Bec and I took a Sunday walk from Taddington village, enjoying the warm and bright weather. Our route initially took us west, over Sough Top to Chelmorton village. From there, we dropped down the valley to Churn Hole – I’d forgotten how impressive this little gorge is – into Wye Dale.
Meadows above ChelmortonAn unlikely place for a large tree to grow!
The next few miles were following the river downstream, initially on the riverside path through Chee Dale, which winds its way below the overhanging limestone cliffs, and is forced onto unusual stepping stones along the river in a couple of places where there’s no gap between the river and the walls of the gorge. This is usually a quiet place, but today was definitely the busiest I’ve seen it with walkers, wild swimmers and rock climbers in abundance!
On the Chee Dale stepping stonesBec under the overhanging cliffs
Once we reached the lane at Miller’s Dale, we climbed up to join the Monsal Trail disused railway for a few miles, passing through two tunnels and over the viaduct to Monsal Head. From there, we dropped down to the weir, finding lots of people picnicking on the riverbank, and continued down the riverside path to the bottom of Deep Dale. That just left the final ascent back up to Taddington.
Bec and I went up to the Dark Peak for the day, hoping to dodge the showers after a very wet Saturday spent indoors. We parked in Hope village and took the direct route from there up to the summit of Lose Hill, enjoying the views towards Mam Tor and Winnats Pass. We were surprised that the path was deserted until we were almost at the top.
Mam Tor
Once we’d taken in the views over Edale for a few minutes, we had cooled down in the breeze and continued along the ridge, over Back Tor and down to Hollins Cross. The section from Back Tor onwards has recently been improved with new stone pitching and gravelled sections, which should help manage the very heavy foot traffic that this ridge sees!
Edale and Grindsbrook from below Back Tor
From Hollins Cross, we followed the bridleway down to Edale village, then re-ascended the other side of the valley, taking the path towards Grindsbrook then branching right on the zigzags up to Ringing Roger, where we paused for lunch in a spot behind the rocks that was much less sheltered than we hoped! The sun did come out for some good spells though.
Edale from The NabBec on Ringing Roger
After lunch, we continued east along the edge of Kinder Scout, pausing briefly to admire some pretty cascades in Jaggers Clough, then descended the path east to Hope Cross. The gentle ridge back up to Win Hill made for easy progress, with just a few spots of rain falling on Hope Brink. This just left a final steep descent via Thornhill back to Hope.
Looking over Ladybower Reservoir to Derwent Edge
A good day in the local hills, pretty much entirely dry despite the forecast of showers. The air clarity was particularly good, making for excellent views of the Hope Valley, Edale, Woodlands Valley and Ladybower all day.
Bec invited me to meet her two sisters and their partners on a walk from Rushup Edge. We got an early start and met just after 8am in a layby above Rushup Hall. From there, we took the ‘Chapel Gate’ bridleway up onto Rushup Edge then down to Barber Booth.
Descending Chapel Gate
Then we followed the Pennine Way up Jacob’s Ladder to Edale Cross, and back down the other side into the Sett valley – a route that brought back memories of many visits on CUHWC trips to Edale.
Looking back to Edale from Jacob’s LadderThe Sett valley
The final section of the route took us back up onto the ridge north of Mount Famine, then followed the traversing track south of the peak then north of South Head. We returned to our start point via the deep gully of Roych Clough – a path I’d only followed once before, and that way back in 2010!
Re-ascending towards Mount FamineRoych Clough
A good walk in warm and sunny weather, and also lovely to meet some of the people Bec has talked about a lot.
I squeezed a lot into this long weekend and perhaps it doesn’t fit neatly into this single blog post! I thought it would be fun to do something with Bec other different from the walks and runs we’ve enjoyed so far, and we settled on a day trip to York, which it turns out is less than 90 minutes’ drive from Mansfield. I think I was still at primary school the last time I visited the city, so my memories were very faint! I picked Bec up mid-morning, and we had a good clear drive up the A1 to a surprisingly quiet car park just outside the city walls.
We didn’t have any particular itinerary for the day, and of course all the indoor attractions were not open, but we found there was plenty to explore in the fresh air for a few hours. We started by taking a stroll into the city centre and around the Minster, then got excellent take-away burritos for lunch from a stall in the Shambles market, followed by cakes from a nearby bakery. We spent the afternoon walking the full circuit of the city walls, which were open with a clockwise one-way system. These gave lovely views over the cathedral and castle, and in many areas had pretty daffodil-covered embankments below.
York Minster from the City WallsYork MinsterLooking along the City WallsDaffodils and blossom trees below the walls
The next morning, Bec plucked up the courage to meet a few of my local friends for an unofficial Long Eaton parkrun. I had agreed to pace Dave in a PB attempt following his recent spell of structured training. He was targeting between 21:30 and 22:00, and we finished right at the bottom end of that range. Jeff also knocked around a minute off his 5k PB.
