![](../images/banner.jpg)
Bleaklow - Peak District Walk
Friday 6th April 2007
Bleaklow is my favourite part of the Peak District, although it is not to everyone's taste, I love it for its desolate and barren landscape which was definitely a feature of today's walk. As we took an off path route we spent a lot of time winding in and out of the cloughs which meant we didn't actually reach our intended target of Bleaklow Head, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to keep taking new compass bearings, not something I would normally do.
Start: Lay-by above Woodhead Reservoir (SK 1117 9997)
Route: Lay-by above Woodhead Reservoir - Birchen Bank Wood - Round Hill - Near Bleaklow Stones - Wildboar Grain - Pennine Way - Longdendale Trail - Lay by above Woodhead Reservoir
Distance: 10 miles Ascent: 561 metres Time Taken: 7 hrs 15 mins
Weather: High cloud, warm and sunny.
Pub Visited: None Ale Drunk: None
![Featherbed Moss Featherbed Moss](2007-04-06/start.jpg)
Looking across at Featherbed Moss.
!["River Etherow "River Etherow](2007-04-06/river%20etherow.jpg)
River Etherow.
![Near Black Clough Near Black Clough](2007-04-06/NEAR%20BLACK%20CLOUGH.jpg)
Near Black Clough.
![Withens Moor Withens Moor](2007-04-06/black%20moss.jpg)
Looking across at Withens Moor, from Black Moss, after the steep climb up from Near Black Clough.
![](2007-04-06/hare.jpg)
One of the many hares we saw today. Their white winter coat is starting to change.
![Blackburn Botha Blackburn Botha](2007-04-06/aircraft.jpg)
One of the many aircraft wrecks on Bleaklow. This one (marked on my map) is at grid reference SK 111 976. It is a Blackburn Botha which crashed onto Round Hill on Bleaklow on December 10th 1941 whilst on a ferrying flight from Sherburn-in-Elmet to Harwarden. The 19 year old pilot died in the crash.
![Near Bleaklow Stones Near Bleaklow Stones](2007-04-06/bleaklow%20ridge.jpg)
Looking up to Near Bleaklow Stones from the aircraft wreck.
![](2007-04-06/clough.jpg)
One of the many cloughs we had to negotiate today.
![Near Bleaklow Stones Near Bleaklow Stones](2007-04-06/near%20bleaklow%20stones.jpg)
Near Bleaklow Stones.
![](2007-04-06/clough1.jpg)
A typical Bleaklow scene.
![Wildboar Grain Wildboar Grain](2007-04-06/wildboar%20grain.jpg)
Wildboar Grain.
![Clough Edge Clough Edge](2007-04-06/pennine%20way.jpg)
The Pennine Way following Clough Edge above Torside Clough.
![Black Hill Black Hill](2007-04-06/black%20hill.jpg)
Black Hill and Holme Moss Mast across a drained Torside Reservoir.
![Long Gutter Edge Long Gutter Edge](2007-04-06/long%20cutter%20edge.jpg)
Long Gutter Edge from the Longdendale Trail.
![Woodhead Reservoir Woodhead Reservoir](2007-04-06/woodhead%20res.jpg)
Woodhead Reservoir.
![Pikenaze Hill Pikenaze Hill](2007-04-06/woodhead%20res1.jpg)
Pikenaze Hill seen across Woodhead Reservoir.
All pictures copyright © Peak Walker 2006-2023