Margery Hill, Outer Edge & Howden Edge

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Route: Langsett, Upper Midhope, Thickwoods Lane, Mauk Royd, North America, Hingcliff Common, Mickleden Edge, Cut Gate, Margery Hill, Cut Gate End, Outer Edge, Cat Cloughs Head, Harden Moss, Howden Edge, Horse Stone Naze, Laund Clough, Hordron Bank, Upper Hordron, Little Moor, Swinden Plantation, Swinden, Crooklands Wood, Langsett Bank

Date: 03/08/2019
From: Langsett

Parking: Langsett Reservoir
Start Point: Langsett House
Region: Peak District - Dark Peak

Route length: 13.5 miles (21.7 km)
Time taken: 07:49
Average speed: 2.1 mph
Ascent: 733m
Descent: 734m

Summits: Margery Hill (546m), Outer Edge (541m), Horse Stone Naze (527m)

Other points of interest: North America, Mickleden, Cut Gate, Hoar Stones

There's a vast area of the Peak District, cutting a swath across the northeastern quarter of the national park, that I've yet to really explore. I tried once but was thwarted by a closed road. The area in question is Howden Moor and its array of minor moorland tops and edges - the Dark Peak at its finest.

We met early in the car park at Langsett Reservoir which is free for the entire day. The sun was shining brightly and was forecast to hang around for the entire day. It has been a dry few weeks so we weren't expecting any moorland related mishaps. We crossed the reservoir dam and made our way to the south side, following a path that cuts across the hillside.

Langsett Reservoir's dam and weir

The calm water of Langsett Reservoir

A lineup of Canada Geese

Thickwoods Lane

The path passes through Thickwoods to the open moor at North America where the remains of a farm can be found. The farm was abandoned in the early 1900s in a bid to improve the water quality in the reservoir. The ruins of North America remain even though they were used for target practice during the Second World War.

Langsett Reservoir

North America

The ruins of North America farm

The path continues along Highcliff Common

An eroded path cuts across Highcliff Common to meet another path where we took a left to begin the long, steady climb towards Margery Hill. The climb starts along the edge of the Mickleden valley along the Cut Gate path.

The path climbing from North America

The Cut Gate path at Highcliff Common

The path heads towards Mickleden

Mickleden

The Cut Gate route is one of the oldest rights of way in the Peak and a traverse of this route is one of the highest of the major paths across into the Derwent Valley. It is now most commonly used by mountain bikers looking for an extended day out in the Dark Peak. Two fords on Featherbed Moss cause problems for the bikers when they become flooded, colloquially known as the ‘Bog of Doom’! Money has been spent recently improving these sections for walkers and bikers alike.

Mickleden Edge

Mickleden from the Cut Gate path

Approaching the top of the climb

The path emerges close to Margery Hill on Howden Edge. A cairn is located at the path summit and was surrounded by some boisterous bikers when we arrived. We quickly took a sharp left along a narrow, more eroded path that leads to the trig pillar on Margery Hill.

The broad swell of Margery Hill

The top of Cut Gate

Rocking Stones and Howden Edge

Spicer Hill windfarm and Emley Moor

High Stones on Howden Edge

Trig pillar on Margery Hill

Margery Hill

Margery Hill stands on the watershed of the Howden Moors, is the highest point within the boundaries of Sheffield and has an impressive view, particularly north towards Emley Moor and its concrete TV transmitter tower. Peat near the summit cairn has been dated to a uniform age of about 3,500 years old, indicating that it was constructed rather than natural and is believed to have been part of a Bronze Age burial mound.

We retraced our steps back to the top of Cut Gate where the bikers had been and crossed the path at the cairn, heading north-west along the watershed of the moors. The path quickly became very vague but we managed to follow it around the worst of any bogs or pools, leading to Outer Edge.

Cut Gate

Cut Gate End

Bleaklow

Some classic Peak District bogginess

Remains of Airspeed Oxford LX518 ner to Outer Edge

Trig pillar on Outer Edge

The rocks which form Outer Edge

Pressing on, a further vague path took us on a wide arc along the watershed between Stainery Clough and Cat Cloughs, this area forming the boundary between Sheffield and Barnsley. The path leads across Harden Moss and climbs up to a high point at Hoar Stones.

A glimpse of Ladybower Reservoir

Emley Moor

Crow Stones and Bleaklow

A Barnsley boundary marker

Bogs at Harden Clough

Cat Cloughs Head restoration

More moorland restoration

A contrail forms a shadow

From Hoar Stones, we made a short out-and-back trip to Horse Stone Naze, the final top of the day. While the route on the map seems simple enough, we encountered numerous groughs which always prove tricky to circumnavigate. Horse Stone Naze is topped by a superbly sculptured piece of rock, surrounded by its very own moat. It provides an entertaining little challenge to clamber on top of it, as I duly did. It has a great view across the moors of the Dark Peak and back along the route had had just taken.

Horse Stone Naze

Outer Edge and Margery Hill

Crow Stones Edge

Horse Stone Naze

After a short break, we retraced our steps back to Hoar Stones, the time plotting a route directly north along one of many small cloughs to the larger Laund Clough. A quad bike track leads along the valley floor to the east. A short time later we were climbing again, a short, steep incline leads to Upper Hordron and the route on the map becomes a little vague. Fortunately, some clear signs show both the way to go and the entrance to the private land we were trying to avoid. Seems we're not the first to venture along these parts. The path skirts the edge of a field before it drops down to meet the Little Don River upstream of the reservoir.

One of several unnamed cloughs

Laund Clough

Crossing Loftshaw Brook

Sheepfold at Upper Hordron

Upper Hordron

An old gatepost on Little Moor

Mickleden and the Cut Gate path

Little Don River

Little Don River

Another quick climb is required to get around the Little Don River as it turns a corner below Lingcliff Scar. We climbed up into the shady Crookland Wood, quickly finding the footpath which leads along the shoreline of the reservoir back towards the car park.

Langsett Reservoir