Bleaklow Head

Bleaklow Head

Bleaklow Head is 633 m high, on the extensive peat moorland of the Dark Peak north of the Snake Pass. It is a remote hill requiring competent navigation rather than an easy, signposted summit stroll.

Summit Features

The surveyed top is a tiny cairn on a peat hag at SK094960, with the precise DoBIH reference SK 09462 96068. It is about 50 m east of the conspicuous large cairn. DoBIH's 0.75 m comparison is between cairn tops, not the ground beneath them. The trig pillar on Higher Shelf Stones belongs to a different summit.

Geology

Blanket peat overlies the gritstone plateau. Deep erosion gullies break up the moor, while Millstone Grit forms scattered outcrops including the Wain Stones. Moors for the Future has restored damaged bog through revegetation and gully work across the wider Bleaklow landscape.

Routes

Both listed walks start and finish at Shepley Street in Old Glossop. The National Trails figures describe its circuit through the large-cairn area; visiting the surveyed tiny cairn is a separate addition.

• National Trails' Doctor's Gate and Torside Clough circuit is 22.25 km with 700 m ascent, returning through Longdendale and Padfield. It does not require a wreck-site visit.
• Mud and Routes' Higher Shelf Stones circuit includes the B29 memorial and returns over Glossop Low and the Cock Hill quarry tracks. Visiting the Cock Hill trig pillar is an optional detour.

See the individual route descriptions for the full return sequence. Do not transfer these totals to a short Pennine Way outing or to a route starting at Torside Reservoir.

Terrain

Expect uneven peat, deep groughs, wet ground, gritstone and stream crossings. Doctor's Gate is a valley path, while higher sections cross open moorland. The Torside Clough circuit includes a narrow path above a steep drop.

Views

The summit lies within a broad moorland landscape. The Wain Stones add distinctive rock shapes nearby; Higher Shelf Stones has its own separate rocky viewpoint.

Hazards

Mist can make the peat gullies difficult to navigate. Carry a map and compass and allow for slow progress over wet ground. The plateau is exposed and remote, with no facilities. The National Park advises against night visits to the wreck. Leave the memorial and aircraft remains undisturbed.

Nearby Summits

Higher Shelf Stones (DoBIH 2809) is 621.8 m, with its surveyed boulder beside the trig pillar. Kinder Scout (DoBIH 2807), farther south, is 636.3 m. Bleaklow Stones and the Wain Stones are distinct named features, not alternative identifiers for this summit.

Access

Use the Old Glossop starts for the two described circuits. Northern approaches have separate parking at Torside and Crowden. Walking Britain's different Torside/Wildboar Clough route carries an undated warning about wire fencing and shooting near its approach; that route is not one of the two circuits here, and its present access arrangement has not been established.

The National Park's 18 August 2026 notice said recent moorland restrictions had been lifted. Its closure list was checked on 17 October 2026 without a Bleaklow-specific closure, but local access notices still apply. Keep dogs on a short lead, protect the recovering bog and avoid fires or barbecues. Check Derbyshire's A57 updates in winter or after severe weather.

Northern trains connect Manchester Piccadilly and Glossop; High Peak's 390 serves Old Glossop via the town centre. Check current timetables rather than relying on a bus to the A57 or Torside.

Facilities

There are no plateau facilities. Manor Park in Glossop has a café. Its public toilets are listed as open 08:00–18:00. Torside has toilets listed open year-round, 24 hours, at its separate northern car park. Carry supplies for the moorland sections.

History

Doctor's Gate was a packhorse route; its often-repeated Roman origin is disputed. The B29 near Higher Shelf Stones crashed on 3 November 1948, with 13 fatalities. Its memorial is separate from the Bleaklow Head summit.