Gloupp one

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Such a pity: One third of this walk is outstanding, one third is good, but one third is totally unsuitable for a number of reasons. The first third (Glossop to Doctor's Gate Culvert) I plan to walk with my wife again. It's wonderful. Easy to follow as it sweeps up a magnificent valley, up onto the edge of Bleaklow, with tremendous views in all directions. The middle section (Doctor's Gate Culvert to leaving the plantation just west of Oyster Clough) had dangerous sections (e.g. the steep slope after first crossing the A57; the Snake Pass), had closed sections due to logging operations (e.g. just upslope of the, now closed, Snake Inn), and most distressingly, had sections made health hazards with human excrement, piles of abandoned camp gear and rubbish (alongside Lady Clough). The final third (if you get that far), was a pleasant, typical High Peak walk along good tracks & paths, with one further crossing of the A57, where you have to be very careful not to be surprised by a speeding car or bike. Near the start and end are refreshment opportunities (e.g. a café about 1 km from the start, and the cafe at the visitor's centre at the very end), with nothing in between; remember the off-route Snake Inn is now closed. The route is broadly accurate, with minor inaccuracies through the plantations and passing Lockerbrook Outdoor Centre, towards the end. But all that is needed is a sense of direction and these are not really problems.

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Summary: This is a fantastic two thirds of a walk, unfortunately devastated by the middle third.

I walked this on a wet summer’s day as part of a two-day hike to walk to Glossop. Having walked to The Upper Derwent Visitor Centre reviewing Edaupp Two, I made my way back up the wooded hill using the permissive paths as signposted. Getting to the top of the path to a bridleway, I turned left and continued past the Lockerbrook Outdoor Centre until I got to the footpath crossroad where the path continued downhill. At this point I turned right onto the edge of moorland for a few hundred metres before the bridleway took me downhill to Rowlees Farm playing host to one of the many Duke of Edinburgh groups on their fields. I continued and crossed the A57 and walked along the lane, skirting the rise of Blackley Hey on my left.

Before long I saw the lovely view of Alport Bridge appear. A footbridge next to the ford allowed me to cross the River Ashop without getting my feet wet. I crossed the A57 once again and climbed a number of stiles to a path crossing in front of me. The route took me left to Hayridge Farm which is where the gpx route made the first error, it instructed me to go through the farmyard where in fact the path was clearly signposted to go around for no loss. I checked with my paper map and the Right of Way followed the path on the ground. I walked around the farm and came upon an unusual holloway between a high set hedge and the hillside. Five minutes later the path opened up and I was walking along the edge of fields with the hillside to my right, seeing the tips of Snake Woodland in front of me. It was a little boggy here at the bottom of the field and will likely be hard going in autumn and winter.

I walked and crossed stiles from the open access of Cowms Moor, to the farmland of Upper House Farm and then back onto open access of Oyster Clough, crossing the ford there.

From here it was a short walk uphill to the edge of Snake Woodland. It was getting late in the day by now (I had earlier completed the Edaupp review), and so I moved uphill to wild camp at a convenient spot.

I started early the following morning and returned to the point where I left the gpx route to begin my walk into Snake Woodland. It did not start well as there was a sign that stated ‘No access, forestry operations in progress!’ next to the stile. I had noticed fell runners entering the woodland the previous evening however and decided to take my chances as it was Saturday, and hopefully no-one would be working there.

The route began promisingly, if a little damp and boggy. I walked though green tunnels and tall trees while avoiding ponds at the bottom of dips. Just as I was getting to the road I was brought to a sharp and unpleasant halt – the path ahead of me had been obliterated by heavy machinery, fallen trees and all manner of wooden debris littering the area. By carefully scanning the ground I was able to discern previous walkers footprints and gingerly made my way through the carnage to get to the road. This alone was enough to fail the route for access and safety, but sadly there was more to come. I crossed the road to the south side of the Woodland and walked on a wide forestry road to rejoin the path. This led me past tents; so many of them that the area looked like a campsite. There was rubbish, mess and burnt out fires throughout the woodland, and I was pleased that I was so early that the inhabitants were still asleep, I would not have been so keen to walk past them at any other time. Throughout all of this, forestry operations appear to continue during weekdays; sawn and torn-up trees littered the area. At one point I lost the path completely and strayed down to the riverside where all the trees on the far side had been completely sawn down. At this point I stopped for a reviving cup of coffee before turning back to attempt to find the path. Fortunately, I met some walkers looking for the same path. We found it a short while later and continued onward. We climbed over fallen trees and crossed damaged footpaths to get to a footbridge where I said goodbye to the walkers and continued along the riverside. This part was idyllic, showing what the woodland looked like before the campers and Forestry Commission descended upon it.

The path finally opened onto Lady Clough, but my tribulations were not over yet. While older maps may show a Right of Way footpath, there is no path on the official Derbyshire Mapping Portal or on newer OS map. I attempted to walk what was a sheep track, crossing other culvert streams that became increasingly slippery to cross. Culverts are there to carry water from the hills to the river below – Doctor’s Gate Culvert is not a footpath; it is a water carrier and therefore is too dangerous to walk along. I decided to cut my losses and climbed a gap in the wall to get on the A57 where I crossed and made my way to Doctor’s Gate.

This is where things got better, Doctor’s Gate has flagstones and was clearly marked. Occasionally the stones were hidden by small bogs, but there were clear detours to walk around them. I got to the crossroads with the Pennine Way where I met dog walkers enjoying a morning stroll. From here I went straight onto the Doctor’s Gate path, where the dales of Ashton and White Cloughs opened up before me.

The Doctor’s Gate path is rocky and uneven, so I took longer than I expected to walk down it, although the views more than made up for the slow progress. The path then levelled off, with the heather beginning to blossom on the lower elevations. I reached the end of the path where the footpath sign gave directions to Snake Inn, Alport Bridge and Hope, possible in 1950, sadly no longer in 2024.
From here both paths led to Glossop with the gpx route taking the better path on the bridleway. I walked along between the riverbank and the fields, saying hello to the passing dog walkers to get to Glossop.

Overall it was a great route that was irretrievably spoilt by the middle section. As there is no public right of way alternative to join the Derwent Valley Visitor Centre to Glossop, I will have to fall back onto the Slow Ways instruction to create another route: “A Slow Ways route should be considered in relation to its landscape. Challenging routes in remote places where there are no other route options can be included”.

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