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Black Chew Head via Laddow Rocks Walk | 6 Miles

October 12, 2021 CIRCULAR WALKS, MEDIUM WALKS 4-9 MILES, PEAK DISTRICT WALKS

Yesterday I took a trip to Black Chew Head via Laddow Rocks. This Peak District circular walk was my first solo hike so I thought I’d start from a place I know. Starting from the car park at Crowden and walking up through the beautiful Crowden Valley, this scenic walk takes you onto the moors for the Peak District Ethel Black Chew Head and then back via Laddow Rocks to the car park. Here’s the route for Crowden to Black Chew Head via Laddow Rocks.

Rock formation near Laddow Rocks from a blog post - Black Chew Head Circular Hike

Black Chew Head is summit some 542m above sea level and is actually the county top of Greater Manchester. It’s an outlying peak of Black Hill.

 

I started the walk to Black Chew Head from the car park near Crowden Camp Site, which is a great place to start a walk as it has toilet facilities and there is a shop on the camp site selling hot drinks, snacks and more. It’s a cash only shop though – they don’t accept cards.

 

This blog may contain affiliate links through which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. Read full privacy policy here.

 

When I tackled this walk it had been raining heavily for a few days beforehand and there were beautiful waterfalls all over the moorsides. This also meant that the paths were very wet (some had were essentially streams) so I was very glad to have my Scarpa walking boots! They kept my feet nice and dry.

View toward Crowden Castle or the old Crown Quarry - The Wandering Wildflower

View towards Crowden Quarry (or Crowden Castle!)

 

I followed the Pennine Way out of the campsite and into the Crowden Clough valley. Passing through fields of sheep, the walk takes you over stiles and into the Crowden valley itself.

 

 

The walk starts to climb up as you get closer to Laddow Rocks and the path is really stony. There are boulders to weave in and out of and it’s quite steep in places as you climb up the side of the valley.

 

Eventually the path splits and one way takes you to Laddow Rocks, whereas the way (marked by the small cairn) takes you along the Pennine Way to a stile. Follow the fence line to the summit of Black Chew Head. Older photos online show a huge stake in the ground similar to the summit at Bleaklow but there was nothing when I went, so I got as near as I could!

 

Where the path splits – take the right path to Laddow Rocks and the left along the Pennine Way

 

View down Crowden Valley - The Wandering Wildflower

View down Crowden Valley

 

I have to say, it’s not the easiest summit to find. There is the remains of a cairn near to Black Chew Head summit, and a small tarn nearby, but not much else. Certainly no lovely trig point! It’s a very bleak place and even on a dry day it was very windy. It would be easy to be lost up here in poor visibility as it’s pretty featureless so I was glad of my map.

 

Black Chew Head summit "cairn" - or what's left of it! The Wandering Wildflower

The cairn near the summit – or what’s left of it!

 

Views from near the summit at Black Chew Head - The Wandering Wildflower

Views from near the summit at Black Chew Head

 

Tarn near the summit of Black Chew Head - The Wandering Wildflower

Tarn near the summit of Black Chew Head

 

After having a little wander around to see if I was missing something, I headed south-east to pick up the path that runs along the top of Laddow Rocks. It’s only a short trek across the moors but there were bogs and lots of water, so care should be taken going this way. Plus you’re heading straight for an edge with drops like these!

 

Laddow Rocks at Crowden - The Wandering Wildflower

 

I then wandered back along the top of Laddow Rocks, wondering how close to the edge I dare go before I was blown over (I doubt this would ever happen!).

 

Laddow Rocks in Crowden Valley - Peak District Walks from The Wandering Wildflower  Laddow Rocks in Crowden Valley - Peak District Walks from The Wandering Wildflower

Laddow Rocks in Crowden Valley - Peak District Walks from The Wandering Wildflower

Laddow Rocks in Crowden Valley - Peak District Walks from The Wandering Wildflower

Path near Laddow Rocks in Crowden Valley - Peak District Walks from The Wandering Wildflower

 

The views down the valley are amazing and whenever we come to Crowden I’m always amazed that this part of the world is so close to where we live. It’s a stunning and quiet part of the Peak District, especially compared with the likes of Mam Tor! I didn’t see another soul until I got back near the campsite and only then saw one other couple out hiking.

 

Pennine Way through Crowden Valley - The Wandering Wildflower

The trouble with solo hikes is there’s no-one to take photos of you! Cue lots of bad selfies…!

 

This was a lovely circular walk from Crowden Camp Site of roughly 5.5 miles and one we’ll do again (especially as Mr R is annoyed I went without him and bagged a peak!).

Parking: Crowden Camp Site

Facilities: Toilets and shop at Crowden Camp Site

Walk Time: 2 hours

Distance: 5.6 miles

Trig Points Bagged: None

Peak District Peaks Bagged: Black Chew Head

Peak District Ethels Bagged: Black Chew Head

Here’s the route I took (complete with wandering off in the wrong direction!):

 

 

On the way back home over Holme Moss I saw a rainbow over the valley. I managed to capture it in the frame at Holme Moss car park. It’s definitely not the most impressive rainbow, but it made me smile. If you squint you might just be able to see it in the middle of the frame. I then headed to The Fleece Pantry to get some lunch.

 

View from Holme Moss framed in a rust coloured picture frame - The Wandering Wildflower

 

It’s another summit ticked off the Peak District Peaks List and our new Ethel Bagging challenge. You can download the Ethel Ready app if you want to get involved bagging those Ethels in the Peak District and it’s a great way to keep a track of your progress.

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Hello! I’m Jo! Welcome to The Wandering Wildflower, an outdoors lifestyle blog focusing on family walks in the Peak District, a place we love exploring. I want to share the Peak District hidden gems and show you there’s so much more than the honeypot places. When I’m not dragging my husband and now 11 year old out on Peak District walks or up mountains, I can be found on planning my next moorland walk or plotting a Geocache walk (and seeing where the nearest pub is!). I love the hills but hate the heights, so trig bagging is – er- fun!

 

I hope this blog will give you some ideas of places to visit in the Peak District and inspire you and your family to head into the great outdoors.  Thanks for stopping by!

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