After coffee and cakes by the play area (for Jess), Bec and I headed off to the Peak District for an afternoon walk. I had selected the Roaches as a good destination in response to Bec’s request for a more strenuous walk. Sadly the sunshine of Long Eaton gradually gave way to cloud and sleety showers as we drove west. We sat in the car for a few minutes, hoping it would pass, then gave up, wrapped up in our waterproofs and set out on the walk regardless. We made a rapid ascent of Hen Cloud, followed by the descent and mildly-scrambly reascent to The Roaches. The sleet generally got more persistent over time, then turned to snow – which was more pleasant! We had a quick lunch under the shelter of an overhanging boulder, continued as far as where the lane crosses the ridge, then opted for the short route back to the car along the lane, with a decent white covering on the ground. A more adventurous little outing than I’d expected!
Looking back to Hen Cloud from The Roaches
On Sunday, I had arranged to meet up with Ruth for another walk. This time our chosen destination was a bit closer to Ruth’s than mine, so I had a 1h40 drive up, mostly on the A50 and motorways. We parked in Belmont, a few miles north of Bolton, and found it had also been snowing significantly there the previous afternoon and evening, with a good covering down to valley level. We started with an ascent of Winter Hill – not my first visit, but still unfamiliar ground as I’d ascended from the west side last time. After the steep descent to Hordern Stoops, we were surprised to find a pitched stone path, and plenty of others using it, all the way north along the ridge to Great Hill.
Winter Hill, from Spitlers Edge
From there, we descended east then climbed back up onto Cartridge Hill, a new Hump for me, for lunch. We took a scenic detour north to the Jubilee Tower on Darwen Hill, where we were surprised to find the spiral staircase open and available for ascent to the top of the tower, a good viewpoint over Blackburn and Darwen, with the Forest of Bowland, Yorkshire Dales and Pendle Hill beyond. We then made our way south, following footpaths over Darwen Moor then past Belmont Reservoir, where there were sailing races going on, and back to Belmont village. I wonder if this will be my last English snow of this spring!
Looking over Blackburn from Jubilee TowerWinter Hill over Belmont Reservoir
Following the recent relaxation of lockdown restrictions to allow local day-trips, I was keen to spend as much as possible of the Easter weekend enjoying the great outdoors a little further from home than has been possible so far this year.
On Good Friday, I headed to the Peak District for a walk from Monyash, which I found to be very quiet despite starting at midday on a Bank Holiday! Apparently others are not yet making the most of their new freedoms! My route went down Lathkill Dale all the way to Conksbury. I enjoyed the limestone crags, mossy boulders, and the very clear waters of the River Lathkill.
The most dramatic stretch of Lathkill DaleThe small waterfall on the Lathkill
I then doubled back along the rim of the dale to Over Haddon, pausing for lunch on one scenic overlook. From the village, I took to footpaths across the pastures to Magpie Mine – my first visit except one at running pace on a recent Peak Raid event – then through Sheldon and down into the Wye valley near Ashford in the Water. From there, I followed the footpaths up the valley through Shacklow Woods, then ascended Deep Dale right to its head, finishing with a few more upland pastures back to Monyash.
Looking up the River Lathkill from my lunch spot above ConksburyA classic White Peak pastoral scene, near Monyash
After the walk, I met up with Bec for a run around the parkrun course at Brierley Forest, followed by fish and chips for dinner.
The next morning, Bec drove down to my house mid-morning so we could travel up to the Peak District together for a walk over the ‘Dragon’s Back’, starting in Longnor. We started by crossing the Dove valley by Beggar’s Bridge, then ascended via Hitter Hill to Earl Sterndale. From there, we turned west to descend to the foot of Parkhouse Hill, which we traversed by the crest of its narrow ridge. I was glad that Bec enjoyed the easy scrambling and awkward, steep gravelly descent.
Chrome Hill, from Parkhouse Hill
After Parkhouse Hill, Chrome Hill, although larger, always feels a bit of an anticlimax. It does offer better views though, both back to Parkhouse Hill and ahead towards Hollins Hill. We paused for a leisurely lunch part way along the ridge.
Looking back to Parkhouse Hill from Chrome HillLooking northwest past Hollins Hill from our lunch spot
We looped around the western slopes of Hollins Hill to descend to Hollinsclough, then used a mixture of bridleways, lanes and footpaths to return to Chrome Hill, crossing the River Manifold on improvised stepping stones. A lovely day out in the sunshine with good scenery and great company.
On Easter Sunday, I met up with Jeff, Helen and Amina for a 15km trail run on Cannock Chase. We started at the main visitor centre and headed into the southeastern corner of the Chase, slightly extending a route I ran in the autumn. Afterwards we went back to Amina’s garden for bacon sandwiches and cake.
