Sheep

I crossed the Snake Road at Alport Bridge, crossed the River Ashop ford and had my customary break sitting on the granite roller (a picture sometime?) with a view of the plantation opposite Alport Castles.

Alport Bridge and plantation

The Lonely Trees on Crookstone Hill were yet to come into leaf.

The Lonely Trees and Crookstone Knoll

I had my lunch at Crookstone Knoll (I'm a creature of habit...) with great views in the fair weather.

Ladybower Reservoir and Win Hill

Lose Hill and Back Tor (just!)

Along Blackden Edge I had a view of Oyster Clough- the bothy is just about visible in the video below when it zooms into the clough) and the helicopter ferrying materials up to the top of Fair Brook for the new footpath across to Kinder Downfall.


Time was a little short and going the whole way to Fairbrook Naze (or even down Fair Brook) would probably take a little too long; I wasn't aware of any other way down from the Kinder Plateau to the Snake Road, but had a good look at the map anyway. I spotted a path down from Blackden Moor that I'd never noticed before, running down from the spur of Blackden Moor. From the map, it seemed very steep and close to a rocky outcrop. I paced out the distance from the rock formation shown on the Harvey map and I was happy to see a faint path running over the edge. The descent was no steeper and less rocky than that down Fairbrook Naze and it made a nice change and a convenient reduction in the distance on a favourite walk.

A walk of 10.5 miles with 640m ascent.




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