PERISHING COLD ON THE GREAT RIDGE

With the heavy snow we have had we decided we really needed to go somewhere that wouldn't be a quagmire. So we headed to Castleton with the Great Ridge in our sights.

It's the school holidays, half term, and since we neither of us have children of school age anymore it comes as a bit of surprise to see so many cars about. However, most are heading for the attractions of the caves and we park on the road close to the bottom of Winnats Pass from where we can see Hang Gliders off the top of Mam Tor.


We decide on walking up the pass, something we rarely do given how steep it is, and as we get higher we remind ourselves why it is such a rarity!

At the top we are on the road for a short distance but cross over to go through a gate that will take us across a field rather than sticking to the road. There's still some snow up here, not surprising really, and it is bitterly cold.

Once through the gate at the far side it is the pull up the slope of Mam Tor in a couple of stages. The last part, the anti-erosion steps up to the summit, is where we really start to feel the wind chill, so we edge to the side and find a sheltered area inside one of the old ramparts to eat lunch and warm ourselves up with coffee. Lemon Meringue pies for bun today. They are certainly very tangy but they need ungloved fingers to eat so they are consumed quickly. It certainly isn't a day to linger, and as soon as we have done we are off again.

The last stretch up to the summit is very busy, as is the area aroundn the trig point, but we pass on by, pleased to be moving. A number of people are coming towards us from the opposite direction and they all, without exception, have bright red, wind-blown faces. It is really extremely cold, the wind having a massive effect.

We keep moving, as swiftly as possible, until we reach Hollins Cross and take the right hand path downhill. The difference is amazing, within a few feet the wind drops and it is noticeably warmer. We decide to slow down a bit!

It is a steep and rocky path down, with a boggy bit about half way which requires some nimble footwork, then we are down to the gate onto the old narrow lane. As expected there is mud and running water here, but not an excessive amount.

A straight walk not into the back of Castleton, through the car park and up the road to the cars. We have avoided most of the mud and slush today, which is good, but we certainly felt the cold due to the wind.

Happy New Year 2018

We start a New Year with a visit to an old friend. Yes, back to Derwent to try to ease away a few of the accumulated pounds that Christmas brings. We neither are feeling terribly active, so plump for a familiar walk that will take little effort, mentally or physically. But we will do it in reverse, for a smidge more interest.

Our usual car parking spot is still thankfully free of parking meters, but we wonder how long for as they seem to be creeping alongside the reservoirs at a rate of knots. No doubt by summer there will be no free parking at all.

It's pleasantly mild (ish) for the time of year and there are quite a few people about considering it is mid week. Still, we set off with high hopes and a spring in our step. It is so good to be out.

The dam is overflowing - not too much but enough to make it look rather attractive rather than scary. And it is scary when the water comes thundering over in a white wall of sheer energy and power.

We take the steep path up the side and emerge onto the track, which we follow and give Mollie the chance to be off the lead for a while.

As usual, it is quieter at this side of the reservoirs with all the people clustering around Fairholmes. We carry on until we find the steep path up to our right - did I say we were taking it easy today?

Quite muddy at the bottom, and climbing rapidly it is a bit of a pull (and a paddle with the overflowing stream) but we are getting lovely views behind us.

It is worth pausing to look back from time to time, for the views and to have a breather. Too much Christmas pud! The distant clouds look quite ominous though.

We reach the 4-way footpath sign and turn right. It's relatively level now - we are quite high up, and as we cross the moor we are alone. This, we remind ourselves, is what it is all about.

Over the stile at the top and we start looking for our lunch spot. It's fairly bleak up here, but there is a stone wall and after a bit of scouting we find a couple of large flat stones and, with our backs to the wall and our faces to the view, we settle down for lunch.

Plans of dieting are thrown to the four winds when PC produces two homemade apple turnovers (made by her daughter) and they are superb. Mollie is hopeful, but unsuccessful. She must satisfy herself with dog biscuits!

It is quite chilly sat here, despite our wind shelter, so as soon as we have finished eating we move on.

It is flat and a little boggy here, and we meet the only two other walkers this high up, two similarly aged women. Great minds, and all that.

The views range as far as Lost Lad and Mam Tor in a 180 degree sweep, and for a brief spell the sun comes out.

The moors are lit up looking golden and inviting, but the photos don't show how cold it has actually become.

The descent down towards the reservoirs gives us more good views.

But once we get close to the trees the views disappear and we are on a slightly muddy track making our way to the narrow road around the side of Ladybower.

