GM Ringway 8 Broadbottom To Greenfield 2024

Stage 8 of the GM Ringway is an adventurous route that ventures high into the Dark Peak. With its spectacular scenery, it has a feel of the Scottish Highlands in places.

Despite the works on Chew Road advertised by United Utilities (during 2025-26), users have reported that this stage is fully walkable at weekends and outside working hours.

Note that the highest parts of this stage are challenging at all times and hazardous in adverse conditions. If the weather is poor, the walk should therefore only be undertaken by experienced hillwalkers with appropriate equipment, including a map and compass. Even in fine weather, you should be prepared for a considerable ascent (535 m/1755 ft) and a crossing of remote, boggy terrain with no landmarks for navigation and no clear path on the ground.

For an easier low-level alternative, with the option to break the stage into two shorter walks, you can follow the optional diversion shown on this map.

Highlights include:
- Two lovely old lanes, with panoramic views across the Etherow and Longdendale valleys
- A ancient-seeming track that climbs into the Peak District National Park via an old stone bridge
- A brief trackless section through the appropriately named 'Wilderness' – the highest point of the entire GM Ringway trail
- Breathtaking views over Saddleworth's Chew Valley
- A leisurely finish via Chew Piece Plantation, the only remaining area of long-standing deciduous woodland near Dove Stones Reservoir.

There are no facilities until the end of the route though pubs and cafes are available by walking east along the A57 from Woolley Bridge. However, an optional (and pretty) diversion is shown at the start of the route that includes the cafe, farm shop and toilets at Lymefield Garden Centre near Broadbottom.

Load more