MikePadgett.com

A walk in Longdendale

— A bleak, depopulated valley on the Manchester side of the Peak District and a symbol of the industrial revolution.”

J and I recently took off for a day and went walking in Longdendale, a valley descending from Dark Peak in a westerly direction down into Greater Manchester.

As one might expect in an area characterised by a juxtaposition of wilderness and massive human endeavour, Longdendale is steeped in history and legend.

Evidence shows that hunters and gatherers existed in the Peak District from 8,000 BC and that the Romans maintained a presence in the area during their occupation of Britain.

Longdendale is recorded as a waste in the Domesday Book.

As commerce grew in later centuries, the area had become a Pennine crossing point for packhorse routes and from the 1840s it was changed forever by the Woodhead tunnels and John Frederick Bateman’s six reservoirs, collectively named the Longdendale Chain.

We dropped in on Team Mono over in S10 on the way home.

They made us very welcome as their guests. Particularly with regard to the treacle tart.