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Coombes Edge & Cown Edge from Charlesworth

Coombes Edge & Cown Edge from Charlesworth

Start/Finish

Charlesworth village (on road parking) which is on the A628 between Dinting Vale (West of Glossop) and Marple. Try to park between the church and the playing fields. The church is at SK 004 929.

Distance/Time

8 km     About 3 hours

Peaks

This walk is on edges, ridges and open moorland with no obvious summits.

OS Outdoor Leisure 1: Dark Peak.    OS 110 (1:50 000).

Introduction

This is a pleasant walk ideal for a short winter's day. Given its short length, it is a little gem for what it offers in views. On a clear day, there are excellent views to Mill Hill, Kinder, Bleaklow and Higher Shelf Stones. Both edges have crags below them so do not stray too close. Coombes Edge is generally continuous whilst Cown Edge has some large “scoops” along it. The route goes through an abandoned chemical works. The path is safe but it would be wise to keep dogs and young children under control. This section is also quite boggy.

Route

(1) From the playing fields, walk SSW along the main road (towards Marple) and start descending the hill to reach Coombes lane, on the left. Turn in here and follow the lane to the old Works. Go through the Works, buildings on your left, to reach a boggy track. Follow this until it splits at a gate then follow the footpath sign forking right. There is little sign of a path until one soon reaches the trees above the river when a path appears and leads down to a bridge. Cross over and follow the path up and out, over some stiles, crossing some wet ground, to reach the lane leading to Far Coombes. Turn left on to this and follow it to Far Coombes. The section through the Works to the lane can be avoided by staying on the main road in Charlesworth until the bottom of the hill, just past the Chisworth sign, then turning left on to the minor road which leads to the start of this lane after about 300 m. At Far Coombes, stay with the wall on the right which soon leads to a not very obvious stile and gate. Go uphill from the gate on a wide, grassy groove. When the gradient eases, at a telegraph pole, fork left on to a grassy path which soon joins a grassy track. Not much further, the track splits. Take the left (lower) fork which leads to a stile. Cross over and take the path on the right which leads up to the edge. Follow the path, roughly NE, along the edge past two obvious woods.

(2) After the second wood, continue to reach a not very obvious gate in the fence on the right. Go through then aim for the left hand corner of the wood. Once there, drift left to reach Cown Edge then follow the path along the edge, heading roughly SSW. Continue past the same two woods and reach a track crossing the ridge. From here, there is a choice of routes. The most scenic is to turn right on to the track and follow it down to a gate then go right on a path which soon reaches the section of Coombes Edge already walked. Walk along the edge again, past both woods, until it starts to curve around to the left, not far from an obvious road. An alternative from the cross ridge track is to follow the main path along the centre of the ridge. Pass the first wood then rejoin Coombes Edge at the second stile and follow the route above. Continue down the ridge, crossing a few stiles, until one comes out on a track (not the track on your right as you descend). It is possible to go left on this track for about 30 m to reach another path which goes behind some houses before reaching a road at High Bank. This path can be boggy so one could stay on the track instead, going right from the end of the path. Follow the road down to soon join the road from Simmondley. Turn left to reach the main road through Charlesworth and turn left on this back to the start.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 12th January, 2016.

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