THE PENNINE WAY Start - Edale, England 2   7   1     M   I   L   E   S Finish - Kirk Yetholm, Scotland

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DAY 2 OF THE PENNINE WAY

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

STARTING POINT

Crowden Youth Hostel - Crowden in Longdendale (Grid reference SK068991 on Ordinance Survey Map 110 (1:50,000))

FINISHING POINT

Standedge Car Park on the A62 (Grid Reference SE021096 on Ordinance Survey Map 110 (1:50,000))

LENGTH OF DAY

9 Miles (14 Km) {The Alternative Route is 1.5 Miles (2.5Km) Longer}

ASCENT

1250 Feet (380 Meters) {The Alternative Route has 650 Feet (200 Meters) more climbing} 

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

DAY 2 SUMMARY

A long climb up out of Standedge, but a climb which is a lot easier than that of Kinder Scout. This climb follows the route of the Crowden Great Brook, up to the infamous summit of Black Hill (Sorry - no prizes for guessing why it is called Black Hill), which is potentially worse than the summit of Kinder. In bad weather a lot of people have had to be rescued after sinking into the peat there. Great care is required at all times on Black Hills summit. If in doubt always circumnavigate around the summit.

Following this is two stretches of featureless moorland, as you cross first White Moss and then Black Moss Moors, neither of which are challenging as they tend to have a very gentle downhill gradient.

Alternatively a secondary route takes you around the Wessenden Valley where you pass several major reservoirs. This involves an extra distance and easy climbing, but is a lot more scenic.

However, in the next few days you do tend to get a bit bored of reservoirs as this are the main features for the next few days, and so enjoying a few more miles of rough open country gets my vote, rather than trekking along reservoir paths for the rest of the day.

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

HOW I FOUND DAY 2

While writing this in the common room of Globe Farm and I am feeling a lot more awake than last night. Today (27th July 1995) was a very easy day over all of just 10 miles. Today was not as hot as last day with temperatures of just 24 degrees (cold compared to how this summer has been so far). 

Climbing up Black Hill was the hardest part of the days walk. The summit as the hills name suggest is black, much blacker than Kinder Scout, and clearly if it was wet it would be very dangerous up on the summit. However it was quite easy as it was very dry because of the dry weather we have been having. According to the owners of the bunkhouse it is the driest it has been for over 20 years. The Trig point at the summit is a massive thing that towers two foot above your head, as the highest point of the hill is mostly too wet to handle the weight of the trig point. The Pennine way here again split in two just like at the start of day 1. We as we planned to stay official we took the official route, which took us over long stretches of moor land that all in all was easy and fun. 

Nearer the end of the day after the two route meet up you walk around two reservoirs. We stopped at the first reservoir, to cool down by having a paddle around (great to get the boots off) and to burn up some time as we were about an hour ahead of our planned time. It also was an ideal place to have lunch. Soon after that we strolled into Globe Farm Bed and Breakfast just a mile down the path.

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

A MORE DETAILED LOOK AT DAY 2

After what was hopefully a goods night sleep you back track up the farm road you had come down yesterday to get to the Youth hostel. When you get back to the Pennine way you follow a well marked out field path that follows Crowden Great Brook. For about 2 miles nothing much happens apart from a very slight but constant up hill trek.

This makes the terrain look harder than it really is from a distance, but all in all it is very nice relative easy walking country. From the top of Laddow Rocks you can have your first main look at Black Hill. However, Black Hill is not your next challenge as you have Dun Hill to climb first. Fortunately you don't need to threat to much as Dun hill is in the grand scheme of things nothing. Apart from a quick 5 minute climb you wouldn't know that it is there, as is only a minor summit attached to Black Hill. From the top of Dun Hill you have around half a mile to go before you start the climb up Black Hill. At this point you should be starting to get some idea of how isolated, bleak, and black, Black Hill actually is.

When you start to go up Black Hill you never really know what to expect, one day it can be completely dry, and the next as soggy as a wet sponge after a light drizzle. Even in the amazing heat that Black Hill cooked in during the summer of 1995 it could only take a morning dew to have it running with water.

