Parkhouse and chrome hill from longnor
aka Dragon’s Back, Peak District
Another beautiful walk in Peak District is Parkhouse and Chrome Hill route called Dragon’s Back.
When I’ve first heard about it, I was thinking it was Dragon’s Back is either a fairy place or a pub, but I was surprised to see I was wrong.
The route starts from Longnor, a small village in Staffordshire Peak District. The village was named Longenalre in the Domesday Book and the settlement dates from early times, back in Middle Ages. With beautiful old buildings, narrow streets and a lot of famous pubs, Longnor is the perfect start of a lovely day.
We have parked near St Bartholomew church, founded in the 13th Century, although the present building is more recent, dating from 1781. There are also public facilities nearby, on Chapel Street.
‘Hike and Travel‘ have been walking to Chrome Hill before but it was very foggy and we couldn’t see anything so we had to come back.
The route starts with 1-2 miles of paved road towards Earl Sterndale, cross River Dove and head to B5053 road. The rest of the route is a combination of paved road and green grass hills. The entire zone filled with limestone and stoned fences look like you’re back in time, waiting for see a horse carriage to passing by.
Once we started to approach Chrome Hill, the views are amazing. Now I understand why it’s called Dragon’s Back as it is actually looks like it.
Just look at the picture for few seconds and image the limestone reef knoll are the spikes on the back of a dragon.
There are actually few places around the world called Dragon’s Back and there is race in UK.
Dragon’s Back race is from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle, 380km, the world’s toughest mountain race. It sounds and look very challenging which will require a lot of practice and training. Have a look on Dragon’s Back Race website if you are interested.
It is quite challenging to ascend to Packhouse and Chrome hill on a almost 90 degrees angle but it was worth it. There are also routes avoiding the climb trying to ascend slowly.
Second time we were lucky to have good weather and a clear day as the views are spectacular.
Such a fantastic day out in the nature, enjoying the views, local area and a good chicken mayo sandwich. It was another perfect Saturday spent with my partner, making great memories and doing some exercise.
Once we descended from Dragon’s Back, the final leg of the route is quite easy, going back to Longnor on the tarmac road.
This walking routes is approximately 8.5 miles and it took almost five and a half hours ( with lunch break and pit stops). It has been an amazing day and I would definitely like to go back there soon.
The entire route is available below as time-lapse video of 8.27 minutes.