Monday was another sunny morning, although with a bitterly cold wind and few early snow flurries! I drove up to Thorpe for a morning walk around the rim of Dovedale, avoiding the main valley path to keep away from the crowds. Just short of the car park, I noticed the car had reached 100000 miles, so paused to record the occasion.
100000 miles, just outside Thorpe!
The visibility over Dovedale and the surrounding pastures was superb as I walked along the footpaths past Bostern Grange and then down into Milldale, with great views of Wetton, Gratton, Narrowdale and Wolfscote hills. Once I’d crossed the river and climbed back up the other side of the valley, I headed back south, the cold wind now behind me, via Bunster Hill and Thorpe Pastures, and so back to the car.
Milldale, Wetton Hill, Narrowdale Hill and Gratton HillLooking through the trees to Hazelton ClumpThorpe Cloud, from the slopes of Bunster Hill
To conclude the Easter weekend, on Tuesday I drove up to the north of the Peak District for a walk with my sister, roughly midway between our homes. Ruth and I met in Old Glossop at 10am and began by walking up the Doctor’s Gate path to reach the Pennine Way south of Bleaklow, in warm sunshine.
Ruth on the Doctor’s Gate path
We took the scenic detour across the moor to Higher Shelf Stones and its B-29 plane wreckage – a site that has become a bit of an unexpected tourist honeypot in the last year of travel restrictions – then continued north to Bleaklow Head, pausing in one particularly sheltered grough for lunch out of the very cold wind. The cloud gradually built as we continued, and the sunshine less warming!
Ruth among the wreckage on Higher Shelf StonesThe summit of Higher Shelf Stones
From Bleaklow Head, we descended the Pennine Way all the way into the Crowden valley, with light snow now falling much of the time, then took the disused railway path down the valley past the reservoirs to Padfield. From there it was just a short walk along the lanes at footpaths back to Old Glossop.
A good day in some wilder hills, and it was great to spend a few hours catching up with Ruth, not having seen her since Christmas. We agreed to meet again on Sunday, the last day of her Easter holidays.
I’ve been trying online dating for the last few months and have recently been forging a friendship with a lady named Bec. After six weeks or so of regular video dates through lockdown, we decided it was acceptable to meet up for a couple of walks near the Derwent Valley, roughly half way between our homes.
For our first face-to-face date, we met in Wirksworth and walked along the High Peak Trail to Harborough Rocks, returning via Brassington and Carsington villages.
Harborough RocksLooking back to BrassingtonCarsington Water
The following weekend, we met again in Crich and walked both sides of the valley via the memorial, Holloway, Lea Woods, Alderwasley, Shining Cliff and Crich Chase.
Daffodils near WakebridgeThe Cromford CanalCrich Chase
It’s felt strange to spend a week on holiday at home in Derby – something I don’t think I’ve ever done before! I entertained myself with a mixture of running and walking, including two snowy walks in the Peak District that I’ll discuss here!
On Wednesday 30th I headed to the southwest of the Peak District, hoping to find snow on The Roaches. To avoid driving on ungritted minor roads, I started my walk in Leek, which had a fair amount of snow even in town. It’s not far from the edge of town to Tittesworth Reservoir. I followed the perimeter path along the eastern shore then ascended through farmland to Upper Hulme – and decided the road would actually have been fine!
Sadly the cloud base was low and my walk over Hen Cloud, The Roaches and Back Forest was in mist throughout: nice crunchy snow underfoot but no views! I dropped out of the cloud for a while as I descended to Danebridge and followed the River Dane down to Gig Hall, then climbed back up via Gun End to Gun (back in the mist). That just left a gentle descent via Gunside and the Hillswood farms.
Snowy and misty on The RoachesI dropped back out of the mist near Hangingstone FarmLooking towards The Cloud from the slopes of Gun
On Saturday 2nd, the forecast was for a sunny morning, gradually clouding over, so I got a prompt start. I fancied walking in snow again, so I headed up to the high ground of Bleaklow, starting at the car park just up the road from the Snake Pass Inn. I ascended onto the ridge by the path up the rim of Oyster Clough, then worked my way northwest through the snow over Over Wood Moss to eventually reach the Pennine Way – it felt a long way on this rough, pathless ground in a good covering of snow!
Sunlit clouds over Kinder ScoutOver Wood Moss, with Grinah Stones in the distance
I was surprised see see that there was a well used and heavily trampled path through the snow up to the B29 wreckage on Higher Shelf Stones – apparently this has become a bit of a lockdown tourist attraction! This made the ascent much quicker and easier than I expected. I continued north to Bleaklow Head, then turned back south to follow the Pennine Way all the way down to Snake Pass and back up across Featherbed Moss to Mill Hill. The sections within about 1km of the pass were very heavily trodden with the snow compacted into very slippery ice, so I mainly walked beside the path on this stretch!
