Dove Stone Edge

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Route: Dove Stone Reservoir, Bill O'Jack's Plantation, Greenfield Reservoir, Greenfield Brook, Birchen Clough, Raven Stones, Little Flat, Memorial Cross, Ashway Gap, Dean Rocks, Great Dove Stone Rocks, Bramley's Cot, Dove Stone Moss, Dish Stone Brow, Chew Road, Dove Stone Reservoir

Date: 25/11/2018
From: Dove Stone Reservoir

Parking: Dove Stone Reservoir
Start Point: Dove Stone Reservoir
Region: Peak District Dark Peak

Route length: 8.0 miles (12.9 km)
Time taken: 03:10
Average speed: 2.5 mph
Ascent: 375m
Descent: 364m

Other points of interest: Memorial Cross, Bramley's Cot

It was damp and dreary on the west side of the Pennines, having set off from Leeds in bright sunshine, almost damp enough to persuade me to not bother with a walk. Still, as the car park at Dove Stone Reservoir began to fill up, I decided that being out in the mist and fog was still infinitely better than being at work so I got my boots on and set off.

Dove Stone Reservoir occupies one of the most northwesterly areas of the Peak District, located close to the outskirts of Oldham. The reservoir scheme in the valley was completed in the 1960s and consists of Dove Stone, Yeoman Hey and Greenfield Reservoirs. My route would take me past all three before clambering up onto the moorland above via Birchin Clough.

It was raining heavily when we set off

Dove Stone reservoir

Levels were very low in the reservoir after the dry summer

The first few miles follow a gravelled track that encircles all three of the reservoirs. It's an easy stroll that gets quieter as you press further on towards the moorland. Once past Greenfield Reservoir, the track becomes much more rugged until it reaches Birchin Clough which joins from the south-east.

The camera suffers a little as we pass beneath Alderman's Hill

Greenfield Reservoir

Looking back down the valley from Greenfield

The track to Birchin Clough

Birchin Clough is the most obvious route up onto the moorland above the reservoirs and, for the most part, the way up is straightforward enough. There are two minor challenges, however, the first being short rock step that can be easily climbed. The second is crossing the stream once past the rock step, which can be difficult if the stream is in spate.

Entering Birchin Clough

Birchin Clough

Birchin Clough

One of the short scrambles towards the top of the valley

Waterfalls on Birchin Clough

Once I had negotiated these, I took a direct route up the hillside to reach Raven Stones Brow and the beginning of the edge that would lead back to Dovestone. I'd love to say that the views and scenery were magnificent (which I'm sure they are) but I was well in the midst of the clouds now and couldn't see further than a few metres, which is a shame.

Raven Stones Brow

The path passes the impressive Trinnacle - a triple column of gritstone before it cuts off a corner at the boggy Little Flat and begins heading south. I noticed at this point that the path I was following was beginning the head towards the valley so, after a quick map check, I followed a faint path back up the hill to find the memorial cross that stands proudly on the edge of the moor.

The Trinnacle from the side

The Trinnacle

The cross (called the Ashway Cross or Platt Memorial), located above Ashway Gap, is a memorial to James Platt, MP for Oldham, who, according to the inscription, "was killed here by an accidental discharge of his own gun" in 1857. It is clear that the memorial fell into ruin at some point and is currently held aloft by some suspect looking ironwork.

The Ashway Cross

The inscription on the cross

The path takes a long route around Ashway Gap to reach the interesting looking Dean Rocks and Great Dove Stone Rocks, which lend their name to the reservoir. This is the highest point on the edge marked by a cairn on top of Fox Stone. A memorial plaque to two climbers is also mounted on the stone.

Dean Rocks

Dean Rocks

Dean Rocks

The clouds briefly lift to reveal Dove Stone Reservoir

Ashway Gap

Not far from the Fox Stone is another outcrop of rock, this one hiding the remains of a small cottage, Bramley's Cot, that was partly built into the rock wall of the outcrop. It is likely that it was a shooting hut belonging to the Ashley Gap House country estate though some sources suggest it was a shepherd's hut.

Cairn on Fox Stone

Bramley's Cot

Grooves that used to hold the roof

Ahead is a fairly featureless mile or so - at least when the weather is down where I passed a few groups of mountain bikers making their way in the opposite direction. The path leads to Chew Reservoir, once the highest in the country though I cut a small corner and headed down onto the Chew Road, the location of a recently solved mystery.

In December 2015, a man who travelled from London to Manchester died on the Chew Road. The location led investigators to name him Neil Dovestone as his identity was unknown for a long time. The man died from a lethal dose of strychnine and is believed by police to have committed suicide. In January 2017, he was identified as David Lytton.

Chew Road

Other than the mist, the track posed me no such problems and it wasn't long before I was drying off back in the car. It was nice to be out but a massive disappointment to be in the clouds all day, though it didn't come as a surprise. Typically, the weather did begin to clear a bit by the time I was crossing back into Yorkshire. Still, the small fraction I did see is reason enough to return to these parts.