The South Yorkshire Moors Book Review
A hand drawn guide to walking and exploring the moorlands of South Yorkshire and Northern Derbyshire, covering large parts of the Dark peak.
Books are great resources for all trainee Lowland and Hill and Moorland leaders. Over the years we have recommended various titles and some have now become essential reads such as Mike Raines The Nature of Snowdonia.
While working on a recent Hill and Moorland leader assessment with Hati she produced a book to recommend to our course attendees that I hadn’t considered before: The South Yorkshire Moors by Christopher Goddard.
The South Yorkshire Moors Cover
I had seen the book in shops before but I think the title had misled me a little. We tend to think of the areas we work and play in using words such as the Peak, Derbyshire, Kinder, Sheffield Moors etc. I hadn’t really used or considered the term South Yorkshire Moors before and thus had become blinkered to the excellence of this book.
The bulk of the book consists of hand drawn black and white maps covering 13 areas. The two North-most maps are of the Snailsden and Thurlstone moors north of the A628 Woodhead road and the southernmost map covers Beeley moor east of Chatsworth house. Inbetween are maps including Bleaklow, Kinder, Stanage and Burbage.
The maps themselves are beautifully drawn with an impressive amount of detail and information not shown on Ordnance Survey maps. Surrounding the maps are notes and sketches highlighting features of interest. The Maps are a pleasure to read and look at. You really get the sense that the author has spent many hours in these hills lovingly sketching and absorbing the landscape.
The South Yorkshire Moors Map 17: Kinder Scout Central
There is also a sense that a lot of research has gone into making the maps. I’ve been working and walking in these areas for over 30 years and on every map I’ve found something new and revealing. Places mapped and listed that I have visited many times that I didn’t even know had names. On the Burbage map alone I found Slifter Tor, Beehive Stove, the Elephants Arse and Wild Moor Stones Edge. All monikers new to me in the area I’m most familiar with.
In addition to the the maps each area includes separate pages with recommended walking routes to follow. The routes are both mapped and described with further information on points of interest along the way. There are 21 separate routes.
Stanage Map Detail
The maps and walking routes alone are well worth the price of purchase but it is the additional chapters that provide added value for prospective Lowland and Hill and Moorland Leaders. The book includes well written sections on geology, open access land, a 20 page history of the south Yorkshire and north Derbyshire moors, a section on the Kinder mass trespass and millstone quarrying. All this extra content is great information for leaders on Mountain Training courses. There is also a useful glossary of moorland words (jagger, grough, rocher etc) and a list of the areas highest hills.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone walking or working on the eastern edges or in the Dark Peak. And I especially recommend it to any Lowland Leaders or Hills and Moorland leaders who are looking for inspiration and information. It is a beautiful piece of analog art in an outdoor mapping world increasing dominated by digital.
I’ll leave the final word to Hati who first introduced me to this inspiring book… This book was a great source of inspiration to me during my HML consolidation, where slogging across moorland to indistinct features is part and parcel of the experience. It continues to be a source of inspiration for delivering navigation courses, adding texture to initially non-descript features through social history, geology and folklore. I also owe to Goddard the discovery of my favourite stone (Old Woman on Bamford Moor). South Yorkshire Moors is an invaluable resource for leaders and a celebration of what you might initially mistake for bleak and featureless moors!
You can buy The South Yorkshire Moors direct from Christopher Goddards Website. The site also sells lovely prints of the various maps featured in the book.
Alex
Beyond the Edge Ltd is based in the Peak District, easily reached by train from London and within easy travelling distance from Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and other Northern towns and cities.
We are one of the UKs most experienced providers of climbing, walking, scrambling, mountaineering and navigation training courses.
Most of our courses are run in the Peak District National Park which has some of the finest rock climbing, bouldering, walking and hiking in the world.