Heading towards the Snake Pass and Featherbed Moss, with low cloud draped over Kinder Scout beyond
Light snow began to fall as I crossed Featherbed Moss, and had become heavy snow by the time I reached Mill Hill. I had planned to stop for second-lunch here, but thought it better to press on down the Snake Path through Ashop Clough to the car before the road got too tricky! I found a couple of inches of snow on top of the car but was relieved to find the road still easily passable with care. Slushy roads and overly-cautious drivers made for a slow drive home!
Heather and I met up for an afternoon walk and chat in the Derwent Valley, starting in Crich village. We started by walking up to the Memorial, and were surprised to find the tower open for visits, with good views all around from the very windy top!
Looking over the Derwent Valley from the top of the Memorial tower
We then continued around the rim of Cliff Quarry and descended into the valley via Duke’s Quarries and the Cromford Canal.
Heather in Duke’s Quarries
Having crossed the river, we took the lane up to Alderwasley then made our way through Shining Cliff woods to Ambergate.
The Park Plantation at Alderwasley
That just left the climb up Crich Chase back to the village, the clouds finally breaking to give a little evening sunshine and a little redness in the sky before sunset. Great to catch up over a muddy stroll in the woods.
Heather in Crich ChaseAlmost sunset at Chadwick Nick
The MWIS forecast teased that there was an 80% chance of the higher summits in the Peak District being above the cloud today, although the Met Office mountain forecast didn’t make the same prediction. I decided to take the chance and opted to walk around the Edale skyline, starting near Mam Tor as it’s the quickest point to drive to.
The initial ascent to Mam Tor brought disappointment as, although you could see clearer skies above, the summit was not quite high enough to get any views. Quite a few photographers had set up with tripods and were waiting patiently for improvement, but I decided to press on along the ridge to Lose Hill and hope for better luck on the higher ground later in the day. I did get a better glimpse of the inversion from part-way down to Hollins Cross.
The best view I got from the Mam Tor ridge
I dropped out of the mist part-way down Lose Hill and had an hour or so in the clear as I crossed over the valley. I chose not to visit Win Hill today, instead ascending the easy-angled track from Fullwood Stile up to Hope Cross, with murky views up Edale.
Edale
I re-entered the cloud on the ascent of Crookstone Hill and the first few kilometres along the edge of Kinder Scout did not bring any improvement. However, as I passed over Upper Tor, the skies to my right (over the plateau) started to clear and my hopes of good inversion views were raised. The section from Grindslow Knoll to Edale Head gave the best conditions, mostly above the cloud, and I enjoyed some dramatic cloudscapes over Crowden Clough and upper Edale.
The plateau was clear near Grindslow Knoll, with Grindsbrook Clough full of cloudLooking over the inversion from near Pym ChairInversion over EdaleDramatic cloud conditions below Edale Head
Descending to Edale Cross took me back into the mist, and visibility remained poor for the remainder of the traverse over Brown Knoll and Rushup Edge. Overall, a lot of walking in mist today, but well worth turning out for the one hour of views in the early afternoon!
Today I went for a long walk in the Dark Peak, starting in Bamford and circumnavigating all three of the Upper Derwent Valley reservoirs. The walk started just before 9am with a steep ascent up onto Bamford Edge. Some heavy drizzle blew through as I walked along the Edge, producing a rainbow in front of Win Hill for a while, but had mostly passed by the time I got to the classic viewpoints over Ladybower Reservoir.
A rainbow in front of Win HillLadybower Reservoir, from Bamford Edge
I dropped down to cross the A57 near Cutthroat Bridge then re-ascended the bridleway onto Whinstone Lee Tor to gain the easy path along Derwent Edge, which gave rapid progress all the way past the various rocky outcrops to Back Tor, my high point for the day. By this point there was a lot more sunshine around, and I enjoyed good views over the Howden Moors as I descended past Lost Lad towards Howden Dam.
Howden Moors, from Lost LadHowden Dam
I followed the reservoir tracks right around the north end of Howden Reservoir and back down the west side as far as the track up to Alport Castles, which I followed, pausing for lunch half-way up. With only a couple of hours until sunset I didn’t hang about long admiring the crags, but pressed on down the easy ridge to Lockerbrook and from there down the track past Hagg Farm before re-ascending the other side of the Woodlands Valley to Hope Cross.
