Alport Castles

Park at the P&D car park at Fairholmes at the side of the Derwent Reservoir.
Leave the car park by the path on the southern end and cross the road and enter the woods on Hagg Side.
Follow the path ever upwards until you come out onto the old byway just above Lockerbroock Farm.
Turn left and follow the track past the farm to Woodcock Coppice, and then bear right up the hill across the open ground to the stile ahead.
Over the stile, or though the gate, and follow the path through this field up to the open moorland ahead.
Left through the gate and follow the path north westerly looking down on the Snake Pass road as you traverse Rowlee Pasture.
Where you can see my track deviated from the path marked on the map, some kind soul has laid flag stones, thousands of them, across the boggy ground, and you stay on these almost all the way to Alport Castles.
These stones cease just before you cross a wall line, and by now you have left the Snake Pass behind and it's Alport Dale that is down below you on the left.
Before dropping over the dge and following the footpath around the southern edge of the land slip, stay on the top path for a little while until you can look down and marvel at the Tower. There is a handy little climber's hut to get out of the wind there.
As you can see the Castles are nto actually catsles, but the debris left behind by the huge land slip.
Follow the steep path down and around the southern edge of the area and follow it down the river and over a bridge by Alport Castles Farm.
Either take the short cut through the stile on the bank above you, or follow the bank around to the right and then come back through the farm yard onto the access track.
Follow this track towards the main road to come out of the Dale, but turn left and cross the field to come out onto the Snake Pass Road at Alport Bridge.
Straight over and across the weir to the other side of the River Ashope, sadly the footbridge has long gone, but the weir top is easily fordable - at least in June ;-)
Follow the track past Upper Ashope Farm and bear right onto the old byway that then takes you up across the side of Blackley Hey and across Blackley Clough.
As the sunken lane ends and you come out into open fields, turn left and descend the hill on the old jagger's trail (jagger = pack horse person). Alternatively cross the field ahead and take a peek at Hope Cross and take the footpath down left from there.
Make your way to, and cross over Haggwater Bridge before re-crossing the Snake Pass road and head up the hill ahead of you.
As the road turns left to enter Hagg Farm, go straight ahead through the gate onto the old byway and follow this ever upwards above Haggtor Coppice and up to Woodcock Coppice and the junction of paths you passed earlier on your way out to Alport Castles.
On your right is a concessionary footpath over stile that takes you back to the car park.

Date Walked: 24Jun13
Distance: 9.7 miles
Time: 4h40m
Ascent: 2161'
Descent: 2147'

Hover over photo for description, if available, or click for full size version

Points to note

• These walks are listed as a record of walks that we have done. If you wish to follow them then you do so at your own risk.
• Distances given are those recorded on our GPS as Track Distance.
  Actual distance walked may be slightly longer, due to the way that the two distances are calculated. This article explains why.
• Times given may or may not include breaks.
• You'd expect on a circular walk that the Ascent and Descent values would be the same, right?
  Well, yes, but sometimes I didn't stop the track at the exact same place I started it, and also sometimes it takes a while to get a strong enough 3D fix for a reasonably accurate altitude setting.
• Any photos shown will be of the ground covered by the walk, but may cover more than one visit.