Stage 6 was a tough one indeed. There would be more ascent involved than a climb of Ben Nevis and 20 miles in muggy conditions. The day started in Glossop with sunny and cool conditions. As we left Glossop and headed for Doctors Gate, the sun became stronger. Our first task was to find a depression in the hillside know as Ashton Clough. An easy grade 1 scramble, the clough proved harder to reach than actually climb. After 150 metres of broken and messy scrambling, up some beautiful little waterfalls, we reached the moorland and Higher Shelf Stones. Just beyond this was the wreckage of A B29 Overexposed Bomber, which crashed in 1948 due to low cloud, killing all 13 onboard. After spending some time at the wreckage we moved on to the summit of Bleaklow. A long descent alongside Torside Clough brough us to Torside reservior in Longdendale. A brief rest on flat ground was much appreciated. A long ascent back to almost 600 metres alongside some impressive rock formations lead us to the summit of Black Hill. We could now see West Yorkshire to the north. 5 miles of gradual descent past a multitude of reservoirs lead us finally to the village of Marsden. We had been almost exclusively in Derbyshire since the last few miles of Stage 1, so entering a new county felt like a big milestone for us. We go again in 2 weeks as we head further north to Hebden Bridge. Enjoy
Add A Comment