Win Some, Lose Some
Distance: 16 miles
Terrain: good flagged paths, ascents to 517m
Location: Castleton / Ladybower Reservoir, Peak District. Start point SK202859 [location map]
Summary: Ladybower Reservoir start / finish. Derwent Valley Heritage Trail, Shatton, Hope, Castleton, the Limestone Way, Mam Tor, Hollins Cross, Lose Hill, Win Hill.
Time: 8 hours start to finish
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer OL1 (Dark Peak)
The notes below are to accompany you, not to guide you. Use the map at the bottom of the page together with these notes and a paper map, preferably 1:25,00 (Explorer OL1)
Start at Ladybower Reservoir. Severn Trent Water have put a free car park by the dam, with some of the best public toilets I've seen, which is important when you're starting and finishing an 8hr walk.
The dam is really quite impressive.
For the first couple of miles, follow the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail, which is fairly level. It reminds me of some of my local cycle routes and canal walks. Shatton, despite its name, is a very pretty village.
After Brough, there's a Roman fort. I love these, you can really feel the history around you and under your feet. I assume that the stony bit is the remains of the Roman wall, and that the rusty barbed wire is much more recent.
Near Hope, look out for a very interesting church with a broach spire in a beautiful setting.
After Castleton comes the quite spectacular Cave Dale. This is the first real cimb of the day, and takes you up to 400m which is most of the work done for the later peaks.
Pick up the Limestone Way here. To be honest, it isn't as spectacular as it sounds, that is until Mam Tor comes into view.
It can be quite busy on top - there's a car park close by allowing people to just climb the last 60m up some stone steps. It has an unusual stone trig point.
After Mam Tor, the next couple of peaks come into view, with this anti-erosion flagged path which gives the impression of a giant backbone across the landscape. The pimple on the horizon looking so far away is Win Hill, the final peak.
You'll spot Castleton down below. If you enlarge this picture, Peveril castle is in the middle, and just below it to the left is Cave Dale, which we used earlier.
Lose Hill doesn't have a trig point, but does have this little toposcope. It has compass points engraved on it, along with the names of all the peaks that you can see in the various directions. In the distance of this picture is Win Hill. From Mam Tor to Lose Hill, the peaks are in a line with not much of a dip and climb between them, but getting from Lose Hill to Win Hill meant descending to 170m before climbing back up to 460.
Looking back, you have a great view of the earlier peaks - Mam Tor over to the left, Hollins Cross in the middle and Lose Hill on the right.
This is the top of Winhill Pike.
The 360 degree view from up here is spectacular. You can see everything you've done today, plus lots more Peak District to the north. In this snap of the trig point, the starting point, Ladybower Reservoir, is down below.
blog posts about this walk:
If you would like to print this page, you are welcome to do so, but perhaps you would like to make a contribution to help to support this site and the provision of more routes and information. Please use the button below. An alternative way to contribute towards the costs of this website and get yourself an essential piece of kit at at a discount price is to buy your copy of Explorer OL1 from me.
Ordnance Survey Explorer OL1 Dark Peak
1:25,000 scale map The Peak District (north) - Dark Peak Area. Includes Kinder Scout, Bleaklow, Black hill, Win Hill, Lose Hill, Ladybower Reservoir. National Trail Pennine Way. Part of Derwent Valley Heritage Trail (see also Explorer OL24)
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