The Tower at Alport Castles, with Alport Dale belowEarly-evening sunshine over Edale and Kinder Scout
The steep ascent now done for the day, I made quick progress up the easy ridge to Win Hill, reaching the summit around half an hour before sunset. Another drizzly shower passed through at exactly the right time to give a very intense rainbow, one end over Ladybower Reservoir and the other in front of Bamford Edge. Once I’d taken this in for a few minutes, I was just left with the steep and muddy descent to Thornhill and across the fields to Bamford, trying to strike the right balance between going fast to get back before dark and not falling over in the sticky mud! I succeeded in not falling over and was just able to reach the car without needing the headtorch!
A double rainbow over Ladybower
A long day out, 38km in total and over 1100m ascent, but plenty of easy tracks and paths meant it only took 7 and a half hours. The low autumn sunshine and rainbow-producing showers made for a very scenic day in the hills.
Ignoring the MWIS’s warning of hail showers, I assumed the regular weather forecast for sunny spells would be correct and headed up to the Eastern Peak District moors for a long trail run from Baslow – my longest run ever, in fact, at 31km! I’ve signed up for my first marathon at the end of March (Covid rules permitting) so I’ll need to do lots more long runs in the next few months.
It’s always good not to have too many navigational breaks when out running, so I followed a route that was mostly very familiar from past walks. This started steeply uphill to Wellington’s Monument, then crossed the moor to White Edge, quite cold today with a strong southwesterly breeze.
Wellington’s Monument
The slight descent to Longshaw brought some respite before climbing back up again along Burbage Rocks and around to Overstones at the southern end of Stanage Edge.
Looking up to Carl Wark and Higger Tor, from the south end of of Burbage RocksThe trig point on Overstones, with Kinder Scout in the background
From there, I descended via Higger Tor, Over Owler Tor and Millstone Edge to Grindleford Station, then ascended back up through the woods to the northern end of Froggatt Edge. That just left the relatively easy run along Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow Edges, with a bit of a zigzag on the final descent to get the distance over 30km!
Looking up the Derwent Valley from Millstone EdgeThe woods above Padley Gorge
A good day to be out in my local hills, with plenty of sunshine and no showers. The running was pretty hard going with lots of mud, uneven rocky ground, and around 800m of ascent and descent, so my pace wasn’t that fast and the 31km took me around 3h10, plus about 15 minutes of short stoppages for water, snacks and photographs.
After a very wet Saturday, the forecast suggested that Sunday might be mostly dry in the Peak District, with a few afternoon showers, so I ventured up for a walk that could be extended or shortened to suit the conditions. It was overcast as I started in Stanton-in-Peak and walked over the northern end of Stanton Moor to the stone circle and tower, but some glimpses of sunshine started to break through as I descended the path to Stanton Woodhouse and Rowsley.
Patches of sunshine in the Derwent Valley
From there I followed the Derwent Valley Heritage Way past Lindop and on through the Chatsworth Estate to Baslow, the weather steadily brightening to give plenty of sunshine as I passed Chatsworth House, making for some good photography conditions.
The upper weir, and Chatsworth House in the backgroundChatsworth Bridge and House
Bouyed by the brightness, I opted for the longest version of my planned work, making a loop on the quiet footpaths to Hassop, Pilsley and back into Chatsworth Park at Edensor.
Looking over Baslow to Curbar Edge and Baslow EdgeLongstone Moor, from near Pilsley
From there I took a hillier route back to Stanton, over Calton Pastures and Lees Moor then down to Haddon Hall, over the low ridge to Bradford Dale, then back up again to the car. Overall a very enjoyable day out in better-than-forecast conditions. Having not needed waterproofs all day, a heavy shower arrived just as I’d sat down in the car – perfect timing!
To celebrate my birthday (a couple of days early), Helen, Jeff, Heather, Heather and Amina joined me for a day spent around Bakewell. We met at Hassop Station for a 10am run along the Bakewell parkrun course – one I hadn’t previously visited and one that I hoped could be fast as it’s an out-and-back course on the Monsal Trail, a dismantled railway. I was disappointed at the pace I could manage on the first 2.5km into a moderate headwind and slightly uphill, barely below 4:00/km, but was pleased that the return leg, downhill and downwind, felt much easier and I could get closer to 3:30/km, to finish in just under 19 minutes. The others ran well too, with 5k PBs for Amina and Helen and best times of 2020 for both Heathers.
We then headed into Bakewell to visit the café at the Original Bakewell Pudding Shop for refreshments, happily arriving before the lunchtime rush and being able to get a table without queuing.
The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop
After that, we took a short drive to Great Longstone for an afternoon walk through Monsal Dale, heading over the pastures to Monsal Head, down to the weir for a picnic, and back up the other side to Brushfield. We continued over the ridge to Litton Mill and returned by a more direct route along another section of the Monsal Trail, passing through three tunnels and over the Headstone Viaduct, with great views of Miller’s Dale and Monsal Dale.