By the time we reach the bottom the winter sun is already dropping rapidly, the clouds are amassing and the temperature is starting to fall. We have, however, managed to have a dry and extremely good first walk of the New Year.

Anti-Clockwise Along the Ridge

A sparkling, crisp and very very cold day for our last walk of the year. 

We park up in Castleton and are surprised at how few people are about, given that the weather is so good. We have a vague plan for a walk, choosing a reverse of one of our favourites in this area. Hopefully we will have good views from the ridge.

We along the path next to the small stream and onto Hollowford Road. Here we realised how cold it really is with large swathes of the tarmac covered in sheet ice. We gingerly tiptoe across.

The lane turns to a track and we have a lovely view ahead of us of the Great Ridge and Mam Tor.

We are carrying straight on and the track degrades to a path that is a running stream at the moment. But not just water, ice crystals have built up and caution is required. At least it isn't muddy, which can be the summer state of this path.

Once off the path we are onto the grassy moor, with a number of options, but we choose to go more or less straight ahead start our climb up to Hollins Cross. It's quite steep but we are in the lee of the wind so we aren't cold - quite the opposite. But once at the top we are rewarded with splendid views - and a buffeting by the wind!

Certainly no lingering. That wind is bitterly cold, so it's hoods up, zips zipped and gloves on. There are quite a few more people up here and they are all heavily muffled,

We follow the path a short distance then drop down again to a cosy hollow that faces the valley and keeps the wind to our backs. Time for lunch, the all important coffee and our pre-Christmas buns - fresh cream puff pastry mince pies. And keeping in with the festive spirit, a nip from the secret flask.

It really is too cold to sit for long, though, and the sun seems to be giving up the unequal struggle against advancing clouds. We set off again up the path and find ourselves battling against a gale. It is coming from the Edale side and almost blowing us over, especially as the path climbs. The wind chill is so great that our fingers are starting to feel cold, and that is with us both weather insulated skiing gloves. It is impossible to say 'hello' to other walkers as we are all completely muffled up.

We don't pause at the summit - been there, done that, too cold anyway - but as soon as we begin the drop down the other side the wind abates. The difference is quite remarkable!

We drop down the path to the road then choose to cross over towards the Blue John Cavern and thus return via the 'old' road. Big mistake. The path is, in places, a sea of mud. However, we do manage to cross without making a spectacle of ourselves and eventually emerge onto the road.

And coming towards us is a man taking his hawk out for a walk. It is an impressive Harris Hawk (though a walker coming from the other direction calls it an eagle!) but we don't stop to chat, others are eager to do that.

We head towards the 'old' road, but the one we are on has to be negotiated first, and there are some really slippery parts.

Once through the gate we see the flooded stretch, usually easily crossed by stepping stones, but that seems out of the question today, so we head 'upstream' to find a less onerous crossing place.

Then we are onto the 'old' broken road with its undulating curves of fractured surfaces. All downhill now, and a steady trek along the usable road towards Castleton.

The sky is darkening fast, dusk comes early, and maybe there is a hint of more bad weather to come (I get a message to say there is a blizzard blowing at home, a little over 30 miles away) so we get ready to go. We aren't sure at the time, but this will be our last walk before Christmas so Best Wishes to everyone and Happy Walking.

ROUND HATHERSAGE WITH THE DYNAMIC DUO!

We've extra company this week. Joining us and our regular doggy pal, Mollie (border collie), is Scamp (not a border collie!!!) Scamp, a rescue dog, belongs to PC's daughter and her partner and today his usual job of joining his master at work has been postponed, so he's coming with us instead.

We park in the car park near the leisure centre and pay the maximum charge. Last time we did this walk we did the same and needed the extra time. We head down the alleyway at the side of the car park and into the village, crossing the road and turning right.

We follow the narrow lane between the houses then turn left, hunting for a path on our right to take us up towards the church.

There are workmen in the church, not that we were going to visit, but we do pause at the parking meter next to Little John's grave. 

We go through the gate at the end and go left until we reach a gate into a muddy field. Nothing for it, we head through the gloopy mess.

The ​path swings right and up to a lane. Perhaps we could have avoided the mud by taking a slightly different route!

We walk up the lane, pausing to admire the snowdrops and the gnarly roots of the trees growing on the bank.

When the path splits, with the right one going towards Toothill Farm, we head in that direction. There are some glorious views towards Mam Tor covered in snow!

We continue uphill, it's a little slippy underfoot but not too grim. Last time we were here we inadvertently followed a right-hand path, but this time we are prepared and keep our eyes open for one on our left. Sure enough, there it is.

