Stanage Edge

Stanage Edge is a gritstone escarpment in the Peak District, just north of Hathersage. It marks the border between Derbyshire’s High Peak and Sheffield in South Yorkshire. The highest point is High Neb at 458 metres above sea level. Quarries once cut into the hillside for grindstones, and some abandoned blocks still lie where they were carved. A paved packhorse road once ran along the top, and its remains are still visible today. The edge is famous for rock climbing, with routes that attract climbers from across the country. The Cowper Stone at the southern end hosts classic gritstone climbs first scaled by Johnny Dawes and John Allen in the 1980s. Despite its modest height of 25 metres, Stanage is home to the 5,000-metre Girdle Traverse, completed by Ron Fawcett in 1992. The area also draws walkers and runners, including the annual Fat Boys Stanage Struggle fell race. Upland birds like ring ouzel and buzzards nest along the cliffs. Visitors walk the old packhorse route or follow paths to High Neb for wide views over the moors. Remains of the Long Causeway, once thought to be a Roman road, cross the edge near Stanedge Pole, an ancient waymarker. Robin Hood’s Cave is a well-known feature in the rock face. The edge also appeared in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, when Elizabeth Bennet looks out over the landscape.