Amina, Heather, Heather, Helen and Jeff at Monsal HeadPicnic lunch by the WyeHeadstone Tunnel
Helen had very kindly baked me a cake, which we enjoyed on the village green back in Great Longstone before heading home.
I spent a varied day in the Peak District, starting off with an enjoyable run round the smartphone orienteering course in Matlock, a very hilly and intricate challenge! It will be interesting to see whether anyone beats my benchmark time.
With two thirds of the day left to fill, I decided to tour round the three recently-identified Derbyshire Tumps (hills with over 30m of prominence) in order to re-complete the county (again!). First up was a challenging one in the disused Darlton Quarry, near Stoney Middleton. Three sides of the hill are quarried cliff-faces, and the other side densely wooded. Following advice from several other baggers’ logs, I ascended by scrambling up a very steep, vegetated rake at the western end of the hill to reach the overgrown summit area, then descended north through the woods. The views over the old quarry were quite spectacular: worth the effort!
What remains of the hill in Darlton Quarry!Looking back across Darlton Quarry and down Middleton Dale from near the top
Next up was Dove Holes Hill, located just outside a large still-active quarry. I parked in Dove Holes village and ascended via the interesting earthworks at Bull Ring Henge. It turned out that dog-walkers’ paths led most of the way to the summit, making it easy work. The blue lagoons in the quarry below were an interesting feature of the view!
Blue lagoons in Dove Holes Quarry
Finally came Waterswallows Hill. It’s marked as a quarry spoil area on the map but it felt pretty natural. If it’s artificial it’s been thoroughly returned to nature! This was a straightforward and quick up and down from the nearby lane.
It was still only mid-afternoon so I broke the journey home with a short walk from Monyash, along the footpaths to One Ash Grange then down Cales Dale and back up the top part of Lathkill Dale – always a pretty spot and plenty of others were enjoying it today!
My parents visited me for a long weekend, the first time I’ve seen them since Christmas! It was really good to catch up with them properly after all this time and to share some of my local hills with them again.
On Friday, a really hot day that reached 35°C at home and around 30°C in the Peak District, we opted to walk on the Roaches, hoping that a high ridge would at least get us up in the breeze! With that in mind, we walked up the valley between the Roaches and Gun in the relative cool of the morning, then returned via Back Forest and the main ridge in the afternoon, enjoying views of Shutlingsloe to the north and towards Gun and The Cloud to the west. A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1229779
The Roaches, from the HangingstoneLooking back to Back Forest, with Shutlingsloe in the distance
Saturday was much cooler. With showers expected in the afternoon, we set off fairly early for a walk in the upper part of Dovedale, starting in Alstonefield. We started off by dropping down to Coldeaton Bridge, then headed up Biggin Dale and over the hill to Hartington. Our return route was down Beresford Dale then up onto Narrowdale Hill, a good viewpoint including the reef atolls of Chrome Hill to the north and Thorpe Cloud to the south, and back through the pastures to the car. We didn’t get seriously wet in the couple of short, sharp showers that did arrive after lunch! A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1229786
Mum and Dad in Biggin DaleNarrowdale Hill
On Sunday my parents were heading on north to Ruth’s house (Cumbria) after our walk, so we chose something in the Dark Peak as a good way to break their journey. We parked in Hayfield and did an anti-clockwise round of the eastern skyline from there, following the ridge over Mount Famine and the flank of Brown Knoll to Kinder Low, then along the edges to the Downfall and back down via William Clough to the reservoir and village. The air clarity was superb after the previous afternoon’s showers and we enjoyed fantastic views throughout, including west to Chinley Churn and the skyscrapers of Manchester, south over Chapel-en-le-Frith to Black Edge, and east down Edale. A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1229792
Kinder Scout, from Mount FamineMum and Dad near Brown KnollLooking down to Kinder Reservoir from Cluther Rocks
It’s been ages since I’ve been to the area around Monsal Dale so I came up with a 30km route starting in Taddington for today’s walk. I set off just after 9am and started by heading east along quiet footpaths towards the bottom of Deepdale, the temperatures already warm in the sunshine! This brought me to the busiest stretch of the walk, up Monsal Dale to Monsal Head then along the Monsal Trail to Cressbrook Mill. Lots of people were out enjoying the fine weather on foot and on bikes.
Blue flowers and blue skies just outside TaddingtonThe weir in Monsal DaleThe classic view from Monsal Head
Once past Cressbrook it was much quieter as I headed up Cressbrook Dale and then across high level pastures and through Tideswell Rake towards Peak Forest. The rake is always interesting to walk up with its extensive mining remains, and today also had lots of yellow and purple flowers to enjoy, as well as great views north to Win Hill and east towards Eyam Edge.
