THE FOOTNOTES
Every print from Marking The Wild comes with its own trail story, this is yours.
Here you’ll find sketches, route details, reflections from the walk, and a few extra notes I couldn’t quite fit on paper.
Think of it as a companion to the artwork; a small way to step into the moment with me, and maybe take the journey for yourself.
Bamford Edge: A Call Across The Moors
There are places that invite you and those that entice you. This area of the Peak Distinct feels like the latter. Intending to walk a simple 5.5k, Pika (the dog) and I ended up closer to 10k and would have stayed longer were it not for the temptation of dinner.
After a steep rise through a forest and a moment to catch your breath, there’s another moment for it to be taken away again. It's easy to feel like you’ve left the world behind you and entered into a folktale. A place where the heather shrubs hide Brownies and Boggarts and the rocks might rise up and walk away if the moor called loudly enough.
Vast moorland, towering outcrops and the kind of silence that feels ancient rather than empty.
Pika and I were so curious about this place that we ended up deviating from the path and finding Stanage Edge along the way; another rocky cliff edge that sits behind and above Bamford and one we intended to return to and sketch.
Pika was kept on a lead due to birdlife in the area, which was a blessing because we were surprised with the amazing sight of a white Barn Owl so close I swear I felt the beat of its wing. It rose quickly in front of us, from the heather shrub we were rambling through, before it flew out and across the moor with a call that rips right through you in an oddly shrill but grounding way.
Folklore lingers here: ravens believed to guard the high places, old cairns marking where travellers once paused, and heather hiding some mystic secret. A walk where enchantment guides your every step.
Waypoints Through The Wild
Start:
Beginning at Heatherdene car park and the track leading away from the Ladybower reservoir. Climb the steady but persistent path which leads you through Priddock Wood, out onto rougher ground and the open flank of the hill.
As the path diverges into the three, follow the path left as it climbs toward the gritstone boundary alongside Jarvis Clough, passing a number of shooting butts used for the management of grouse.
Crossing the river, another steady climb brings you to a small tower as you reach the plateau, moving onto the main ridge of Stanage Edge where the path becomes clearer underfoot.
Walk along the line of the edge, weaving between stones. I recommend you pause often — both for the views and for the sense that this place is older than the stories told about it.
Pass another cross road, taking the straight path that veers slightly right before taking a sharp right moving down between two rocks structures. This takes you to the sometimes boggy moorland which you follow straight across to Bamford Edge and another long pause surveying the awesome views. .
Begin your descent as the ridge softens, dropping gradually toward gentler paths that loop you back through the woodland and towards the reservoir.
Finish:
Arrive back at the lower paths, shake the moorland wind from your hair, and take advantage of the carpark facilities.
Sense The Scene
See: vast rocky cliffs, bellowing heather moorland, the Ladybower dam.
Hear: Ravens calling from crags, whistling wind, the squelch of boots in bog.
Smell: heather, peat, metallic cold stone.
Feel: rough gritstone, wiry moorland grass and bushy coarse heather.
Taste: the metallic edge of moorland air, moist earth, tea from a flask.
Practical Parts
Parking: Heatherdene Carpark and designated lay-bys along the approach routes.
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Facilities: Heatherdene toilets and cafés, pubs, and shops in Bamford village if taking a detour.
Hazards: Steep edges with sudden drops; strong winds common along the ridge; uneven stone underfoot; moorland weather can shift quickly.
Have you been here? What's Your Story
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