Monday, 19 January 2026

Pennine Way: Torside for Hadfield to Wessenden Head

10.5 miles, 4.5 hours. 


Having survived the inaugural trek from Edale, the second stage of the Pennine Way offers a dramatic transition from the Peak District’s heart to the wilder fringes of West Yorkshire. Stretching roughly 11 miles from Hadfield Station, via the Torside reservoir complex to the windswept A635 at Wessenden Head, this leg is a masterclass in moorland restoration and solitude. While the previous day’s climb of Kinder Scout felt like a bustling gateway, today is about the raw, high-altitude grit that gives the "Backbone of England" its formidable reputation.


The journey begins at Hadfield railway station with a flat easy stroll along the Trans-Pennine Trail to Torside, where you meet the Pennine Way. Continue North with a steep, sharp intake of breath as you ascend from the valley floor toward Laddow Rocks. This gritstone edge provides one of the most spectacular balcony views in the North; on a clear day, the silver ribbons of the Longdendale reservoirs glint far below, framed by the dark, brooding mass of Bleaklow. The path here is rugged but exhilarating, hugging the cliff edge as it winds northwards. It is a terrain of weathered stone and resilient heather, where the only terminal announcements you'll hear are the piercing calls of the golden plover or the occasional bleat of a stray sheep.

Next comes the legendary Black Hill, once described by the great Alfred Wainwright as a "desolate and hopeless quagmire." Historically, this summit was a place where a walker’s dignity—and occasionally their footwear—went to die in deep, boot-sucking peat bogs. Today, however, the experience is significantly more "business class" thanks to a mile of reclaimed stone flagstones. These slabs, airlifted by helicopter from demolished Lancashire mills, allow you to glide over the morass toward the summit trig point, known as Soldier's Lump. The name pays homage to the 18th-century Royal Engineers who used the peak for the original Ordnance Survey, and reaching it marks the highest point in West Yorkshire at 582m.

Descending from the summit, the landscape begins to soften as you enter the Wessenden Valley. The transition from the high, black peat to the lush, green cloughs is a welcome sight for any traveller. You’ll navigate a series of "cloughs"—deep, narrow ravines—including Dean Clough, which can be a lively water feature after a typical Pennine downpour. As the path levels out, the skyline is dominated by the towering Holme Moss and Emley Moor masts, those giant needles of the north that serve as useful, if somewhat industrial, navigational beacons.

The final stretch leads you toward the Wessenden Head road, skirting the edges of the high moor where the Wessenden reservoirs begin to appear like a staircase of blue. This is a land of wide horizons and big skies, providing a sense of space that’s hard to find in the crowded Southeast. As you reach the A635, you might be lucky enough to find the local snack van—the moorland equivalent of an airport lounge—offering a hot brew to celebrate your arrival at the threshold of Marsden Moor.




Due to the restricted bus service at Wessenden Head, we recommend doing this walk as follows:

  • Park car at Wessenden Head, then on Saturdays get the 352 bus at 1005 to Chew Valley Road/Wellington Road (opposite Tesco Greenfield), then the 356 bus at 1045 to Stalybridge Station, then the 237 bus at 1135 to Hadfield Station, arriving at 1203. 
  • On Tuesdays, park at Wessenden Head and take the 357 bus at 1005 to Crickets Lane in Ashton, then the 237 bus at 1043 to Hadfield Station, arriving at 1117. From there, ramble back to your car at Wessenden Head. 
  • Or, if not using a car: Get the first bus up to Wessenden Head and ramble south to Hadfield, from where buses and trains run late into the evening. The 1000 train from Piccadilly will get to Greenfield in time to meet the bus, but remember the bus only runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays.





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