Whatever it's state, wet or dry, there is one thing about Black hill that is a guaranteed constant, and that is the summit. At the summit there is a good 250 meters radius of thick but soft, bare and exposed peat which is always wet, at least under the surface. The trig point the only real thing to see at the top but towering high above your head (even if you are the world tallest man) it is dirty and cracking. It's huge size is due to the fact that when the Ordinance Survey tried to put a trig point on Black Hill, it was so wet that the official summit was inaccessible let alone able to be built on. Therefore as the top of the trig point must be level to or above the highest natural feature of the hill, they decided to build a huge one on relatively stable ground. It has long been claimed that it still wasn't tall enough as several people suggest that some points are still taller. Personally from my viewpoint when I was up there I was unable to find anywhere close to being higher than the trig point. The debate as far as I am aware still rumbles on.

Apart this trig point there is nothing much more to see other than brown and black peat. About the only thing good about this place is that it is an ideal place to take a bearing from, and one that is so easily identified that back bearings are easy also should one be required.

From the summit the Pennine Way continues straight towards the A635. The way here is well marked out over the rough ground of Black Hill so that if you are careful even in bad weather you should not get lost. However the route is very soggy as you have to cross over rivers and peat groughs similar to the crossing of Kinder, although lot easier.

Apart from the crossing of the A635 there is not a lot more to talk about so we won't, apart from just saying the terrain is just like the summit underfoot, but preventing it from being too boggy there is a lot of wild grass and bracken on top, and you quickly learn that going from grass to grass is the best way of walking. After a potentially hard trudge over White Moss (which is actually a small hill) you emerge at Black Moss and meet up with the corner of Black Moss Reservoir from where the day is virtually finished 

True the day's mileage has been few in comparison to most of the day's on the walking on the Pennine Way, but I have no reason to believe that many people will try to go any further as the next accommodation is about 9-10 miles on from here, unless they are on a tight schedule.

From the end of the reservoir you have a short walk up a farm road to a car park which is on the A62. From the car park you turn left down the road, and after about 0.5 miles of walking. A sign should now be in full view which say's Globe Farm Bed & Breakfast. This B+B and Bunkhouse is a large farm house and is the only accommodation for 2 miles. I have since returned to this Bunkhouse as it stuck in my memory as being particularly good, and friendly. If you are in good time and have some extra money turn right at the A62 and walk 2 miles to a pub, to burn up any extra time. Well an extra 4 miles makes up the average days walking distance after all.

THE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE

Again just like the alternative route on day 1 I have not walked this section at all. Therefore this section is completely from information gleamed from guide books and other walkers I have met

Similar to the first day this route is designed as a bad weather route, but only starts after you have completed the hardest part of the day, as the path splits at the summit of Black Hill. When the paths split up you still head for the A635 just like the main Pennine way section for this area, but instead of heading NW, you head NNE of the summit.

This is a quicker descent off the worst part of Black Hill, and it gets you walking around the Wessenden Valley reservoirs in no time at all, hence meaning that even in the worst weather the walking shouldn't be too uncomfortable as at least the ground under your feet should be fairly comfortable.

The path from Black Hill starts by sloping down hill gently, on a fairly good terrain. This luxury though does not last for long as the path starts to regain the height it has lost and more. In fact you have 200 meters more climbing to do than on the official route, but over an extra 1.5 miles it is barely noticeable. 

You cross the A635 at the junction of Meltham Road, and soon after as you head toward the edge of the Black Moss reservoir the path starts to flatten out again, thus making it a pleasure to walk on as the path is flat and smooth. 

The path meets up with the official route about 1 mile from the A62, right on the corner of Black Moor reservoir.

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

REFRESHMENTS

Breakfast available at Crowden Youth Hostel, as are packed lunches. Pub's at the end of the day at Standedge, but nothing else along the route. Unless you plan to finish the day before the pubs shut in Standedge, it is recommended to take a packed lunch with you. Guests at Globe Farm bunkhouse can have Dinner and Breakfast.

ACCOMMODATION

Youth Hostel at Crowden. Bunkhouse (Globe Farm) at Standedge (well recommended). Other accommodation off route in nearby towns.

Day 2 - Summary - Personal Report - Analysis - Facilities

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