The best destinations are often the ones that hide in the shadows of noisy neighbours…
Shining Tor and the Goyt Valley
An alternative to: High Peak
The High Peak, the area around Kinder Scout, is bigger, brasher, louder and busier than the western side of the Peak District. The National Park sweeps around the urban zones of Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith forming a very uneven ‘U’ shape. Yet this side of the park is no more polite: it can throw any of the tribulations at you that the High Peak can. The Roaches in the south-west of the Park can by no means be considered overlooked (especially by climbers), but head farther north to the desolate summits around the Cat and Fiddle pub and beyond, where the sense of wilderness is palpable. And as regular walkers will attest, the weather can turn in minutes, and visibility fall to a metre. Shining Tor is the highest summit in this side of the Peak District at 559 metres. It is best climbed from Errwood Reservoir and then by following the ridge to Cat’s Tor with expansive views over the Goyt Valley. After all that climbing, it is back to huddle around the log fire in the Cat & Fiddle.
Hubs Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith
Tourist information Buxton, 01298 25106
Map Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheet
OL24 (The Peak District – White Peak area)
