On the Edge at Stanage

From Moscar to Baslow a line of dark dramatic cliffs cap the heather moors east of the Derwent Valley. Defoe, ever the scourge of mountain scenery, called it a vast extended moor or waste in which strangers would be obliged to take guides or lose their way. Later Emily Brontë came here to visit her friend Ellen Nussey, the wife of the local vicar. Emily would have found the place much more acceptable, and not unlike her home at Haworth.

In the 1890s, the climber, JW Putrell turned to the highest of these cliffs, Stanage Edge, and pioneered several gully routes. Others would follow and 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 they 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. The Eyre family did exist in real life. They were Roman Catholics who lived in the hall until the 17th-century, when a narrow-minded Protestant community drove them out. The remains of a chapel, built in 1685, only to be destroyed three years later, can still be seen in the grounds.

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.

While you're there

Take a look round the parish Church of St Michael, which you pass on the hillsides above the village. It dates back to the 14th century, though the Perpendicular tower and its spire are a hundred years younger. The stained-glass east window comes from the doomed church of Derwent before it was submerged beneath the rising waters of Ladybower Reservoir. In the churchyard a particularly long grave is claimed to be that of Robin Hood's henchman, Little John.

What to look for

Beneath the cliffs of Stanage Edge you'll see piles of old millstones and grindstones, some intact, and some incomplete. They are the abandoned relics of an industry that supplied the flourishing steelworks of Sheffield and local cornmills. French imports, which were both cheaper and better, and the coming of the roller mills saw the decline of the industry by the 1860s.

Where to eat and drink

The Scotsman's Pack, on School Lane, Hathersage, is an old coaching inn serving Burtonwood beers and excellent bar meals. It has an open fire and a no-smoking area. There's often a snack van on the car park at Upper Burbage Bridge.