The Torside Terror!

Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but if you have never been up Torside then your nerves are in for a treat. Located at the west end of Woodhead Pass (yes, I brought enough change for the car park this time) on the B6105 the car park is located alongside the Longdendale Trail.



Clough Edge losing it's low cloud vale.

From both a photographic and navigational point of view the low cloud on the day was a definite issue. After approximately a miles walk from the car park you meet up with the Pennine way. You have a climb of around 250 meters up to Clough Edge and this is where the walk becomes interesting. The path is on the edge of what appears to be a drop of around 200 feet. The drop isn't vertical, maybe 20 degrees from vertical. But I reckon a fall here would not end well, so caution should be taken in extreme weather conditions.



A 200ft drop a foot to my right.



It's not quite as dangerous as it sounds, especially when visibility is good, but high wind or dense fog could seriously complicate matters.

Due to the poor visibility I decided to shorten my walk a little. At the top of the Clough, where the path takes a sharp left at Wildboar Grain I decided to bear right and head to Torside Castle. This would be a fantastic place on a clear day. I just got more low cloud.



Torside Castle appears from the merk.



The footpath around Torside is very boggy, gaiters are a must if you want dry feet. And be wary of the wooden walkways that have been layed close to the castle, they are very slippery.

On the return visibility was a little better allowing a few clearer photographs. The next time I venture up here I will head over to Bleaklow and the Wain Stones.



Looking down to Woodhead.



A not so famous Grouse braving the slopes of Clough Edge.

All in all, a brief but interesting walk.