The top of the Howden reservoir has some very rough, sometimes wet, and wild moorland. But don't be put off as there is a special magic to this area of the Peak District. The walk starts at King's Tree and then reaches the interesting rocks at Barrow and Grinah Stones before descending Lower Small Clough and back alongside the River Derwent.

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There are many ways to start this walk. The suggested route here is to walk back along the road to the significant right-hand bend. Here there is a track that takes the walker through the forest and then onto open ground. Follow the track in the direction of the wall, and then follow the wall and path onto Black Dyke Drain. Walk along the length of this feature, which is not marked on the 1:50,000 map but it does clearly exist. It gives a good route up the ridge, with some wet areas which are easily avoided. At the end of the drain there is an obvious track crossing it, up from the Westend on the left and down to Lower Small Clough on the right. From here Round Hill is obvious. There is a path from the drain to Round Hill but this can be wet although much is avoidable; a bit of jumping avoids the main wet areas. Follow this path to the bottom of Round Hill and make for the summit via the stony ridge path. There is a good round shelter marking the summit. (5.0kms. 280m. 2hrs. 0min.)

Leave Round Hill and walk over to Barrow Stones following the small path. There is a fence surrounding Bleaklow just below Barrow Stones, to keep sheep out. Go through the gate and climb the short distance to Barrow Stones. Once Barrow Stones is reached it is worth exploring around to see the many fine rock sculptures in the area. The source of the River Derwent is just around the corner at Grid Reference SK132967. There is a sign as well. The whole area around the source of the Derwent is a mix of groughs, peat and water so the exact position of the source is a matter for debate. Leave Barrow Stones using the path that contours around the edge to Grinah Stones, which is just down from the skyline. From the top, the stones at Grinah Stones look good. It is worth exploring around when the walker will see a significant edge of gritstone rocks on the west side of Grinah Stones. It is more broken than the edges around Stanage but nevertheless very impressive. There are extensive views from here including the Eastern Edges, down the Derwent Valley and over to Kinder.(1.0kms. 80m. 0hrs. 30min.)

The first part of the descent is to retrace the uphill route back to Barrow Stones and then onto Round Hill, following the paths that contour the slopes. Descend Round Hill via the stony path then follow the faint path over the moor to the start of Black Dike Drain. Just after the start of the Drain, there is a track (on the right) climbing from Westend and one (on the left) down Lower Small Clough (SK141955). Follow the well marked track down Lower Small Clough. Soon the walker reaches the shooting cabins in Lower Small Clough. Continue down the clough on the path to reach the main valley. Walk upstream for a few meters to find a safe place to cross the Derwent. Once across, climb the grassy slopes steeply to reach the main track along the Upper Derwent Valley. Follow this good track alongside the River Derwent down to Slippery Stones bridge and then back to Kings Tree. (8.0kms. 0m. 2hrs. 20min.)

11th October 2024 It was a great autumn day for this walk, blue sky all morning. The route up to the ridge through the forest is a really good way to get to the ridge. It has been a very wet summer and torrential rain in the previous week meaning the moor was quite wet, not too wet though. Searched all over for the source of the Derwent without success. I did see lots of work aiming on improving the environment on Bleaklow. The white bags may have concealed the signpost.

4th August 2021 A slight variation of the route. Parked at Westend and walked up the track to the ridge below Round Hill. Then up Round Hill and over to Barrow Stones. Another hunt for the - source of the Derwent- which is still there. A walk over to Grinah Stones. Then back to Round Hill and then down the ridge, including down the Black Dike Drain. Continued down and then down the tracks shown in the forest to meet the road. A great day out and despite this being mid-summer hardly anyone else out on the moors.

5th September 2019 A nice day of sunshine but a moderate breeze following on from a few wet days and a wet summer. I should have known that this would mean wet underfoot conditions. The path up from Linch Clough to the ridge was very wet towards the top meaning that a dryer route needed to be found. One on the top, the ground was saturated even so the path is obvious and although not dry it was firm. Every so often a jump over the water was needed. Once at Barrow Stones, a wander about to find the source of the River Derwent. Could be anywhere up there but there is a plaque. A nice walk down Lower Small Clough onto the Derwent valley at the end.

9th April 2019 A great day in sprimg sunshine but a bit of wind. Throughout, except for around Kings Tree, only a couple of other walkers were met. This indeed is a remote area of the Peak District. Underfoot was quite wet in places but with jumping wet feet can be avoided. For the safety conscious or the social media adicts, this area has poor mobile phone coverage.