Looking over the pastures to Longstone Moor, from Stanley LodgeColourful purples and yellows in Tideswell Rake
From Peak Forest I dropped into the head of a chain of ever-deeper dales heading south: Dam Dale, Hay Dale, Peter Dale and Monk’s Dale. Hay Dale is the highlight in terms of the scenery. I had forgotten just how rough and awkward the muddy limestone path through Monk’s Dale is! From Miller’s Dale it was just a short climb up to Priestcliffe and back over the A6 to Taddington. Great to be out in the sunshine and to revisit some popular and some little-known places.
Today I fancied a good walk but not really a long drive, so I headed to the closest part of the Peak District, starting my walk at Thorpe. I’ve been avoiding Dovedale during the Covid-19 pandemic as it attracts the crowds, but I hoped a fairly early start would mitigate this and sure enough Thorpe Cloud was deserted at 9am!
Bunster Hill and Dovedale, from the summit of Thorpe Cloud
Having dropped back down to the stepping stones, I continued all the way up the valley to Hartington, passing a scattering of people but never really finding anywhere busy. I enjoyed the limestone outcrops and wild flowers, and the very clear water of the River Dove.
The River DoveLimestone crags and scree further up the dale
From Hartington I made my way west through grassy meadows to Hulme end to pick up the Manifold Trail, which I followed for a mile or so down to Ecton. The hilliest part of the day took me over Ecton Hill and Wetton Hill to Wetton village. Even on these relatively low hills there was a strong wind, so I decided the route had been a good choice for the day!
Looking back to Ecton Hill from Wetton Hill
I followed the rim of the Manifold Valley to Castern Hall. From there it was only a short walk on lanes and footpaths through Ilam and Thorpe back to the car.
The Manifold Valley
Just over twenty miles in total, but fairly flat much of the way so not too strenuous! You can see a map of my route here, and my full photo album on Google Photos here.
This weekend was one of sunny spells and showers. I got out both days for walks, each around 90 minutes’ drive from home: on Saturday with Ruth in the northwest of the Peak District, and on Sunday with Amina in the Shropshire Hills.
For Saturday, Ruth and I had again selected somewhere to meet that would be a roughly equal length of drive for the two of us, coming from Hilton and Kendal. This time it was Dovestone Reservoir, a place I’d walked through on previous walks from Crowden but never driven to! We met at 10am at the Binn Green car park and soon set off on the tracks around the back of Dovestone Reservoir then up the hydro access road above Chew Brook up to Chew Reservoir.
Looking down Chew Brook towards Stable StonesLooking over Chew Brook from the dam of Chew Reservoir
From there, we followed the slightly boggy path east over the moor to reach the Pennine Way at Laddow Rocks, then followed that better-built trail north beside Crowden Great Brook to the summit of Black Hill, which was just in the mist as we arrived.
Ruth on the Pennine Way from Crowden up to Black Hill
Descending gently to the northwest, the mist soon cleared again. After a kilometre or so we veered left, leaving the path in favour of the rough moorland at the head of Holme Clough. This was very tussocky at first but the going became a bit easier as we got closer to Birchen Clough. A rough descent down to the stream brought us onto a better-than-expected path that led back up to Raven Stones and back around the edges to Dovestone Reservoir.
Greenfield Reservoir, from Raven StonesDescending to Dovestone and Yeoman Hey Reservoirs
It was lovely to catch up with Ruth again for a few hours of socially-distanced walking in one of the less familiar but more dramatic parts of the Peak District. A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1165836
I had realised that the Long Mynd was only about as far from Lichfield as the middle of the Peak District is from Hilton, so it would offer a sensible destination for a bit of variety on a walk with Amina. I picked Amina up at around 9:15 and we were parked up in Church Stretton just over an hour later. We set off up the popular Carding Mill Valley where plenty of people had parked, but were pleased to find that not many had ventured more than half a mile from the car park and the higher reaches of the valley were unspoilt by the hustle and bustle.
Heading up the Carding Mill ValleyAmina near the top of Carding Mill Valley
Once up on the main ridge, we continued south to the highest point, Pole Bank, pausing to enjoy watching a pony and her foal for a while. The summit gave hazy views west to Heath Mynd, Corndon Hill and the Stiperstones, but sadly the visibility was too poor to see further into Wales this time. We then dropped down into the head of Ashes Hollow for lunch, before continuing all the down this quiet valley to Little Stretton.
A pony and her foal on the Long MyndAshes Hollow
We had enjoyed bright overcast conditions with the odd sunny spell thus far, but a brief thunderstorm arrived as we reached the village so we paused to put on waterproofs and shelter from the worst of it under a tree. Rain continued, more lightly, as we started the ascent the other side of the valley onto Ragleth Hill, but did pretty-much stop by the time we reached the misty summit. The rain and mist cleared back out again completely as we continued north along the ridge, with views of Caer Caradoc and the Clee Hills, and back across the valley to the Long Mynd.
