Get Lost Mountaineering

Crowden Clough, Crowden Tower & Grindslow Knoll

from Upper Booth

Start/Finish

Upper Booth parking spot (holds about 15 cars) which is about a mile west of Edale village car park which, coming from Hope, is on the Edale road just before the turn off to Edale village. The turn off for Edale from Hope, from The Hathersage to Castleton road, A625, is not that obvious and easy to miss. It is a right turn opposite a chuch on the left on the eastern end of Hope. Upper Booth is a signed right turn just before the Edale valley road starts climbing towards Mam Tor. The road is narrow with few passing places. There is also some parking further back from the main parking spot under the obvious viaduct. Both spots are free to park at. There are toilets in the Edale village car park.

Distance/Time

8 km    About 3 - 4 hours

Peaks

Grindslow Knoll, 601 m, SK 109 867.

OS Outdoor Leisure 1: Dark Peak. OS 110, Sheffield.

Introduction

This is a very pleasant walk, ideal for a short day, especially in late Autumn when the landscape turns brown. Crowden Clough is a lovely approach to the south edge of Kinder. The going can be wet and boggy, especially after rain, but it is not too bad; the views make up for it!

Route

(1) Continue walking up the Upper Booth road until the red telephone box is reached near a campsite. Continue a little further, descending slightly to a stone bridge over Crowden Brook. Immediately after crossing this bridge, go through a gate, on the right, to access the Crowden Clough path. Follow the path, with the brook on your right, through a pleasant wood, then reach open country at a stile and sign. Continue up, crossing the brook several times. The view up the clough is very pleasant indeed. Further up, the angle steepens and the path can be slippery but it soon reaches a traverse path (left to right) below Crowden Tower. Go left until this path meets another going sharp right which can be followed up to the main edge path at Crowden Tower. The highest point, 629 m, is easily reached from the path.

(2) From Crowden Tower, walk NNE on the obvious path and cross near the top of Crowden Clough. Continue, more like ESE now, and after a small rise, the path splits. Take the right fork, now slabbed in places, and soon reach the top of Grindslow Knoll, 601 m, where there is a prominent cairn.

(3) Walk almost due S on a reasonable path and stay on the broad crest ignoring paths going off left and right. After a slight rise, the path descends quite steeply, by a wall, to reach the Pennine Way well below. This steep part of Grindslow Knoll is called Broadlee Bank Tor. The wall starts just S of Pt 531 and descend SSW. Once on the Pennine, head W, right, through some boggy fields to Upper Booth to reach the road by the phone box. Turn left and walk back to the start.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 14^th February, 2016.