A stupid way to make a boring Peak District scramble more interesting: trying to do it without using your hands

Route in: park at Dove Stone Reservoir Car Park.  Walk past the south side of the reservoir and then up Chew Road towards Chew Reservoir until you reach the main corner on the road around OS ref SE 02611 01988; cut diagonally south-east off the road and across Chew Brook to the start point

Start point: where Bower Brook flows into Chew Brook around SE 02626 01820

Grading: less than grade 1; hence the need to do something to liven it up

Notes: because you are on upland wild land, please avoid during bird-nesting season from March to July

End point: the brook and clough disappear near the top but you end when you reach the path along the Wilderness tops at SE 02529 01562 after 500 feet of ascent

Route out: downclimb in or beside the Clough and then retrace your steps back to the car park, or go do an actual scramble on one of the nearby gullies

Map link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/bower-clough-8016333

Time: about an hour from CP to start point; around 20 minutes to walk up the gully; about an hour to walk back

Combine with: Charnel Clough, Chew Brook, any of the Wilderness Gullies

Gear: you’ll get your feet wet but otherwise nothing special

Verdict: it’s genuinely difficult to avoid using your hands but this is not scrambling

Category: Lower-rated

Score: 6/10

Video guide:

Map:

Map of Bower Clough Challenge

Map image/data from OpenStreetMap via AllTrails

Leave a comment