Sar Lou Adventures

Peak Bagging – The Dragon’s Back, Peak District. Hill 1: Parkhouse Hill 375m/1230ft

Today I was back in the Peak District with a good weather forecast, my drone, scrambling boots on and a bag of sugary snacks ready to tackle the iconic Dragon’s Back and tick another couple of hills off my Peak Bagging Challenge list.. Little did I know that the weather had very different ideas and had decided to come play. You’ve got to love April!

The ‘Dragon’s back’ name refers the narrow, jagged ridge of Parkhouse Hill (the body) and Chrome Hill (the head), rising sharply out of the surrounding limestone valley. When you walk along it, you’re basically tracing that “back,” with steep drops on either side. Often described as one of the most fun mini-adventures in the Peak District, the northern side of Parkhouse Hill and the ridgeline also features a fun Grade 1 scramble suitable for beginners looking for their first taste of hands and feet route finding.

With the weather suddenly taking a turn for the worst, with hail and 40mph+ wind gusts, I decided to cut my plan short rather than doing both hills in one day in poor weather. The hills aren’t to be messed with, and it’s common for people to end up stuck and having to call in Mountain Rescue, finding themselves unable to descend slippery rocks after the weather has suddenly turned.

On a clear, sunny day though, The Dragon’s Back is a highlight of the Peak District and well worth a visit!

• Parking: Layby in Earl Sterndale. Nearby Longnor is also an option but gets much busier and was lined with vans and campers when I drove by!
• Dog Friendly: My dogs wouldn’t have coped with the scramble section, and with the path cutting directly through fields with young lambs and lambing ewes, I wouldn’t want to bring dogs at this time of year for fear of worrying the sheep. I’m sure there are some dogs who would be fine, but it’s not one I’d choose to bring mine along to in future.
• Scramble section: While not overly technical or exposed, there’s enough of a challenge to get stuck into and best tackled in dry conditions with decent boots. I wore my Scarpa B2 mountain boots which were perfect especially as the rocks got wetter and slippery!
• Drone notes: I flew by drone from a public road layby about a mile away from the trail head well away from farms and livestock, the land around Parkhouse and Chrome hill is all private farmland with access allowed through the Countryside act 2000. This is a popular drone spot, with no official flight restrictions to worry about BUT to ensure that it stays that way, be sure to be respectful of the private land, livestock and residential areas if you’re coming to fly around here. Chrome and Parkhouse Hills are registered as an SSSI, but it’s geological rather than for wildlife.