Stanage Edge

Stanage Edge, a gritstone escarpment like a broken boulder backbone of Britain past Hathersage in the Peak District. A geological gap of the Dark Peak and the White Peak stretching for 3 1/2 miles rising up 20 metres in places taking it to a nose bleeding 458 metres at its highest point elevation. Try not getting a nosebleed if you fell from that.

Easing yourself to the exposed edge, it’s a killer on the calf’s to the top of the cliff face, especially for a fat arsed forty something who struggles to ascend the stairs at home, I could do with a Stanage Stair Lift…geddit?….,

I’ve often thought that people come to the Peak District to get away from it all, the higher the height the fewer the people. Stanage Edge clearly bucks that trend, Its got climbers crawling all over it, walker’s winding their way and heroic hang gliders hurtling into the hillside. For climbers and rock crawlers, Stanage Edge is home to the “Right Unconquerable” which was err…. first conquered in 1949.

That scene in Pride and Prejudice when Keira Knightley stands at Stanage Edge daydreaming of Darcy, what they didn’t show you was the alternate ending when she chucks herself off the edge, fed up of fell walkers and falling foul on flimsy footholds. Be careful.