From Ethel N90 to Trig N80: A Two-Hike Sunday

bootsandbanter

10 minutes ago

6 min read

Croker Hill & Ladder Hill: Two Walks, Two Milestones

📍 Route 1: Oakgrove → Ratcliffe Wood → Croker Hill → Bosley Minn → Bosley Reservoir → Macclesfield Canal → Oakgrove

📏 Distance: 17.4 km⬆️ Ascent: 445 m⌛ Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

📍 Route 2: Combs Reservoir → Tunstead Farm → Long Lane → Ladder Hill → Trig Point

📏 Distance: 5.4 km⬆️ Ascent: 242 m⌛ Time: 1 hours 30 minutes

Total: 22.8 km | 687 m ascent

Bagged: Ethel #90 | Trig #80

Weather: Sunny and bright, breezy becoming very windy on Ladder Hill

Mood: One planned hike, one spontaneous mission, unfinished business settled 😁

From Oakgrove to Ratcliffe Wood

I started by parking just off the main road in Oakgrove, where I found roadside parking with no charge. From there I headed towards Ratcliffe Wood, and it didn't take long for the first slightly bizarre encounter of the day: three llamas. They were happily munching grass amongst some farm machinery, with no fence between them and me at all. I'm so used to seeing these gorgeous animals safely behind fences that finding three of them just getting on with their morning was a slightly surreal sight.

From there I continued into Ratcliffe Wood, and needless to say, there wasn't another person around. Some woodland has a strange ability to make you feel remote, even when logically you know you're not. It doesn't need to be a vast forest in the middle of a mountain range. This was only a relatively small patch of woodland, yet almost immediately I had that same feeling of isolation.

That's when my senses seemed to turn themselves up a few notches. Every rustle, crack and snap suddenly registered. My ears were tuned into everything and, without really thinking about it, so was the rest of my body. Nothing actually happened, but walking alone through a completely deserted wood can do that to you. The rational part of your brain knows you're probably listening to birds, squirrels and branches moving, while another part is quietly going, yes, but WHAT exactly made that noise? 😂

Croker Hill: Ethel #90

As I came out of the woods, I carried on towards Croker Hill, and there was certainly no navigation mystery about where I was heading. The huge telecommunications mast was already visible ahead of me.

Almost immediately after emerging into the open, I spotted two wooden boards propped against some rocks. Both were peppered with shooting holes, so they had clearly been used as targets at some point. After just walking through woodland where I'd been tuned into every snap and rustle, this was perhaps not the most reassuring thing to find. 😂 I wasn't entirely sure what to make of them. Should I be worried? Probably not, but they certainly caught my attention.

Then something considerably prettier caught my eye. A flash of bright red stood out amongst the woodland: fly agaric. I went over for a closer look because I find these mushrooms fascinating. It is special to find one in the wild, particularly because I only seem to encounter them during this time of the year.

Eventually I reached Croker Hill, 402 m, and with it Ethel #90. The huge telecommunications tower makes this a rather different summit from most of the Ethels, and you certainly don't have to wonder which hill you're heading for because the mast can be seen from miles away. Number 90 was done though, which leaves just five Ethels remaining now.

Bosley Minn, Reservoir and Canal

Rather than heading straight back after Croker Hill, my loop continued through more quiet countryside and over Bosley Minn, 386 m. Along the way I came across some lovely horses, some safely behind fences and others standing right beside the footpath. I also came across Hebridean sheep for the first time, with their black coats and beautiful curved horns. I stopped for a while just watching them because they were absolutely stunning.

Around Bosley Reservoir it became remote-feeling again, with hardly anyone around, and once again I found myself very aware of every noise. It's funny how quickly the brain switches modes when there aren't other people about. My hearing suddenly became spectacular again. Shame it was mostly being used to monitor potentially murderous squirrels.😂

The final section around Bosley and the Macclesfield Canal was completely different and made a really nice finish to the walk. After the hills, woodland and quieter sections around the reservoir, walking beside the water felt very relaxed. By the time I reached the car I'd been out for around four and a half hours, which was exactly why I'd made the route longer in the first place. I could easily have turned Croker Hill into a quick tick, but I was glad I hadn't.

Hang On...Where's Ladder Hill?

I got back into the car thinking that was probably my hiking finished for the day, and then remembered Ladder Hill. I knew it shouldn't be too far away, so I checked.

15 miles. About 30 minutes. No brainer really. 😂

More importantly, I had unfinished business with that particular trig. I'd attempted Ladder Hill back in March, when I'd tried approaching it from three different directions and had been unsuccessful from all three. Six months later I was sitting only half an hour away from it, with one side of the hill still unexplored.

There was absolutely no chance I was driving home.

Ladder Hill: Unfinished Business

I parked on the roadside beside Combs Reservoir and headed towards the hill. The public footpath takes you through Tunstead Farm before climbing steeply towards Long Lane, and it certainly got my legs working. Considering I'd already walked 17.4 km earlier in the day, my legs were probably wondering why we'd suddenly started another shift. 😂

The public footpath ends at Long Lane, which was where things were about to get a little more interesting. I was actually surprised by the lack of warning signs. When I'd tried approaching Ladder Hill from the other side back in March, signs warning against trespassing seemed to be everywhere. Here, however, there was nothing of the sort. No threatening signs, no big red warnings.

I reached a locked metal gate, hopped over it and started heading steeply uphill towards the mast. And it really was steep. The strange thing about Ladder Hill is that even though you know the trig is up there somewhere, you can't actually see it as you climb. The shape of the hill completely hides it, and it wasn't until the final few metres, as I came over the brow, that the pillar suddenly appeared. There it was. Six months after my first attempt, Trig #80 was finally mine.

I was genuinely so glad I'd made the spontaneous decision to come. I sat at the top for a while and just took in the views, which were far better than I'd expected. From there I could see Chinley Churn, South Head, Mount Famine, Kinder Downfall, the Kinder plateau, Combs Head and Black Hill. It is actually a fantastic viewpoint, and if it hadn't been so windy I would probably have stayed much longer.

On the way down I did wonder what I would say if I happened to meet a farmer, but to be fair I had a pretty decent story by this point: I'd already tried to get to the bloody thing from three different directions in March. 😂 Surely attempt number four deserved some credit for persistence.

🔍 Final Thoughts

With Ethel #90 and Trig #80 now done, both challenges feel very close to the finish. What started as two separate Peak District lists has gradually become another long-term project nearing its final few ticks.

There are now just 5 Ethels and 7 trigs left, and I'm hoping to bring the two challenges together for one final summit. After all the miles, detours, awkward access and occasional unfinished business, that finish is starting to feel very real.