The Peaks by Train Part 3: The Black Hill Traverse

Join Ant and the Outdoor Lads for a hike from Greenfield to Marsden, hitting the highest points of both Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire as well as summitting four of the Ethels.

This is the third part of a series of three walks to the highest points of The Peak District. All walks start from train stations. 

See Part 1 here and Part 2 here

This walk will start at Greenfield Train Station, from where we'll head straight up to Alphin Pike, the steepest climb of the hike. Next we'll walk along the top of the Chew Valley to Chew Reservoir before we head off path to reach the tops of both Featherbed Moss and Black Chew Head. From here, we'll join The Pennine Way, which we'll follow to the top of Black Hill and down into Marsden.

Points of interest on the route:

Alphin Pike: At 469m this is the first Ethel we'll summit and has the steepest ascent. Once at the top we'll be rewarded with panoramic views of Greater Manchester, Dove Stone Reservoir and West Pennine Moors.

Chew Valley: The section walk along the top of the Chew Valley will give us spectacular views down to the river below, before we reach the impressive Chew Reservoir, one of the highest in Britain.

Featherbed Moss: At 541m, this will be our second Ethel and give us great views over some of The Peak District's more Southerly hills, such as Kinder Scout and Bleaklow. The route up is off path so we'll have some fun bog hopping and heather bashing here. 

Black Chew Head: At 542m, this will be our third Ethel of the walk and also the highest point in Greater Manchester. Due to it's remoteness and distance from any main trails, there is often a lot of wildlife here, such as grouse, mountain hares and deer.

Black Hill: At 582m, Black Hill is our highest point, final Ethel and the highest point in West Yorkshire. It's name comes from the bare peaty soil that used to cover the summit; however regeneration projects have allowed vegetation to regrow at it's top, making it a better habitat.

Wessenden Valley: The Wessenden Valley is a collection of spectacular reservoirs we'll pass on our descent from Black Hill to Marsden. The valley is lined by heather clad moors, waterfalls and sections of pine forest.

Dogs are welcome, though will need to be on leads if we go through any fields with livestock. There are also stiles they may need lifting over.

Once finished, we can go to the nearby pub.

Message the event leader if you've any questions.

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All photos taken by the leader and can be used for other ODL events.