On t’moors – Black Hill and Laddow Rocks trail running

You don’t always get the sun shining on a Bank Holiday Monday so it would have been rude to not head out running on Easter Monday.

Me and the local team – Steve, Karen and Leena – met up to try a route out of the latest Peak District Trail Running guide published by Vertebrate Publishing. We opted for the Black Hill route that starts at Crowden on the A628.

The guide gives the following run stats:
Distance: 13.4km
Ascent: 455m
Max Altitude: 582m
Typical Time: 1:30 – 3:00 hrs

As me and Steve both seemed to have the remnants of a lingering cold, we made excuses early to treat this as a social day out running, exploring somewhere new and an opportunity to just enjoy the weather with good company. We’d also decided before setting off to head to the pub in Holme afterwards for a well deserved ‘recovery’ drink! I’m sure you’re starting to get an idea of our priorities that day.

Crowden to Black Hill
We set off under low cloud cover. We already knew a cloud inversion was happening as me and Leena had driven through it to get to Crowden having dropped down to the valley via Holme Moss.

Initial climb from the Crowden car park

It’s a steady climb up Hey Moss to White Low and then over to Black Hill itself which stands at 582 metres high. As the trail guide reports there isn’t really a defined path to follow once you hit the moors. Just boggy moorland and tussocks to hop among as you weave your way upwards. Breaking through the cloud we were greeted with blue skies and fantastic views across the valley. Felt truly spoilt.

Getting higher and further away from the receding clouds

Stopping for a photo and a quick bite to eat at the summit we then headed back to Crowden via the Yorkshire Stone slabs of the Pennine Way.

Summit fever madness!

On the approach to Laddow Rocks the terrain starts to become more technical and especially so on the descent just after them. So there’s a little bit of everything on this run. Bogs, tussocks, mud, fords to cross, flagstone path, rocky outcrop descents, and great views on a clear day.

Leena was the first bog victim

Heading back down

Got to stop and admire the views

Success – all back at the start