I’ve just got home from a fantastic meet up in the Peak District with my friends from Social Hiking – ShareYourAdventure.com. It was great to finally meet some of the people who I’ve been chatting to for the last year or so, we have all become friends while Sharing our Adventures on this fantastic website that was created by Phil Sorrel. The weekend event took place at Monsal Head but I could only make the Friday night and Saturday daytime due to other commitments.
Padley Gorge
Friday was a great day indeed, I had been out filming that day with another twitter friend and landscape Videographer Terrybnd. He is producing a video for Karrimor and I am his model for this particular shoot (More Details of this to follow very soon). We started by heading to Curbar Edge to get a few shots but eventually made our way to Padley Gorge near Grindleford. I had not been to this lower part of the Gorge before and was very impressed by it. I have walked the upper part in the past while out Geocaching but it was nice to finally explore it’s entire length.
Terrybnd in action at Padley Gorge
Headstone Tunnel
We called off at Monsal to record some footage of Karrimor’s new footwear on the viaduct, then some quick shots in the Headstone Tunnel, we then got back in the car again and headed over for a quick visit to the Royal Oak at Hurdlow. As the weather was pretty flat today we deciding not to film any more and made our way to the Park House Campsite at Monsal Head to await the arrival of the others for the meet up.
Tim, Terry, Phil & Angel at Park House Campsite
Terry's Terra Nova Tarp
A great night was had by all in the Stable Bar at the Monsal Head Hotel and I retired to the tent only to be rudely awoken by the crows in the trees above at around 4am. I had a rather thick head from the fine ales consumed so I stuck my headphones in and managed to drop back off to sleep.
After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Terry who was heading home and the rest of us set off on a walk down Monsal Dale. We were following a route I had walked before which I originally started in Bakewell (Peak District – Bakewell and Monsal Loop).
The weather today was not too bad considering that in the previous weeks we seem to have had nothing but rain. It was rather grey and the sky was a very flat white which didn’t make for very good photographic conditions, I had to stick to using my iPhone to take a few snaps of the day.. basically I had no choice as foolishly I had forgotten to bring my DSLR 🙂
Monsal Dale
Entrance to the Head Stone Tunnel from the Headstone Viaduct at Monsal
The Wier on the River Wye at Monsal
We had a great wander down Monsal Dale while chatting and taking in the stunning views. We then crossed over the road and headed up along the path into Great Shacklow Woods.
The Packhorse Bridge at Ashford-in-the-water
The route we took then rises and falls back down to follow the River Wye to Ashford-in-the-Water, we decided that it would be another perfect opportunity to sample the local ales by stopping of at the Bull’s Head. I only had a shandy as it was fast approaching the time for me to make my way back to the car to head home, I said my goodbyes and then headed straight back up the road to the campsite where I had left my car.
It was nice to finally meet up with so many great people who have been using ShareYourAdventure.com for what seems like a long time now. I really hope to see them all again soon at another event in the not too distant future. So what am I doing tonight? Well… I’m heading to Nottingham to see Thin Lizzy and Guns N’ Roses, admittedly it is a very stark contrast to the last couple of days but as they say variety is the spice of life :-).
There are some times when just one day out on the hills just isn’t enough.. well.. I suppose one day is never enough really when I come to think about it. I have been doing lots of day walks in the Peak District lately so I thought it was about time that I chucked my tent in my bag and headed out for 2 days. As luck would have it I had 2 days spare so I consulted my mate Andy and a plan was set.
Andy decided that he could join me for 2 days of walking and I would Wild Camp alone inbetween as he had other commitments that night. We met up in Matlock yesterday morning at around 09:30, I chucked all my kit in his car and we made our way to Hope which was to be the start point of our walk on day 1. We had chosen to have another wander around the famous Edale Skyline Route which is a fantastic route which is ideal if you have a full day spare. We got on the way just after 10:00 and the first peak of the day was Lose Hill.