On the ridge of Ragleth Hill
That just a short descent back into Church Stretton. The drive back took longer than anticipated thanks to sitting stationary on the Shrewsbury Bypass for an hour while the emergency services dealt with an accident. Nonetheless, another good day out in good company. A map of our route can be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1167035
This weekend was wetter than any for several months, so I got some chores done at home on the Saturday and only ventured out walking on the Sunday. Jeff and Helen drove up separately and met me at the Cat and Fiddle Inn at 10am for a walk in the Cheshire Peak, nearly three months after our last walk together on The Roaches (just a few miles south) just before the start of lockdown!
The first 45 minutes or so of the walk was in persistent drizzle, over Whetstone Ridge and down into the head of the Dane Valley, but we remained optimistic that the forecast of a drier afternoon would be correct. Sure enough it had pretty much dried up by the time we reached the two pretty stone bridges and waterfall at Three Shire Heads for a short tea break.
Three Shire Heads
We continued around Cut-thorn Hill and over the moor to descend into Wildboarclough, then climbed steeply back up to Shutlingsloe, enjoying views south to The Roaches and north to Shining Tor, and a few sunny spells.
Jeff and Helen on the track around Cut-thorn Hill, with a view of The RoachesShining Tor, from ShutlingsloeLooking towards The Roaches
The busiest section of the walk was along the main stone-flagged path to Macclesfield Forest, where we found a sheltered spot for lunch. We then continued along footpaths and lanes to Lamaload Reservoir, then ascended steeply up Shining Tor from the west, a route I’d only taken once before, and that way back in 2012!
Helen and Jeff below Shining Tor
On reaching the summit of Shining Tor at around quarter to three, we agreed that the direct route back to the Cat & Fiddle would end the day too early, so took a more scenic route, dropping down over Goyt’s Moss then reascending via the lane past Derbyshire Bridge.
It was lovely to spend a full day catching up with Jeff and Helen having only seen them relatively briefly during lockdown. We were lucky with the weather in the end, with no more rain after Three Shire Heads, and the cloud off the tops – although it lingered on Kinder most of the day.
The glorious sunny weather continues so I brought Spring Bank Holiday week to an end (after three days back in the office) with two more walks in the Peak District.
On Saturday it was a solo outing. I decided to head northwest for a walk around the Hayfield skyline, but starting down in Chinley. The route started with an ascent onto Mount Famine to gain the skyline proper, and views towards Kinder Scout. From there I continued up the ridge, over South Head, to Brown Knoll, taking the short detour to visit the trig point at the summit.
Kinder Scout, from Mount FamineSouth Head, from Mount Famine
I dropped down to the top of Jacob’s Ladder, then opted to take the scenic route around Kinder Low End and back up to Red Brook, rather than over Kinder Low itself, a path I’ve only taken once before I think. Having gained the edge of Kinder Scout, I continued past the Downfall and had first lunch near Sandy Heys with great views over Kinder Reservoir and all today’s hills.
Looking down from Kinder Downfall
The stone flagged path west from Mill Hill led me easily down to the main road at Hollinworth Head. From there, I followed quiet footpaths south to Lantern Pike, a great viewpoint for second lunch, before dropping down to Birch Vale and re-ascending to Chinley Churn before dropping back down to Chinley and the car.
Looking over the moors to South Head and Mount Famine (left), Chinley Churn (centre), and Lantern Pike (right)
On Sunday I had arranged to meet up with Heather, Grahame and Ashleigh for a socially-distanced walk from Winster. Okay so it was a day earlier than groups of more than two are technically allowed by the new lockdown rules, but hey who’s checking the small print?! I paused briefly on the drive up to tick off the latest new addition to the list of Derbyshire Tumps: Scarthin Rock above Cromford Mill, which was a good little viewpoint and a worthy place to re-complete this minor hill list!
Cromford Mill, from Scarthin Rock
Once we’d all convened in Winster, we set off north across the valley, down and back up onto Stanton Moor: always a scenic spot and not as busy as I had expected. Having dutifully visited the Cork Stone and Nine Ladies Stone Circle, we followed the lane down through Stanton in Peak, then crossed the fields to Alport.
Looking back over the valley to WinsterGrahame, Heather and Ashleigh on Stanton Moor
We had lunch beside the River Bradford, then followed the Limestone Way up over the pastures to the rocky outcrop of Robin Hood’s Stride. A few boulderers were enjoying the rocks but the summit itself was again pretty quiet. From there it was only a short walk back across the valley and into Winster.
Ashleigh, Heather and Grahame on Robin Hood’s Stride
Another great weekend in my local hills, and great to walk with company again on the Sunday. Hopefully the Covid-19 R value remains low enough that we will continue to be permitted to do this kind of thing, as it makes lockdown so much more bearable!
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