David Pickering - 477593

Combs Edge/Robin Hood's Picking Rods/Melandra Roman Fort

Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes; Total Distance: 24km; Total Ascent: 1,567m


Circular route from Dinting Rail Station (Glossop). Through Dinting Vale and Simmondley, ascending Horse Clough, parallel to Whitely Nab to the east along the Pennine Bridleway. Ran into something new for me in the middle of open fields at Herod's Edge Farm. A sign saying that a contractual agreement was not concluded for the Pennine Way in the Glossop area and this stretch was not for public access (photo below). I made my way over to farm and joined Monk's Road. The road was fenced and the only place to go through to the road was through the farm. Continues south to Higher Plainstead Farm, rejoining the Pennine Way trail at Plainstead's Farm, and then onto Karr's Nook and Matley Moor, then Mately Moor Farm, where I turned west, taking the marked public access route on the OL1 map to Lower Matley Moor Farm. Two interesting points. There is no public access route in the vicinity of Lower Matley. I got stuck again behind barbed wire fence all the way to the barn yard, which was the only way out of the farm fields. Was fortunate not to be bitten by the farmer's dog that came out to greet me (not on a leash). But I was able to rejoin an actual public access trail once I safely got through the farm. The second interesting point is that the OS map misspelled the name of the farm as "Lower Malleymoor." Just west of the farm the trails were again well marked and I continued northerly to Higher Fold Farm, to Near Slack, then Far Slack, then turned west to a primary target for the walk, "Robin Hood's Picking Rods" (photo below) Not all that exciting, but this is the third walk in a row with primary features named for Robin Hood. Turned back to the north To Combs Rocks and Comb's Edge, then The Banks, to Charlesworth. Turned east back to Simmondley, then North to Dinting Vale, and continuing north along the Pennine Bridleway to the other primary target for the walk, "Melandra" Castle/Roman Fort in Gamesley. Then turned back south to Dinting Vale, and the Dinting Train Station.

Made an interesting comparison of the difference between the Met Office weather forecast and AccuWeather forecasts for the day for Glossop.

Met Office AccuWeather
.................Temp Percip % Temp Percip %
10:00: 4C 5% 5C 51%
12:00: 6C 10% 6C 17%
2:00: 7C 10% 7C 31%
4:00: 8C 10% 7C 37%

Though the temperature forecast was almost the same, the precipitation forecast was significantly different, and the AccuWeather much more accurate. During the times that AccuWeather forecast higher percentages of precipitation it did either sleet or rain.

Route planning was conducted using an OS OL1 map for the overview, and detailed route sections were then plotted and printed on A4 sheets from the OS Maps application on computer.

This was not my favorite route. Having covered much of the Peak District by train (I will finally have a vehicle at the end of this month) I am now working the periphery to look for interesting points of interest. This route had a few glitches in access through numerous farms and fences that made it less desirable.