Distance: 8 miles
Ascent: 1355 ft
Walking: Tim, Mark & Andrew
Weather: Low cloud, sunny spells, cool
OS Map: OL1 - The Peak District. Dark Peak Area
Parking: A57 lay-by at the summit of Snake Pass
Pork pies with chorizo: Robertshaw's Farm Shop, Queensbury
Bedfordshire clangers: Home-made by Andrew
Photography: Andrew using Nikon D610 / Nikon 24-70 mm f2.8
We decided to venture outside our usual Yorkshire area this week to try a fairly challenging walk in the Peak District for a change.
We'd read about the USAF B29 Superfortress 'Overexposed' (the same type as those which dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of the 2nd World War) which crashed on the moors above Glossop in 1948 with the loss of all 11 crew and 2 passengers on board and thought we'd have a go at locating the substantial wreckage that still remains to this day.
We parked at the lay-by right at the highest point of Snake Pass, where The Pennine Way crosses the road. Unfortunately, because of the low cloud, visibility was very limited when we set off so we didn't really know what we were letting ourselves in for. After a very short distance on the well-maintained The Pennine Way, we turned off onto a narrow footpath, which follows the route an old Roman road, then turned again onto a path along the top of Crooked Clough. It was obvious that on a clear day, the views would have been great, as the cloud occasionally revealed a glimpse across to the other side of the clough.
Dropping down the bank to cross the stream was quite tricky with the overnight rain making it fairly slippery underfoot, although it wasn't as bad as it looked. Climbing up the other side, we crossed a very boggy area before meeting a more established path up Gathering Hill, still with no idea what views we were missing out on. The map showed a steep slope to our left and we could see enough of it to know we were pretty high up at this point.
At the top stands a collection of weather-worn boulders known as Higher Shelf Stones. Over the years, a large amount of graffiti has been carved deep into the rock. It's interesting to note how the earlier examples, some dating back to the mid 1800s, are executed in a very precise seriffed typeface, whereas the more recent ones look like they were done in the dark with an angle grinder.
After a quick stop at the trig point, we started down the gentle north-eastern slope and, before long, started to see small pieces of oxidised aluminium wreckage on the ground. Entering a large shallow hollow, the main group of aircraft pieces appeared in front of us. It's shocking to see how close to safety they were when the plane hit the hill. The weather conditions when we were there made it plain to see how small the margin for error could be and how quickly the range of visibility can change. There is a small brass memorial plaque on the site which outlines the basic details of what happened but the full story is HERE.
It's incredible just how much of the plane still remains after over 70 years. All four engines are there and a couple of radiators, along with the front wheels and one of the under-wing sets of wheels with part of a tyre still attached. No doubt a substantial amount of it has been looted over the years but there is enough left to make you stop and think. All around the site are makeshift memorials, crosses, Stars of David and poppies, which is nice to see.
Elevenses consisted of my signature dish, the Bedfordshire clanger, which went down well and set us up for the more difficult part of the walk to come. Firstly, another boggy section with a barely discernible path which eventually met up with a proper one which took us down a very muddy and slippery hill alongside another stream, Dowstone Clough. At one point, Mark's left leg suddenly disappeared down a deep hole, much to mine and Tim's amusement....I mean concern.
By this time the cloud had lifted and the views over towards the outskirts of Manchester opened up with the sun highlighting the high rise buildings in the distance. We slithered and slid for quite a way before turning back uphill to search for another path that would take us over Shelf Moss and Joseph Patch to another section of The Pennine Way. Here, we were due to do a loop around the ancient mound where Torside Castle once stood but my fear of heights combined with the fact that the path was closed due to erosion meant that we had to miss that bit of the planned walk and climb down the steep side of the clough to the stream, where we stopped for lunch. Chorizo topped pork pies from Robertshaw's Farm Shop this week - excellent as always.
From there it was a long, steady climb above Wildboar Grain, past Far Moss up to Bleaklow Head, the location of a not particularly impressive cairn. A short diversion then took us to Wain Stones, otherwise known as the 'kissing stones', where the views are amazing and virtually panoramic, then on across more boggy ground to another rocky outcrop, Hern Stones, before rejoining The Pennine Way for the last stretch back to the cars.
This was quite a challenging walk, given the low cloud and wet conditions underfoot but well worth the effort with loads to see along the way. Another one to do again when we can fully appreciate the views.
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