We follow it uphill through the next field.

And come to a barb wire fence!

After a quick look around we follow the fence to a wall and a gate into the access land. Again, the views are superb.

We follow the path through the mood and onto a farm lane which leads, in turn, to the road up from Hatersage. We follow this until we reach the road beneath Stanage Edge.

We follow this road down aiming for the picnic site near Stanage Plantation. Here we can sit comfortably with coffee, sandwiches and buns. Or rather, early, cream filled, hot cross buns. Yum. 

We head away from our picnic, retracing our steps to the toilets.

Then leaving the views of the edge behind us we take the downward track toward North Lees Hall.

From here it's steadily downhill, and at the bottom of the sweeping driveway we turn left, clamber over an awkward stile on our right, then negotiate a rather slippery path adjacent to Cowclose with its spectacular metal stag sculpture.

From here it's a pretty direct route across the fields, slippery in places but the sun is out which makes it so much better.

Of course, we aren't long before we are walking back through the churchyard and through the village. And it hasn't taken us anything like as long as we had anticipated.

ENCORE WINNATS PASS

For some reason we always seem to gravitate towards Castleton when the weather is grim, and today is no exception. But it would be nice to see the area in nice weather for once!

We meet, as usual, in the big car park where there is only one coachload of unfortunate schoolchildren today. This place is a Mecca for school groups, either from primary schools or those doing GCSEs and A levels. From this car park we head up the road towards Mam Tor where we can park on the roadside for free during the week.

It is cold but at least the early rain has stopped so we don't feel the need for the full waterproof gear. We don't have Mollie today though, as she has moved house and PC isn't quite sure where she lives now. 
 

We hadn't planned a route before arriving here so we have a quick discussion, decide on something not too ambitious due to time constraints, and head on up towards Winnats Pass to do a familiar walk, but in reverse.

And by the time we are pulling up the steep grass verge of the pass we remember why we usually come down instead of up!

One thing that we did see on our way up, that we usually miss as we slip and slide our normal descent, is this commemoration plaque dedicated to those who campaigned for our national parks and public access. It is worth remembering, and being thankful, that without these forward-thinking and hardy people we would not be enjoying our hiking as we do.

The water is running down the road and the verge in small rivulets so it is pretty heavy going walking up the steep hill whilst trying to maintain our footing. At least it isn't windy though, and it is good to see the views in the opposite direction.

We take a gate onto a path that runs beside a stone wall and climbs through a field adjacent to the road. We usually emerge from a gate higher up, we had never noticed this before - another sign of how different things can be in reverse order.

Careful of the slippery limestone underfoot we come out back onto the road just before the cattle grid then continue up to the main road where, after a brief discussion, we turn right. We keep on the road then go right again towards the Blue John Cavern. This is a road that goes nowhere, the old road destroyed by the Shivering Mountain, yet there are still a few cars trying their luck, then turning around. The cavern doesn't seem to be doing much business.

We find a bench with a good view (which sadly includes the cement works) and settle down to eat, drink and gossip. But first we layer up. There is a keen breeze up here which, coupled with the cold temperatures, is biting.

A nip from PC's flask warms us up, then it is coffee, sandwiches and lovely gooey fresh cream choux buns. The buns can make anything worthwhile!

We sit talking for a while but eventually the cold gets too much so we pack up and set off again, this time we are going down the destroyed road. At one point we wonder how we usually get up it as there just appears to be a huge drop, but the footpath is at the side and is a gentle route. Again, it is surprising how different somewhere familiar can appear when approached from the opposite direction.
 

We wonder if the road has shifted some more since our last walk here. It is hard to tell, and it may just be our different approach, but it seems to have moved a bit.

Despite the murkiness, though, we do have splendid views over to the Great Ridge.

Eventually we are back on stable tarmac, although that too appears to be a little more undulating than last time. We have a good view of the rear of the old Odin Mine which looks like a promising place to look at some time in the future.

The gateway to the area in front of the mine is a mini-lake but we decide to go and have a closer look. We find that, not only is the gateway a paddling pool, but the whole grassy area is waterlogged and we have to skirt around it on slightly higher ground to avoid being soaked.

The path behind the mine entrance looks intreguing but doesn't appear to go anywhere. Exploration today, though, is out of the question. We do clamber up to the main mine entrance to have a nosey, but it is dark and eerie. Perhaps another time.

From here we backtrack and it is only a steady walk downhill, past Treak Cliff Cavern, towards our cars. It hasn't been a terribly long walk but already the light is leeching out of the sky. Getting home to the warm feels like a very good idea.