Birchen Edge is quite close to the road and popular because it has mainly easy routes – though they may not feel quite so easy on closer acquaintance. Gardom’s Edge, lower than Birchen and further to the west, is altogether different. It is hidden in the trees, has a boulder field below it, and finding your way around is difficult. It also has a reputation for being hard – it is usually deserted.
My usual round starts from the Robin Hood car park, over Birchen Edge, across the moor to Gardom’s Edge, and back down the public footpath from Baslow Edge across the Bar Brook (the bar is Owler Bar on the Sheffield to Bakewell turnpike). Start with a short walk along the road, then either through the birch wood below Birchen Edge, or, after a couple of hundred meters, up onto the Edge with long views to the west up the Derwent Valley with the long line of edges running towards the north and Bleaklow.
The view westwards, shortly after reaching the top of Birchen Edge. The line of trees in the middle distance, beyond Moorside Farm, mark the top of Gardom’s Edge.
The pillar on Birchen Edge is a monument to Nelson, erected in 1810 (Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805). The column is 3 metres high.
The three tors behind the edge are engraved with the names of Nelson’s ships: Victory, Defiance and Royal Soverin (sic). There are also carved initials with the date 1766 – 39 years before Trafalgar.
Nelson’s column from the north. The Three Ships are out of sight to the left.
Birchen Edge to the north of the column. From here, it is a very short walk to the trig point and a path down onto the moor and across to Gardom’s Edge.
It is about 700-800 metres across the moor through scattered birch trees to the boundary wall above Gardom’s Edge. There are fine views back to Birchen Edge – in the image below, Nelson’s column is just left of centre. The OS map shows a path to the middle section of Gardom’s, but the more obvious route on the ground follows the wall to the south end.
The Cup and Ring Boulder is in the birch wood above the edge at the south. This is actually a glass-fibre replica – the original has been buried to protect it. Neolithic or Early Bronze Age.
The alternative route to Gardom’s Edge is from the cross roads by the confluence of Bar Brook and Blake Brook to the north of the edge. The two roads are the Sheffield – Bakewell turnpike and the Curbar – Chesterfield turnpike. The images follow the edge from north to south.
Overhang Buttress.
Following the bottom of the crag is not easy – this is the Black Wall area.
The Nowanda buttress.
Hearse Arête.
Three views of the top of the edge between Hearse Arête and Undertaker’s Buttress.
Undertaker’s Buttress.
Gardom’s Unconquerable – there are lot of routes called ‘Unconquerable’ – all of which have been climbed.
Three views of Apple Buttress, which is relatively open, unlike most of Gardom’s.
Moorside Rocks to the south of Gardom’s Edge.
Gardom’s Edge overlooks the Sheffield – Bakewell turnpike as it runs down the valley of the Bar Brook. This is the view back to Gardom’s from Bar Road – the original turnpike, now a bridleway – just below the south end of Baslow Edge. The trees along the left skyline are on the top of the edge. On the far left a buttress (Apple Buttress I think) is lit up by the sun.
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