• PEAK DISTRICT WALKS
    • SHORT WALKS UNDER 3 MILES
    • MEDIUM WALKS 4-9 MILES
    • LONG PEAK DISTRICT WALKS 10 MILES +
  • PEAK DISTRICT WALKS WITH PUBS
  • PEAK DISTRICT WALKS WITH KIDS
  • HOLMFIRTH WALKS

The Wandering Wildflower

Peak District Walks

Crowden Circular Walk via Crowden Quarry

September 8, 2021 CIRCULAR WALKS, MEDIUM WALKS 4-9 MILES, PEAK DISTRICT WALKS

Last weekend we headed out for a Crowden circular walk to explore some of the lower moorland in the Longendale Valley. We’ve popped over the top of Holme Moss into Crowden a few times over the past year and have really enjoyed walking there. This is a lovely Peak District walk with kids.

 

View from Crowden Quarry down over Torside Reservoir - Crowden Circular Walk - The Wandering Wildflower

View from Crowden Quarry down over Torside Reservoir

 

The walk starts out in a car park near to Crowden Camp Site which is nestled at the bottom of the hills. It’s very handy as there is a shop and toilet block there although the shop is cash only. After realising we only had £1, so enough for a packet of Haribo, we spent up and set off on our walk.

 

Stile leading to the moorland - The Wandering Wildflower hiking blog

 

Our walk didn’t start out the best. Mr R was looking for a geocache (which he didn’t find) when Hols noticed a spider on him. She freaked out, ran away, tripped over a tussock of grass and fell over, hurting her hip. She soon recovered with the help of Haribo Tangfastics, but was less than enthusiastic about climbing up the hill to the quarry.

 

Curious sheep on the hillside at Crowden Quarry - The Wandering Wildflower blog

The side of the quarry hillside!

 

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.

 

There is a bit of a climb up towards the old Crowden Quarry, also known as Crowden Castle as the spoil heap looks a bit like a castle from a distance. If you squint. The quarry is accessed via a cobbled track which still has the grooves from iron wheels of carts used to take the stone down to the nearby reservoirs.

 

Rocks at Crowden Quarry - Circular Walk - The Wandering Wildflower

Can you see the faces in the rocks?

Crowden Quarry rock face - Circular Walk - The Wandering Wildflower blog View back down over Woodhead Reservoir from Crowden Quarry - The Wandering Wildflower hiking blog

 

The terrain for this walk is quite hard going. The paths aren’t well used, so this walk is perfect if you want to avoid the crowds (like me!), but you need a good level of fitness to tackle it and I’d definitely recommend hiking boots. You use footpaths and open access land so you have gates to open and close and the path isn’t always clear so either use the Geocache app, good old fashioned map and compass or some other form of GPS navigation to help you find your way. There are a few short steep climbs but nothing too drawn out.

 

 

Moorland walks - Crowden Circular - The Wandering Wildflower Heather on the moorland at Crowden - The Wandering Wildflower

 

 

View of Pikenaze Hill - The Wandering Wildflower hiking blog

View towards Pikenaze Hill

 

The walk takes you along about halfway up the hillside before dropping down to return along the Northern Horse Route. On the way back to the car park you pass St James’s Church which is a tiny little church set up from the Woodhead Pass. This church is still in use, despite it’s location and desolate position.

 

St James' Church, Woodhead - Circular Walk at CrowdenSt James' Church, near Crowden - The Wandering Wildflower

We got back to the car in around 4 and a half hours, which included stopping for a picnic at the foot of the quarry hillside and finding geocaches along the way. As neither of us could be bothered to cook, we headed into Old Glossop and had tea at The Bulls Head. I’m trying to make all our hikes end at a pub!

 

Cottages in Old Glossop - The Wandering Wildflower blog Old Glossop Market Cross - The Wandering Wildflower hiking blog Beautiful old cottages in Old Glossop - The Wandering Wildflower hiking blog

 

We followed a geocache series from a geocacher called meltediceburg. The route we took is below (spot the quarry detour!):

 

 

You don’t have to visit Crowden quarry, but it’s well worth a detour. It’s a fabulous place to explore. For a shorter walk, you could just head up to the quarry site and back down to the car park.  This Crowden circular walk was a lovely day out and I would definitely do this one again. For more walks near Crowden camp site, check out Black Hill Circular Walk, Holmfirth, Crowden to Featherbed Moss Trig Point and Bleaklow Circular Walk which is on the hillside on the opposite side of the valley.

 

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
« Bleaklow to Higher Shelf Stones Circular Hike
Peak District Peak List – Peak Bagging Challenge »

RELATED POSTS

  • Black Hill, Peak District trig point (Soldiers Lump)Holme to Black Hill to Crowden Circular Walk
  • Best Walks Near Crowden Campsite
  • A view over Mam Tor and The Great Ridge from Rushup Edge from a circular walk by The Wandering WildflowerMam Tor and Rushup Edge Circular Walk
  • A small girl stood on a huge pile of rocks looks down to Torside Reservoir - a post on Hiking with Kids from The Wandering Wildflower15 Tips for Hiking with Kids

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FIND YOUR NEXT WALK:

ABOUT ME

Y Garn with Kids - Y Garn via the Devil's Kitchen Walk in Ogwen Valley

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 also blog about our UK camping trips, UK day trips, walks around Yorkshire and more. When I’m not dragging my husband and 10 year old out on Peak District walks or up mountains, I can be found on my phone, planning my next 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!

CATEGORIES

  • CIRCULAR WALKS (83)
  • HOLMFIRTH WALKS (20)
  • ISLE OF SKYE WALKS (1)
  • LAKE DISTRICT WALKS (2)
  • LANCASHIRE WALKS (2)
  • LONG PEAK DISTRICT WALKS 10 MILES + (18)
  • MEDIUM WALKS 4-9 MILES (55)
  • PEAK DISTRICT WALKS (73)
  • PEAK DISTRICT WALKS WITH KIDS (30)
  • PEAK DISTRICT WALKS WITH PUBS (28)
  • SHORT WALKS UNDER 3 MILES (28)
  • SNOWDONIA WALKS (2)
  • UK CAMPING (4)
  • YORKSHIRE WALKS (29)

Peak District Walks

List of Peak District Ethels

Peak District Peak Bagging

Peak District Trig Point Challenge

Peak District Walks with Pubs

Peak District Walks with Kids

Beautiful Walks in Holmfirth

Short Walks in the Peak District

Long Walks in the Peak District

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read full privacy policy here.

ARCHIVES

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021

Peak District Trig Points

Promo image for a blog post about the Peak District Trig Point Challenge With Map of Peak District Trig Points and Walking Routes by The Wandering Wildflower

Peak District Ethels Challenge

Promo image for a blog post about the Peak District Trig Point Challenge With Map of Peak District Ethels and Walking Routes by The Wandering Wildflower

WALKING ROUTES STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Want new walks in your inbox? Drop your email below and I'll send you some ideas for walks you can try. 

You can unsubscribe anytime. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.

Thank you!

Look out for new walks in your inbox soon!

.

FOLLOW ON PINTEREST

Want new walks in your inbox? Drop your email below and I'll send you some ideas for walks you can try. 

You can unsubscribe anytime. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.

Thank you!

Look out for new walks in your inbox soon!

.

jo@thewanderingwildflower.co.uk

The Wandering Wildflower

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS

(c) The Wandering Wildflower. All Rights Reserved.

|| THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS