Parkhouse and Chrome Hills near Buxton

Travel time 50 minutes each way. I went via the Cat and Fiddle road for the spectacular views.

Walk time 3 hours plus a 15 minute stop for lunch, plus a stop on each summit. It’ was just over 6 miles but the hike, or indeed, scramble, over the two hills was quite challenging!

Weather – simply glorious!

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL24 – the two hills are Access Land and the paths over them are not shown on the OS map. I found a route by Googling, but the route over the hills is fairly obvious. My map below is an approximation of the route taken

Parking – on the road in the village of Earl Sterndale

Setting off through the yard of The Quiet Woman, the village pub looking rather down on its heels at the moment, the path runs behind the cottages at the right of the pub, and across a couple of fields where the first views of the hills appear.

Over the brow of the hill the path descends to the road and the scramble facing you at Parkhouse Hill is clear enough. This is not for the faint-hearted, and I wouldn’t want to attempt it in anything other than clement weather.

However, as you reach the summit, the rewards are spectacular

At the summit, I chatted to Abi and Adam who had left the baby at nursery and had travelled from near Stafford to enjoy a day’s walking on their anniversary! I hope they find the blog!

After the scary descent from Parkhouse Hill,I faced the immediate challenge of the ascent of Chrome Hill – not quite as steep, but quite a bit higher. The views back to Parkhouse Hill are stunning.

As I rounded the final turn to the summit, a happy family group of 4 were sitting having a snack and enjoying the view. Tony was slightly alarmed as I suddenly appeared in the view of his binoculars! Tony and Wendy were on a break from somehere down south, and loving the Peak District countryside.

After Chrome hill there is a descent, a right turn up a steep bank and then a trek across a few fields to Booth Farm.

I left the beaten track here and headed off towards Leycote, Tenterhill and Moorside. On this gorgeous valley stretch I didn’t see anyone, but the scenery was stunning.

The path emerges in the quiet hamlet of Hollinsclough

From here, I took the track across the fields and and below Parkhouse Hill before retracing my steps over the hill to Earl Sterndale.

On the way back I stopped at the viewpoint for the classic Cat and Fiddle photo over the Cheshire Plain, with Jodrell Bank prominent. Nice to see the Cat and Fiddle open again.

And finally, a cracking new tune of 2020 came up on the random play of my favourites during the drive home. If you’ve never heard of HAIM, please give this a try!