There are a lot of great places to visit in the Peak District National Park, and loads of fantastic hikes to go on. One of the most interesting things I’ve done in the Peak District is seeing a plane wreck—specifically, the B-29 Superfortress “Over Exposed” wreckage. If you’re looking to brush up on your navigation skills, want to visit the plane crash site, or both—this is a fascinating hike. Here’s everything you need to know about hiking to the B-29 Superfortress wreck in the Peak District!

Starting the Hike: Bleaklow

The official starting point for this hike is at the A57 Snake Pass, where the Pennine Way crosses the road. This is less than a 10-minute drive from Glossop. There is plenty of parking here on both sides of the road. If you’re driving and using Google Maps, I would recommend pinning the exact point where the Pennine Way intersects the A57 as your final destination. As parking is just in laybys on the road, there is no charge.

I was inspired to do this hike by an article Mammut published several years ago. Adam and I actually tried to do this hike and see the B-29 Superfortress wreck in October 2018! However, horrendous weather and a lack of navigation skills meant we didn’t see anything at all. Seeing the crash site has been years in the making for us, so it was so awesome to finally get there!

The weather around Bleaklow is notoriously bad. Even visiting in July, we had very poor visibility and low cloud/fog for the entire hike. In October, it rained heavily and was so windy we gave up after less than an hour. A waterproof rain jacket and rain pants are a must on this walk. As with pretty much all hikes, I recommend sturdy hiking boots and bringing plenty of water and snacks.

You also need basic navigation skills to complete this hike. Spend some time studying maps, planning the route, and come prepared. I learned so much from my Navigation Skills Course with Pure Outdoor. I’d definitely recommend doing a beginner course before attempting this hike (especially if visibility is bad)—having the skills made it so much easier! You’ll need OS Map OL 1: Peak District (Dark Peak Area) for this hike. You should also have a compass, and I strongly recommend a waterproof map protector.

Hiking to the B-29 Superfortress Wreck

The hike to the B-29 Superfortress wreck is fairly straightforward. For most of the hike, you’ll follow the Pennine Way. Most of this path is paved with flagstones. Eventually, you’ll reach a gully where the Pennine Way crosses the stream. This is your turn-off point—it took us 33 minutes from leaving the A57 road to get here.

At the gully, follow the makeshift paths on a west bearing to Higher Shelf Stones. On a clear day, it will probably be easy to follow the paths—however, they aren’t public footpaths, well-marked, or that distinct in bad weather. So again, this is why I recommend having a map and compass, and know how to use them. It took us 13 minutes of walking from when we left the Pennine Way at the gully to reach the B-29 wreck. The B-29 Superfortress wreck is located on grid reference SK 090949 on the OS map.

About the B-29 Superfortress Wreckage

On 3 November 1948, a US Air Force plane on a routine flight crashed in thick cloud. All 13 crewmembers on board were killed. Unfortunately, the crew had completed their service and they were set to go back home just three days later. The wreckage has laid here on the site ever since. While it is illegal to touch, damage, or move anything (as per the Protection of Military Remains Act and the Ministry of Defense), it’s perfectly legal to visit and walk around the site. The plane they flew was nicknamed “Over Exposed” and it’s actually marked on Google Maps by that name.

I was mainly surprised at just how much there still was at the crash site! There was a wheel with the tire still on it, most of a plane wing, and just so much wreckage spread out over the area. There was also a memorial with an American flag, as well as a plaque with information on the crash site on it.

We stayed here for a while, looking at everything and taking photos. It felt very eerie to be here in such low cloud—I could see exactly how easy it was to crash with such poor visibility, and it felt very somber.

Back on Bleaklow to Snake Pass

You return back to Snake Pass the same way you came. From the B-29 wreck site, take an east bearing. Follow this bearing and the paths back to the gully where you reach the Pennine Way. It took us about 15 minutes this time to walk back. Once you get to the gully and the Pennine Way, follow it back to the road.

All in all, this walk out on Bleaklow to the B-29 Superfortress wreckage site and back took 2 hours. This included a decent amount of time at the crash site to walk around and take photos.

Other Plane Crash Sites on Kinder Scout

There are two other nearby plane crash sites on Kinder Scout that you could visit on the same trip to see the B-29 Superfortress wreck. Again, the inspiration came from the fantastic article from Mammut! We did try to hike out and see one of these wrecks, however visibility got even worse. Even with strong navigation skills, we just couldn’t do it.

There is a B-24 Liberator that crashed near Mill Hill on 11 October 1944. Shockingly enough, the two crewmembers both survived! We were so close to this, however the visibility was so bad we just couldn’t see it. After about 45 minutes of walking on the Pennine Way (following it south this time towards Kinder Scout), we turned off at a post marker/faint path. We were probably quite close to the wreckage, however even the best navigation skills can’t compete with the elements. I hope to go back and find this someday! The OS grid reference for this crash site is SK 058906. (In the map photo, this is marked as D.)

There is also a site for two F86 Sabres that crashed on 22 July 1954. This requires much more off-path walking and more navigation than either of the other two wrecks. In a deep gully on the north side of Kinder, these two planes somehow crashed during a training exercise. The OS grid reference for this one is SK 075902. (In the map photo, this is marked as C.)

Planning Your Trip

I’ve done (or attempted) this walk twice. Once as part of a weekend trip to the Peak District, once as a daytrip from York. It was a long daytrip from York though, and I’d strongly recommend visiting as a weekend or longer trip to the Peak District. While it’s not far from Glossop (which has a train station), there is no public transportation to the starting point at Snake Pass. So you’ll need your own car to do this hike. If you do book train tickets, I recommend booking through Trainline.

There are a lot of great areas to stay in the Peak District. I stayed at an Airbnb in Glossop (no longer listed) and it was perfect for a short budget weekend stay! There is a huge range of accommodation in the Hope Valley, which isn’t too far away—Bamford, Hope, Castleton, and Edale are all great villages to visit or stay in. You can search for hostels here, and for hotels and B&Bs here. You can also sign up to and search Airbnb for accommodation here! Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Seeing the B-29 Superfortress (“Over Exposed”) wreck on Bleaklow in the Peak District was one of the most interesting hikes I’ve done. There is so much still to see, and doing the hike in poor visibility really drove home just how dangerous it would have been to fly a plane. It made the memorial that much more poignant. If you know how to use a map and compass, and come prepared, you can definitely visit this site too! I hope this post helps in planning a hike to the B-29 Superfortress site.

Have you ever visited a plane wreck like this before? Would you want to visit this one?

You might like my other posts:

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking And Camping In The UK

Exploring The Peak District On The Pure Outdoor Navigation Course

The Peak District: Hope Valley, Castleton, Mam Tor, And More

An Evening Hike In The Peak District With Salomon

Eyam: The Peak District Plague Village

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To England’s Lake District

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