A sustained, high-quality grade 1 waterfall scramble up Torside Clough in the Peak District; one of the longest and most varied ghyll scrambles in the Dark Peak.
Route in: park at Torside CP. Walk SE from the car park through a gate, up the hillside and then SW along the shoulder of the hillside under Long Gutter Edge and round into Torside Clough, following a path marked on the standard OS map. Easier but longer alternative is to walk west along the Trans-Pennine Trail until you reach the Pennine Way, then double back past Reaps farmhouse, and branch left off the Pennine Way, following the path into Torside Clough.
Start point: above a big rock under tree on the left bank where the shoulder path hits the clough (OS map ref: SK 06731 97288), just before a little waterfall and footbridge/dam.
Grading: rated grade 1 in the “Scrambles in the Dark Peak” book but more like 0.75 if you are ghyll scrambling (i.e. walking up inside the brook). There’s nothing particularly difficult but good variety: a number of small waterfalls, several deep pools, runs of cascades and quite a constant gradient including scrambling over large rocks. There are a couple of sections with overhanging rocks. There’s a set of deep pools and small waterfalls towards the top including a sheep dip-type bit you have to swim through.
End point: get out where the fence crosses over the brook (OS ref: SK 07793 96835). You can continue further up the clough, you can turn left into Wildboar Grain, and you can earlier go left into Torside Grain, but none of this is scramble-worthy.
Route out: walk steeply up to your right just before the fence and then back on the Pennine Way. You can walk along the Pennine Way and then Trans-Pennine Trail, or save a few minutes by scrambling down Clough Edge (very steep) via the first of the Torside gullies to the start point and then back along the shoulder path to the CP.
Map link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/torside-clough-d2c7208
Time: shoulder route in takes c.25 mins; Trans-Pennine route takes c.45 mins; about 1.5-2 hours up; about an hour or so to walk back down
Combine with: Torside gullies; Wildboar Clough
Gear: drybag, wetsuit, buoyancy vest
Verdict: lots of variety and much longer than nearby Peak District scrambles; a good solid grade 1 ghyll scramble
Category: Top-rated ghyll scramble
Score: 8/10
Video guide:
Map:
Map image/data from OpenStreetMap via AllTrails
The Grade 1 Scrambler 
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