Ollerbrook Farm Circuit via Mam Tor and Rushup Edge (20/05/2017)
Set off from Ollerbrook Farm, going south down a straight farm track, crossing over the railway line to reach a minor road. Turn right (beware, no pavement) and walk around 200m. Just beyond a house on the left-hand side of the road is a track; follow this downhill to cross the river Noe on a footbridge at the valley bottom. Then our path begins a steepish climb up the side of the hill, passing just left of the ruined Peter Barn. The going is stony and deeply rutted, probably a combination of winter streams and Land Rovers.
Passing another semi-derelict farm (Hollins) the path climbs even more steeply to finally reach the ridge summit next to a memorial stone at Hollins Cross. The cross (or stoop) originally here was a signpost (as required by a law of 1695), but it disappeared more than a century ago. This is a crossing point of major paths. The one on which you have come up to the ridge continues ahead, down the other side of the hill to Castleton. The other track runs along the entire ridge, linking Lords Seat via Mam Tor to Lose Hill. We turn right towards the steeply rising ridge which climbs to the summit of Mam Tor also known as Shivering Mountain.
Continue up the stony track, generally paved here because of the many visitors. There are fine views down to the Hope valley to the left, across to Castleton and Bradwell Moor beyond. Notice the ripples of land-slipped surface, especially off to the left of the ridge where successive falls have piled up on-top of each other in the valley forming offspring hills at Mam Tor’s foot. The landslips come about because the geology consists of a sandstone layer on top of an unstable shale layer which is prone to movement after heavy and prolonged rain. A main road between Sheffield and Chapel-en-le-Frith had to be abandoned in 1979 when the cost of stabilising it became too high. The track passes through an impressive bank and ditch, all that is visible of the fortifications of this Iron Age hill fort. Embedded close to the path are various modern emblems of Iron Age goods: a torc, a pottery storage jar and plough. The Mam Tor site was occupied from the late Bronze Age, into the Iron Age, and defended with a single bank and ditch with another smaller outer bank. These are much eroded now. There are the remains of two Bronze Age round barrows inside the site (one now has the trig point mounted on it) and evidence of 70 hut circles were also discovered.
Walk down the paved path to the West, reaching the road, going left to cross it before taking a path on the right through a gateway to climb up the other side of Mam’s Nick, the slot in the ridge through which the road now goes. The path rises steadily, reaching a flattened large mound enclosed by a fence. This is Lord's Seat, a Bronze Age round barrow about which not much is known, since it was excavated before modern analysis techniques were available. It is not obvious from the ridge path but down in Edale Valley this barrow is a prominent feature on the skyline.
The path continues on a level, following a beautifully constructed dry stone wall with another parallel one just beyond it, some sort of sheep-pen structure? The walls are made from the local sandstone (not the gritstone of the Dark Peak) which fractures into flat plates like slate but much thicker, ideal for walls and roofs. Around 500m further, beyond Lord’s Seat a path leaves ahead, downhill, but stay on the path which veers towards the right. After another 200m there is a tall wooden pole beside the path, where another path leaves to the right. Follow it as it is our return path to Edale and Ollerbrook. This is the Chapel Track, the route from Chapel-en-le-Frith to the Edale valley.
Go through a 5-bar gate, to leave National Trust land and, shortly after, take a path to the left descending across two fields towards Manor House Farm, to emerge on the road by the river Noe. Go right along the road to reach a river bridge. Left and straight ahead at the road junction brings you to a railway bridge, cross over and take a right turn to follow a field path towards Edale. After two fields there is a left fork in the path to Edale Village, follow this to emerge in the centre of the village, close to the Old Nags Head pub.
Immediately to the right of the pub door is a path leading down to the narrow packhorse bridge (careful, because the sidewalls are low, as on most packhorse bridges, to avoid collisions with the panniers) then climb the other side to take a track across the field. You reach the Ollerbrook farmyard at the far side of the field where the bunk house, the B&B, the camp site and various self-catering cottages are situated.
Total time 4.0 hours Length of walk 11.8km. Ascent on walk 419m.
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