Shining Clough scramble Report

[mike doyle]

In the absence of Geoff, who injured his calf muscle on Saturday,2 of us drove out to the Woodhead reservoir despite the poor forecast.
It was full waterproofs from the outset with gusting wind and rain.Reaching the start of the Clough we followed the stream to the entry pitch which was undercut with a raging waterfall pouring down it-not inviting!Deciding to avoid this ,we flogged up the steep hillside missing “the faint path” leading past the waterfall to the continuation of the scramble.Once above the steep side we reached level ground where we were greeted by strong wind and driving rain.At this point,having largely decided not to tackle the exit pitch and waterfall ( given the conditions and the warnings in the guide book /and by Geoff yesterday) we elected not to find the way back into the Clough only to exit again further up.
Rather than continue over to Bleaklow Head into the wind and driving rain we decided to follow the edge of the escarpment north eastwards with the wind behind us and descend a steady ridge we could see in the distance down to the eastern end of the Woodhead reservoir and return along the Longendale Trail.
In the event we found a land rover track unmarked on the map too convenient to ignore which provided a quick and easy descent back to the cars past “The Lodge” and its barking dogs.
Not the best of days on which to tackle this exciting Clough,but we resolved to return on a better day.
Mike

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