Crowden-in-Longdendale

Crowden-in-Longdendale is a small and isolated village in the upland valley of Longdendale in Derbyshire. Crowden's main interest to travellers is as the traditional first-night stop on the northbound Pennine Way. It lies 16 miles from the start point at Edale; the first day's walk crosses Kinder Scout and Bleaklow (the two highest hills in Derbyshire) before descending to the reservoirs of Longdendale. The village is also close to the west–east Trans Pennine Trail, part of European walking route E8.



Understand
Crowden is on the A628 Manchester–Sheffield Woodhead Pass road that crosses the Pennine moors from west to east.

Get in
There is no public transport to Crowden. The nearest railway station is at Hadfield (4 miles via Longdendale Trail), on the Glossop line from Manchester Piccadilly (40 min). Taxis are available from Glossop (about 6 miles by road).

By car from Manchester, follow A57 (signposted Sheffield) then M67 beyond the M60 orbital motorway, which continues as the A57 and then the A628; from Sheffield follow A61 north, then A616 and A628. From the M1 motorway leave at junction 35A (northbound) or 36 (southbound) and follow A61/A616/A628 as above. For a scenic drive from the north, follow the A6024 Holme Moss road from Holmfirth (part of the 2014 Tour de France route). The Holme Moss and Woodhead Pass roads are often closed in snowy conditions.

Do

 * If you're doing all 267 miles (429 km) of the Pennine Way (Edale–Kirk Yetholm, 268 miles) end-to-end in a single sortie, then the usual direction is northbound to have the sun and weather at your back, and Day One is from Edale across Kinder Scout and Bleaklow to Crowden. There are two routes out of Edale: the traditional route is to ascend Kinder Scout immediately up Grind's Brook, then head northwest across the plateau. The alternative route, more scenic and less boggy, is west across the fields to ascend by Jacob's Ladder, then north along the scarp edge. The two routes meet at Kinder Downfall, from where you trudge on north gradually descending. The plateau is crossed by A57 but with no nearby facilities, so you continue north over Bleaklow before the last descent into Longdendale, with a zigzag around the reservoir to reach Crowden. The route is well marked and has boardwalks over the worst bogs. 13 miles done, only 254 to go.
 * The village is also close to the west–east Trans Pennine Trail, part of European walking route E8 (Southport–Hornsea, 207 miles).

Buy
There is a small shop at the campsite.

Eat
There are no pubs or restaurants in the village; the nearest public eating places are at Tintwistle (3½ miles west) or even further afield (e.g. Glossop, Hollingworth, Hadfield).

Connect
As of March 2024, Crowden and A628 have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and 5G from Vodafone.

Go next

 * Glossop
 * Edale
 * Holmfirth