Get Lost Mountaineering

Crowden Brook Scramble, Crowden Tower & South Ridge

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

5 km    About 3 hours

Peaks

No peaks as this is mainly a clough and edge walk but Crowden Tower is at an altitude of about 600m.

OS Outdoor Leisure 1: Dark Peak. OS 110: Sheffield & Huddersfield

Introduction

This is a very pleasant walk and scramble, 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! The scramble is up Crowden Brook after the path leaves and ascends left towards Crowden Tower. This is best not attempted in wet weather as it follows the stream bed and the rocks can be very slippery and slimy. In such conditions, it would be best to stick to the main path after it leaves the stream. The scramble, in dry weather, is of low grade with only one potentially tricky section which is where there is a cliff on the right but this has at least 3 ways up it with the easiest being furthest left and almost a path.

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. When the path starts to climb above the brook, stay on the fainter path by the brook. This also crosses the brook a few times. In a dry period, one can walk up the stream bed. Reach the section with a cliff on the right with several choices; the easiest is furthest left. Continue up, more easily, and reach the main edge path where Crowden Brook forks. Follow the left fork. Progress is easy until the way seems blocked but it is not too difficult to “tunnel” through! Continue until a path crosses the stream then follow it, almost backwards, to reach the highest rocks on Crowden Tower. The highest point is an obvious, almost level, rock which most ascend easily when dry.

(2) From Crowden Tower, walk SSW along the obvious edge path passing a rock which looks like a snail. Once past the rocks, descend down moderately steep grassy slopes for a short distance to join the traverse path (above). Follow this along the eastern side of the S ridge of Crowden Tower. Unless covered by snow, the path is easily followed. Further on, it leaves the eastern edge and cuts across the ridge to its western side. Leave the path when it makes this change of direction and continue S on a very faint path which heads towards a fence and wall. Follow these to a stile over the fence. Don't cross here but continue to the second stile where there is a more obvious descent path which can be followed down, through a broken wall then it makes a sharp turn left at another wall. Soon after, the path has been blocked at a gap in a broken wall so climb over and continue down to a gate then rejoin the outward path.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 23^rd April, 2016.