Laddow Rocks and Blackhill via The Pennine Way

About Laddow Rocks and Blackhill walk

Laddow Rocks and Blackhill via the Pennine Way is a great walk in the Peak District. If you are looking for a quieter route than those of the popular Kinder Scout or Mam Tor then this one is for you. The route is 9 miles long and will take between four to five hours to complete.

In general this is a fairly straight forward route, however, there is a section that takes you across moorland and this can be tricky to navigate. You can download the route using the link at the bottom of this page but we recommend taking a compass and a paper map with you. The route takes in one trig point (Holme Moss – Black Hill) and has a total ascent of 1,932ft.

There is free parking at Crowden Camp Site, however, this is a relatively small car park and gets full quickly so we suggest getting there early. There are also public toilets at the start of the walk.

Route Description

Stage 1 – A scenic ascent up towards Laddow Rocks

Starting out from the car park follow a short track which brings you to the toilet facilities at the camp site. Take a right here and follow the path to the road and turn left. Follow the road along for a short period and take a right at the sign posted track to The Pennine Way.

You will need to continue along the path as you ascend towards Laddow Rocks crossing a few streams as you go. On our trip it was cool and very overcast but the streams come in useful on warmer days to cool down.

Somewhere close to the highest point the path splits, ignore the path to the left and continue along straight ahead.

Stage 2 – Stream hopping along the Pennine Way

The path along the edge from Laddow Rocks is narrow, uneven and quite exposed so be sure to take your time along this point.

As you continue you will reach Crowden Great Brook and will have to cross several times along the way and could be in danger of wet feet depending on the weather.

As you continue along the path you reach a flagged section (which we are always grateful for) and this eventually takes you to the trig point that is Black Hill (Holme Moss). It is worth noting that even along the flagged section there was a small part that was flooded and we had to navigate around the boggy ground.

Stage 3 – Navigating tough moorland with zero visibility

Unfortunately the flagged path that got you to the trig point ends for you here on this route and now comes the difficult section. Again we cannot stress enough the importance of being well prepared with both digital and paper maps as well as a compass. As with Bleaklow and pretty much all moorland walks the weather can change dramatically (even on a good day) and it is easy to get lost.

With your back to the trig point head out directly in front of you towards a timber post. As you reach the post turn right and follow the trodden path (along this section the path appears and disappears at various sections).

Read More: Bleaklow and B29 Over Exposed Crash Site

This section is very boggy and you will need to navigate your way around. We certainly had a lot of fun hopping from one dry spot to another around the bog beneath our feet. Funnily enough Louise always suggests I go first to see how deep it is.

Eventually the path becomes a little clearer and then you descend towards the old quarry. Following the path round and it will split again. Take the path to the right and climb over the style and descend a fairly steep section – again this is rocky and uneven so take care with your footing.

As the descent levels out, head through the gate or over the style and back along past Crowden Camp Site towards the car park.

Food and Drink

We highly recommend visiting the Bulls Head in Tintwistle after the walk, they serve amazing home cooked food.

We ordered their homemade Shepherd’s Pie – High peak lamb slow cooked in a rich sauce topped with mash sprinkled with cheese served with peas, costing £14.25 (GF mash contains dairy). It is worth noting that being home cooked there is limited availability so an early sitting will always be preferable.