From Moorfield Lodge at the junction of Derbyshire Level and Kidd Road take the track to the right of the lodge entrance. Continue up the track for 2km until the wire fence on your right comes to an end, then head towards the ruined stone hut on the path on your right. Follow the path and wooden markers to Moss Castle / Pennine Way.
Moss Castle is 536 metres high. Moss Castle is also believed to have been on the Roman line from Melandra to Brough, it's thought the original Roman road could be 2 meters below the surface of the peat and maybe there's the remains of a castle too!
From Moss Castle turn left for the strech of the Pennine Way heading north east towards the Snake Pass. After 2.3km Featherbed Top is on your right.
Featherbed Top is an open, flat-topped hill, 544 metres high and about 900 metres from where the Pennine Way crosses the Snake Pass. The surrounding moorland is known as Featherbed Moss, not be confused with the hill of the same name about 10 km further north.
The route back is just retracing your foot steps back to Moorfield Lodge on Derbyshire Level, all down hill, well mostly. Don't miss the turning at Moss Castle it's easy to miss.
Featherbed Top is one of several "Ethels" within close reach of Glossop Circular, the Ethels are a compilation of 95 hills in the Peak District, mostly over 400m high or popular landmarks. The Ethels are a tribute to Ethel Haythornthwaite, a Sheffield environmentalist who was a leading pioneer in the establishment of the Peak District, Britain's first national park in 1951. The other local Ethels are Cown Edge, Mill Hill and Higher Shelf Stones.
Please let us know if you spot any issues along the route or any errors in the directions.
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