The Dale climb – Hathersage – Peak District
Heading out of Hathersage and up towards Stanage Edge and Sheffield this climb is as beautiful as it is challenging. This often neglected climb always rewards you with fantastic views of Stanage Edge and Burbage.
KEY STATS
- Distance: 3.6 km
- Elev gain: 258 m
- Starting Elevation: 142 m
- Final Elevation: 400 m
- Avg Grade: 7.1%
- Max Grade: 22.6%
Difficulty Rating: 7 / 10
The Climb
Leaving Hathersage and turning left onto School Lane and the Dale the road narrows as you pass the last houses of Hathersage and quickly ramps up, this first section is the most challenging and easily has ramps of around 20% in the first kilometre. Pace yourself as the climb lasts for over 3.5km as you head out of the woods and up the hill towards Stanage.
The road eases off as you take (pictured above) left bend and the vista opens up so you can see one of my favourite views in the Peak District – Stanage Edge, Popular End.
As the gradient eases off, the views help you forget the pain of the first section. The road snakes around to the right (pictured in the view of Stanage Edge above) to take you up over the top of Stanage and towards Burbage and Ringinglow back into Sheffield.