Stanage Edge

Stanage Edge is a long wall of gritstone above the Hope Valley, and for lots of climbers it’s where they first learned to trust grit. Here’s how to get there without a car, what to do when you arrive, and where to stay afterwards.

About the edge

Stanage runs for nearly four miles along the moor, facing west into the afternoon sun. There are well over a thousand routes, from gentle slabs to the bold climbs Joe Brown and Don Whillans made famous. The Plantation area gets busy on sunny weekends, but on a weekday you might have a stretch of edge to yourself.

You don’t have to climb to enjoy it. A path runs along the top, and the walk from the Plantation out to High Neb and back is a real favourite, with the valley below and views over to Win Hill and Kinder Scout.

Getting there without a car

You can get to Stanage by train, which is a real treat for a crag this good. Hathersage station is on the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester, about 25 minutes from Sheffield. From the village it’s a steady walk up to the edge.

Coming by train also means you won’t be hunting for a parking space on a sunny day. The southern end of the edge is the closest to Hathersage, about an hour’s walk from the village.

What to climb, and what to walk

There’s something here for every grade. The slabs and cracks at the southern end and around Burbage are good if you’re still getting used to grit, and the Plantation and the higher buttresses have the classics. Bring a rack of cams and nuts, a few slings, and a bit of patience, as the friction changes with the temperature and the damp.

Walkers get just as much out of it. Past the edge there are paths out to the trig point on High Neb, down to North Lees Hall, which is said to have inspired Thornfield in Jane Eyre, or along the tops towards Burbage and Longshaw.

When to go

Grit is at its best when it’s cool and dry and the rock is nice and grippy. Spring and autumn are the usual seasons, and a clear winter’s day can be brilliant too. In summer the rock can get greasy in the afternoon heat, so most people climb early or wait for the evening.

When it rains, and it does in the Peak, our heated drying room will sort out wet kit and boots for the next day. A wet day is also a good excuse for a walk through Padley Gorge or a swim in the village’s heated outdoor pool.