Walk Description

Today Steve and I were joined by Simon. It was supposed to be a simple walk to Stanage Edge and back via Higger Tor and Carl Wark. Poor visibility and a bad snow storm helped us to change our minds and have a there and back walk instead.
Before I set off to meet up with Simon I checked the road reports on the internet and found out that the Snake Pass was closed.  After a chat with Simon we agreed that he would drive towards Castleton and go down Winnats Pass - if it was open.  Winnat's Pass was open and there wasn't much snow or ice to be seen there. We then drove to Surprise View car park on the road above Hathersage.  Today, however, the surprise wasn't the view - there wasn't one, but the Pay and Display machine.  The machine has been vandalised so often, the Park Authority have now installed a coin free machine, it only takes credit/debit cards.  Thankfully we managed to find a suitable flexible friend.  As we left the car park we noticed a few flurries of snow.  We climbed through the wood and took the path towards Mother Cap and Over Owler Tor.  It wasn't long before we saw the first of the many weather rocks that litter this area.  This one however seemed to be watching the path. 
As we wandered along the path, the weather started to deteriorate and the snow flakes became larger and more frequent.  It wasn't long before the visibility dropped to just a few yards.  Even the sheep seemed to be surprised at the weather.  We decided that we would take the lower path that skirts the base of Higger Tor and go straight towards the trig on Stanage Edge.  At the base of the crags are a number of almost artfully arranged millstones.  It seems strange that these fully formed stones were surplus to requirement and have just been left on the moor.  Steve quickly scrambled up the crags and after a liitle more thought Simon followed him.  I wandered off to find an easier route up.  It wasn't long before the three of us were at the trig.  I was ready for a quick lunch, so we sheltered behind some of the rocks for a short break, then we set off northwest along the edge of the plateau.  It was strange walking along in the poor visibility and hearing voices around us.  This is a very popular area and despite the weather there were quite a lot of people up here including some with fairly young children.
Eventually we found the track that led to Stanedge Pole.  It seemed strange to see this large pole in virtually in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a large group of walkers.  We decided to leave this group to their lunch and headed back to the Edge on a small path across the moor.  Although the path was clear to begin with it quickly deteriorated into a very wet and boggy mess.  To make matters worse, the weather closed in again and our backs were quickly coated with a layer of large snowflakes.  When we reached the Edge we decided to walk to Higger Tor but then to just retrace our steps back to the car instead of visiting Carl Wark.  Steve managed to scramble to the top of the large rocks on Higger Tor but found the descent a little trickier and more painful than the ascent.
Once we reached the car we debated as to which was the best way to drive home.  We decided we would try to go via the Snake Pass.  The road alongside Ladybower Reservoir wasn't too bad but as we neared the summit the conditions became treacherous.  As we crawled along the road the windscreen wipers just about managed to clear the snow from the windscreen.  It was also very disconcerting to see the large number of mountain rescue vehicles and the ambulance parked at Doctor's Gate.  Thankfully we managed to get down to Glossop safely.
A big thank you to Simon for driving us through those atrocious conditions and for Steve for his usual good humour and banter during the walk.
 

Route & Planning

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Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.