Captain's Log

Bleaklow Stones

I awoke at 06:00 and felt surprisingly refreshed. It was surprising since yesterday had been a demanding day physically and I’d gone to sleep feeling dehydrated (see Captain’s Log, Dry Derwent Valley Day). Oddly enough, I didn’t feel thirsty anymore. It’s amazing what a good 10 hours of sleep can do for recuperation. I didn’t even hear the jets skimming the top of my tent heading for Manchester Airport overnight. I popped out of the tent and had a brief stroll around my surroundings. It was a bit grey, but there was quite a nice cloud inversion over the Derwent Valley. The route I’d taken yesterday to reach the top of the Bleaklow Plateau was popping its head above the clouds. 

I’d had a mini-disaster when I lost my 1.5 litre Sigg bottle yesterday. This had left me desperately short of water. I’d just over a litre of water left which needed to last me until lunch time today, when I could refill my supplies at the Little Don River. I used half of my ration on my breakfast, splitting it between my milk for my muesli and the other half for a wonderful cup of coffee. I packed up and was away a little after 08:00.    

This morning’s walk would be a tough one over boggy, trackless moor to Featherbed Moss. From there the bog would continue to the top of Near Cat Clough where I would officially complete the Derwent Watershed circuit. I would then drop down the clough and luxuriate in drinking The Little Don River dry. I’d follow the Hordron Road back to Langsett and make my way over to the Trans Pennine Trail. It would be a flat and easy finish along the trail back to Penistone Railway Station. . 

Featherbed Moss

The route looks so easy on the OS map. Labelling shows that 'Stakes' are liberally dispersed along the way. The reality was very much different. I did see one or two stakes, but none that was an indication of any sort of useful path. It was really just a case of forming my own path and hoping for the best. Initially the route headed north eastwards. It was tough going against the grain of the land. The temptation was to follow the easier walking down a grough, but I knew that would lead me into Far Black Clough. Mist rolled in from Featherbed Moss and I found myself encompassed by clouds to add to the disorientation. This was definitely difficult terrain to negotiate without a gps. The mini-dam builders had been busy in this area too, making the area even boggier. My gps told me that I’d made enough descent and that I should now turn east and that’s what I did.   

The route was still trackless until I reached a wire fence where a vague track appeared on the other side. Despite various diversions around the bogs, I managed to stay on this vague track right up to the top of Near Cat Clough. It was so vague in places that it was easy to lose. The track made it much easier to traverse the moor though and so it was important to find it. I briefly dropped out of the mist when I reached the 1894 stone.  This was a distinctive American pancake stack of stone surrounded by a little moat. I took a tour of the stone to see if anybody had inscribed 1894 on it, but it didn’t appear to be defaced. There was a Solomon’s Temple that I visited on Grinlow Hill near Buxton, that was built in 1894, and so I’m not sure whether the name has anything to do with that (see Captain’s Log, Axe Oliver With Cheeky Grin). I headed back into the mist. 

I reached the small lonely cairn on the top of Featherbed Moss. It seemed a remote place. The featureless bog seemed to go on and on forever. I checked my gps every 30 minutes or so to see if I'd drifted off the route. The terrain was so featureless in this mist that it would have been easy to drift off track. The mini-dam builders had been up here too. I’d walked here when they were first installed  many years ago, but they could hardly be seen now. I guess they must be doing their job and holding back the water. It was certainly boggy enough. 

Derwent Watershed Completion

Normally it is easy to spot when you are at the top of Near Cat Clough by looking across to the right and seeing the distinctive Crow Stones. This wasn’t possible today  due to the mist. It was only by luck that I spotted a stake off to my left. I’d drifted 50m south of the path due to the bogs. I made my way across to the stake and checked the position with my gps. I confirmed that I had completed the Derwent Watershed. All I had to do now was to return to Penistone Railway Station. I drank the last of my water. It had been a long, challenging yomp across the moors with so little water to drink. 

I descended Near Cat Clough and dropped out of the mist. At last I had a view. It was a bit like the final scene in Ice Cold In Alex as I filtered water from the Little Don River and drank a litre. I filtered some more to take with me on the remaining part of the walk. I felt re-engerised getting the fluid inside me. It was a good job, since it was a steep climb up from the river up to Upper Hordron. I followed the stone Hordron Road back towards Langsett. The sun was out now and after this morning’s sensory deprivation of the mist, it was nice now to have open views. The Lapwings swooped and screeched above me as I walked along the Swinden Track. They were obviously nesting in the adjacent fields. I made my way through the Swinden plantation to the busy A628. I was back in civilisation again. 

Trans Pennine Trail

After sprinting across the road to avoid the traffic, I made my way along the east side of Thurlstone Moor. This eventually dropped down on to the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT). The hard work of the day was done. The flat and easy walking of the TPT would take me back to Penistone. Almost immediately, I came to the Magic Wood Cafe. I’d never actually been in this establishment. It opens between 10:00 and 14:00. Seeing that it was 13:55, I figured that they wouldn’t be that keen on me dropping in. The TPT has plenty of benches and picnic tables along its route and I stopped at one of these to brew up a coffee. I also found a miserable looking cheese sandwich at the bottom of my rucksack and so had that for lunch. 

The TPT has a plethora of interesting sculptures and art works along its way. There’s also information boards available to tell you about the local history.  This made the 4 miles to the railway station pass quite quickly. Since the last time I was down here, the conservation volunteers had cleared a lot of the undergrowth at the sides of the trails, opening up the views across to Royd Moor and to Thurlstone. This has made it a much more interesting trail to walk along. It’s popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists. Houses started to appear and the outskirts of Penistone approached. Before I knew it, I was back at Penistone Railway Station.   

It had been a day of two halves. The first half was a trackless bog fest, negotiating groughs and stagnant pools, through thick mist. The second half had been a pleasant sunny stroll along easy paths. The Derwent Watershed had been a tough and challenging Venture. It’s definitely not one to be underestimated. Good navigation skills are required, especially if you aren’t using a gps. The terrain is remote and boggy. The reward though is some of the best views that the Dark Peak has to offer.