Stairway to Heaven from Wessenden

The route

From Marsden the route heads up into the Wessenden valley, running the track past the reservoirs that step down the clough. Where the valley steepens you take the flagged, stepped climb known locally as the Stairway to Heaven, a sharp pull that lifts you out of the valley and onto the open moor near the Pennine Way. From the high ground the route loops back across the moor and drops to the reservoir track for the run home, 13.8km with 342m of climbing, most of it in that one memorable staircase.

The valley

Wessenden is the finest of the Marsden cloughs, a chain of dark reservoirs strung down a steep-sided valley below the open moor. The tracks along it run well, and the contrast between the sheltered valley and the exposed tops above is what gives the loop its shape. Up top it is classic Dark Peak blanket bog, wet and featureless off the main line.

Why it works

The reservoir tracks make the valley sections fast and friendly, and the Stairway gives the run a clear, satisfying crux. It is a good introduction to Marsden Moor running - reachable by train, obvious to follow in clear weather - though the open moor at the top still needs navigation in cloud.

Good to know

The run starts five minutes from Marsden station, so it needs no car, and the Wessenden track leads you gently in and out either side of the climb. The Stairway itself is the crux, a sharp flagged pull that lifts you onto the open moor, so save something for it. Up top the ground is wet and featureless in cloud, so carry the means to navigate and pick a clear day. Ground-nesting birds from March to July mean dogs on the lead on the open moor, and there is grouse shooting on the tops between August and December.