Old Glossop to Bleaklow Head and Cock Hill Circular

This Peak District walk explores one of the quieter parts of the National Park, starting from Old Glossop and heading up onto Bleaklow Head and round to Cock Hill via Widboar Grain and Torside Castle. This 8 mile walk heads out over wild, rugged terrain, and good navigation and sturdy footwear are definitely necessary.

Bleaklow Head is one of the most recognisable summits in the Peak District, being on the Pennine Way and marked by a stake in a cairn. It’s also one of the most inhospitable – the weather can change quickly up here and it’s not unusual to experience four seasons in one day! In his Pennine Way Companion, Alfred Wainwright describes Bleaklow as

an inhospitable wilderness of peatbogs over which progress on foot is very arduous. The Pennine Way in fact lets walkers off lightly, touching only the fringe of this black desert. Nobody loves Bleaklow. All who get on it are glad to get off.

I know, I’m really selling it to you! Bleaklow is also one of the most wildly beautiful places in the Peak District where you can experience peace and solitude and see an abundance of wildlife including mountain hares and various birds, frogs, lizards and more. It makes for a great days walking and personally, I love Bleaklow!

Our route starts from Old Glossop where we parked on a side street (as the car park was full), and we set off down the pretty Wesley Street and onto Shepley Street with its quaint old cottages. Carrying on Shepley Street past the large industrial units, we picked up the footpath just after Shittern Clough and the clay pigeon shooting club. On the Sunday morning we did this walk, the guns were firing and it meant we had to abandon our plans of exploring Shittern Clough. Instead we followed the footpath up the hill, past the remains of the shooting range.

During the Crimean war it was decided that there was a need for volunteer riflemen, a kind of early Dad’s Army, and various shooting ranges were put up for them to practice (there’s one in Ramsden Clough and one in the Crowden Valley, along with this one). This one still has some of the targets in situ.

After having a look around the shooting targets we carried on up Lightside up the hill, enjoying the views down over Dowstone Clough (which is a great scramble). We had lunch by the Dog Rock and then followed the path up onto Bleaklow itself. The path is faint in places.

At the Hern Stones we turned north to head to the Wain Stones aka the Kissing Stones or the Kiss, and then made the short trip to Bleaklow Head (633m). The summit is marked by a stake in a pile of stones and is a very welcome sight in bad weather!

We then set off along the Pennine Way to the north-west, following Wildboar Grain as it flows west and meets Torside Clough. At the junction we picked up the path to the west heading past the strange Torside Castle, which was once thought to be the site of a castle or fort but now is thought to be a natural mound. Whatever it is, it’s a bit strange!

The route heads west following the course of Wildboar Grain, which can be very wet and peaty, and heads over to the Cock Hill trig point after passing this old shooting cabin. There’s not much left of it now!

From here we walked down the old quarry track to where it joins Charles Lane, and then we walked back to the car. We finished the day with a drink in the Wheatsheaf Inn.

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