I usually aim to get away somewhere for a bank holiday weekend but, just a week after the return from Norway, wasn’t sufficiently motivated to do any long-distance travel this time. Instead, I made Saturday a parkrun and chores day, then went for day walks in the Peak District on Sunday and Monday.
On Saturday night, Sunday’s forecast was for a few heavy showers late morning but also some sunny spells. I was disappointed, therefore, when I woke to see that expectations had deteriorated overnight, with more prolonged rain expected. I decided not to be a “fair-weather walker” though, and stuck with my plan to recce (at walking pace) the route of the 15-mile “Groovy Kinder Love” fell race, a gratuitously-hilly route from Hayfield on the western edge of the Kinder plateau. Poor weather almost seemed appropriate for recceing a fell race!
After a damp drive up, the rainfall radar didn’t show any imminent improvement so I set off straight away, ascending via “Christine’s Gate” – not sure whether that’s just the name given for the purpose of the race – to Mount Famine and South Head, both in the mist. Then the going was easier on the long, gentle ascent over the flank of Brown Knoll to Edale Cross.
Next came a detour that one would only make for the purpose of increasing a route’s total ascent, down to the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder and back. I was pleased with myself for having sufficient motivation not to skip this part! After a short further climb up to Edale Rocks, where I took advantage of the shelter for a snack break, it was back down again, along the ridge of Kinderlow End and then north into Broad Clough. It was on this section that my phone died as I tried to get a photo of the purple heather – apparently it had got too damp in my jacket pocket and water had got to the screen, which flashed different colours for a bit before a failed reboot and black screen of death. I stowed it more safely – futile at this point – in my dry bag, before continuing on my way.
The penultimate significant ascent was the first totally unfamiliar ground for me, following a small path up the heathery slopes to the top of Red Brook. Then came a flat section, along the edge of the plateau and past the Downfall to Sandy Heys, before a steep descent to the bottom of William Clough. I was treated to decent views over Kinder Reservoir, as the rain was easing and the cloud lifting a bit.
The last ascent was back up William Clough to Mill Hill – not too steep and on a good path. The final approach to Hayfield was another new route for me, following a boggy path over Leygatehead Moor, then the southern end of the Snake Path. I’d only previously used the section from Mill Hill down to the Snake Inn. I’ll remember this as a particularly damp day on the hill, but at least the final hour of dry-ish and breezy conditions meant that my waterproofs didn’t end the day dripping wet!
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2369468
Thankfully, Monday was a much brighter day. I wanted a shorter drive so I devised a route starting at Darley Bridge, which is only about 45 minutes from home. I started by ascending through Clough Wood – not as pretty as I remembered it – then turned north to head up to Stanton Moor. The flowering heather was slightly past its best, but still the highlight of the day’s views, particularly around the Cork Stone and the old quarries.
I continued over the moor to the stone circle, then zigzagged down to reach the footpath to Rowsley, which was surprisingly overgrown to start off. There I picked up the popular path along the river meadows to Calton Lees, the most northerly point of my route. Having crossed the river, I headed east up the bridleway to Beeley Moor, where I paused for lunch. Then I followed a series of bridleways and footpaths below Fallinge Edge to reach the hamlet of Tinkersley. The views over the valley towards Longstone and Eyam edges were extensive but not remarkable. Finally, I dropped down to the river and followed the Derwent Valley Heritage Way back to the car.
Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2370359
You can find my full Google Photos album here. Sorry they’re not as vibrant as usual, thanks to having to revert entirely to my old compact camera after the death of my phone!
David Pettit's photo blog 