Robin Hoods Cave, Little John and Stanage Edge - Day Walk

From Moscar to Baslow a line of dark cliffs cap the heather moors east of the Derwent Valley. Today Stanage and its neighbouring ‘edges’ are one of the most popular climbing venues in Britain. But Stanage is a great place for walkers too, for we can stride out on firm skyline paths with Yorkshire on one side and Derbyshire on the other.

High car parks mean that you can walk Stanage without much ascent, but it’s more rewarding to work for your fun, so we’ll start the route at Hathersage.  Hathersage is a neat village by the banks of the River Derwent. The route starts gently on Baulk Lane and passes the cricket ground on its way through the little valley of Hood Brook. Gradients steepen and the route comes across the 16th-century castellated manor of North Lees Hall, the inspiration for Thornfield Hall, Mr Rochester’s home in Jane Eyre.

Above the hall the route climbs onto the moors and a paved causey track known as Jacob’s Ladder takes it to the top of the cliffs. The cliff-edge path to High Neb and Crow Chin is a delight, and the views from it are extensive, taking in a good deal of the Derwent and Hope valleys, Mam Tor and Kinder Scout. It may seem strange to descend to the foot of the cliffs, but the lost height doesn’t amount to much and you can now view them from the perspective of the climber.

After rejoining the edge, the path passes above Robin Hood’s Cave, where the legendary outlaw perhaps hid from the Sheriff of Nottingham, to reach the high road and climbers’ car park. Now there’s just Higger Tor to do. The rocky knoll surrounded by an ocean of heather makes a fine finale, one last lofty perch before the descent back to Hathersage. In the churchyard a particularly long grave is claimed to be that of Robin Hood’s henchman, Little John.

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