Stanage Edge
Awesome and magnificent are the words that best describe one of the finest, most breathtaking walks in the Dark Peak.
Stanage Edge is well known to visitors of the Peak District, and most will approach via North Lees to gain access to one of the longest rock faces in the country. There is another way though, one that starts with the descent of the magnificent Wyming Brook gorge, the path crossing back and forth over a tumbling stream, whilst huge Scots pines tower above a scene that could be found in Yosemite National Park in the USA. The route passes over moorland and by a tall rock tower that stands sentinel like in the landscape before gently delivering you onto Stanage Edge and the awesome sight of The Great Ridge, Mam Tor and Kinder Scout beyond. If you are in luck there may even be a cloud inversion. The walk abounds with historical and geological interest. Look out for the strange grouse water bowls carved into rock boulders, each one numbered and adorned with intricate channels to guide water into a pool. And of course Stanedge Pole (note the spelling) a boundary marker of political, geographical and ecclesiastical importance. Finally a poignant memorial to the fallen in WWI stands guard over training trenches used by the men of Sheffield.