Longshaw - Burbage Edge - Higger Tor - Carl Wark

Michael Astle

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Walkers should note that at two points on the route, Waymark 07 and 09, they may need to use hands for support (Scramble?). These short sections can be easily be avoided if required but have been walked by 70 and 4-year-olds!

This walk takes you from the woodlands of the Longshaw Estate up to the gritstone edges, where climbers test their skills on some of the toughest climbs in the country. The views are spectacular, stretching from moorland in the north down into a valley of woodland and streams stretching up to the heights of Higgar Tor and Carl Wark.

The latter's name indicates its mysterious origins, 'Carl' being a synonym for the Old Man or the Devil. It is an Iron Age hill-fort consisting of a huge platform built of gritstone blocks up to 5ft across, with ramparts l0ft high and an elevation of l,250ft. Its original entrance lies at the SW corner, where you can see an information plaque and a stone trough.

However, some archaeologists now tend towards the view that the massive fortifications still to be seen at the western entrance were probably constructed in the Romano-British period about 500AD.

Once at the top of Higgar Tor, the views over to Mam Tor, Lose and Win Hill are wonderful and make the scramble among the rocks at the top of the tor, well-worthwhile. Once back in the Longshaw Estate you can enjoy a snack in the cafe shop and there is also a visitor and information centre. These are open from Easter to October, Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm; and from November to Easter they are open at weekends only from 11 am to 5pm.

England - Central England - Derbyshire - Peak District