My Walking Log: Peak District - Burbage and Stanage Edge 28/01/2012

Distance - 15.5miles

Ascent - 2110feet

Time - 5hrs 35min

Route - Burbage Bridge - Sheffield Country Walk - High Neb - Rivelin Brook - Head Stone - Wyming Brook - Redmires Reservoirs - White Stones - Ox Stones - Houndkirk Road - Follow road back to car

Map of the route

I have waited all winter for the snow to come to the Peak District and finally it has. A fantastic day it turned out to be as well, with a clear blue sky and the white stuff everywhere. I arrived Burbage Bridge car park in darkness, my head torch would not be need with the snow lighting the way up. I was looking forward to this walk as for the first time this year i have been out in the snow and the dogs love playing in it.

I set off through the Burbage Vally along the Sheffield Country Walk path making the first foot steps, the deeper I got into the Vally the deeper the snow became. With the snow above my ankles in place I knew my walk would be tough going but I was really enjoying it so it was ok.

Making my way to the trig point at the very start of Stanage Edge it was starting to get light, this was good as it would make finding Robin Hood's Cave alot easier. I found it quite easy really by counting my paces from a path coming up, all ways good to practise my navigation skills.

I spent 5min checking the cave out as this walk was a bit of a reckie from some wild camping spots and this is a place I'm hoping to spend a nite out in the summer over a 2 day walk and would be a perfect place. As I climbed back up onto the edge the sun was starting to rise.

From here I had a long stretch along the edge to the trig point at High Neb, again I had chance to practise my navigation skills setting a bearing across the the moors to a small reservoir at the end of Rivelin Brook.

Cutting across the moors was hard going with the snow at times above my knee's it took about 30mins to reach my target. From here there was a good clear path to follow around to the Head Stone. Making my way through Wyming Brook the snow started to disappear but this was a new area to me so the views were good. Eventually making it to the Redmires Reservoirs I had a little trouble working out how to get to the path running around the edge. I could see it but could not get to it, so I chucked the dogs over the fence hoped over a stream and there I was.

The moors were covered with deep snow as I made my way over to White Stones. With no path to follow I made my own way over the moors to Rud Hill, then onto Ox Stones from here the snow had melted on the path so it was a straight forward walk along Houndkirk Road to road then to the car.