Walk Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) and Higher Shelf Stones from Old Glossop
Good navigation skills essential
This 9 mile, Grade 6 (Moderate), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Old Glossop in the Peak District & will take you about 5¼ hrs to complete.
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Detailed walk route map PDF | |
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | d172 | |
| Length: | 9 miles (14.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 1850 ft (564m) | |
| Time: | 5¼ hours | |
| Grade: |  | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Old Glossop - Shittern Clough - Lightside - Yellow Slacks - Dog Rock - Dowstone Clough - Yellowslacks Brook - The Wain Stones (or Kissing Stones) - Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) - Higher Shelf Stones - Crooked Clough - The Pennine Way - Old Woman - Doctor's Gate Path - Shelf Brook - Moss Lea Farm - Old Glossop
Points of Interest/Notes on this walk:
The plane wreckage 150m north-east of Higher Shelf Stones belongs to a Boeing RB-29A Superfortress No. 44-61999 which crashed about 11am on 3rd November 1948 while descending through the clouds. All 13 crew members died. It belonged to the 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 91st Reconnaissance Group, 311th Air Division, Strategic Air Command, USAF.
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
 1 English Mountain |
 0 Wainwrights |
 2 English Nuttalls |
 0 English Deweys |
 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
 0 Marilyns |
 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) at 633m (2077ft). Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (159th highest in England, 271st highest in England & Wales)
Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) is also known as an English Nuttall (212th highest in England, 364th highest in England & Wales). The summit of Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) is marked by a large cairn with a wooden pole stuck in it. The famous Wain Stones lie 250m SW of the summit.
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Higher Shelf Stones at 622m (2041ft). Higher Shelf Stones is also known as an English Nuttall (229th highest in England, 398th highest in England & Wales). The summit of Higher Shelf Stones is marked by an Ordnance Survey Trig Point.
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
National Trails & Long Paths included on this walk:
Part of this walk follows a section of The Pennine Way, a 404km (251 miles) linear footpath connecting Edale in Derbyshire, England with Kirk Yetholm in The Borders, Scotland. The Pennine Way is waymarked by a National Trail Acorn. For more walks that include a section of this trail see The Pennine Way.
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Map (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill) and Higher Shelf Stones from Old Glossop
In no particular order . . .
The Wain Stones (or Kissing Stones) on Bleaklow Head (Bleaklow Hill)
. . . load all 27 pictures & photos from this walk
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