The Great Ridge from Lose Hill
Lose Hill stands at the end of the Great Ridge, it has amazing 360 Degree views and in my opinion has to be one of the top 10 vantage points in the whole of the Peak District. We arrived at the top in what seemed like no time at all and I quickly began to put my waterproofs on as the rain moved in from the west. A very friendly sheep came over to say hello, or more specifically try and extract some food from us. She had a nice rummage around my bag before deciding to give up and then wander off very displeased. I have since had a conversation with a handful of other hikers on Twitter who have come across the same scenario on Lose Hill, I posted a picture along with the ewes tag number and it turns out they had encountered the exact same one 🙂
Hope Cement Works
After Lose Hill we walked westward along the Great Ridge towards Back Tor, there was hardly anyone else about at this point which was surprising as this place is usually busy no matter what day you come.
Grindsbrook from Back Tor
Hollins Cross
After Back Tor we headed to Hollins Cross and then begun ascending up to Mam Tor. The rain which had been threatening most of the morning arrived for a short time here. Mam Tor was its usually busy self as the crowds love it here, it’s just so easily accessible from the carpark which is only a hop skip and a jump from the summit.
Mam Tor from Back Tor
After Mam Tor we crossed the road, headed along Rushup Edge over Lord’s Seat and then swung north west to Brown Knoll. It’s now time to stick in one of my disclaimers… A Bog Disclaimer. This section up towards the top of Brown Knoll can become very boggy indeed after rain, we have had some serious rainfall over the last 3 weeks so it was very moist under foot 🙂
After picking our way through the bog of eternal stench / misty marshes we eventually made it up to the trig at SK 1330 8511. I like it up here, it never seems to be crowded at all and the vantage point lower down at Horsehill Tor is superb. Anyway, back to today. The newly constructed path that leads towards the Pennine Way near Edale Cross has been well laid. Even if it looks rather sterile at times I’m 100% aware of the good it will eventually do as it keeps us off the peat.
We stopped for a quick lunch break after joining the Pennine Way, the view down Jacob’s Ladder to Upper Booth is was as stunning as ever. After our short stop we left the Pennine Way then swung towards Pym Chair, the next section across the boulder field to Crowden Tower was as boggy as ever. We crossed Crowden Brook and then made our way over to the top of Grindsbrook. We hit some traffic here as there were plenty of school groups out around this area today.
Win Hill
Next came Upper Tor with its marvellous rock formations, the rain really started lashing down at this point and I did feel for the groups of kids who were getting a soaking. Andy and I however stayed dry in our Goretex jackets. Thankfully the rain moved on towards Win Hill and I managed to capture a few moody looking images of the view in that direction.
Heading for Hope Cross
We had some impressive pace at this point and the march was on as we descended down Crookstone Hill. We reached the now famous (to me anyway) sign that points you in the direction of Hope Cross, I had to take another picture as this little rock has become the logo for PeakRoutes.com 🙂
Wild Country Zephyros 1
Once we got down to Hope Cross it was time for Andy and I to part company. As the rain arrived again heavier than ever, Andy headed down the Roman Road towards Hope and I sought cover in the trees. This really heavy burst of rain lasted around 30mins so I took the opportunity to check the map and decided where I would camp. I then continued on in the rain for a few more minutes until I reached Wooller Knoll, I quickly made my way back into the forest and found a nice little spot to pitch. The wind was fairly strong so I chose a spot that was back from the edge of the forest, the noise of the breeze rushing through the trees wasn’t so loud further in so it was ideal.
Wild Country Zephyros 1
This was the 2nd time I had used my Terra Nova Wild Country Zephyros 1 and I must say i’m very happy with it indeed. It cost me around £100 and it is perfect for what I want. It’s sturdy, pretty lite and relatively roomy for a 1 man tent of this price range. Once pitched I decided to relaxed inside for half an hour or so while I waited for the weather to pass. Thankfully it did and I appeared back out into rays of light streaming into the forest from over towards the west.
I made some dinner, drank some coffee and relaxed beside the tent while listening to some AudioBoos. I even recorded a quick Boo of my own which you can find below. It was great to have some quiete time and have a chance to reflect on my surroundings. I feel at home in the forest as my friends and I have spent many a happy night amongst the pines while Bushcrafting.
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I eventually decided to call it a night at around 22:00 and retired to the tent feeling thoroughly relaxed after a great days walk in great company.
Wild Camping in the Woods
I awoke a few times during the night, mainly because of my old Alpkit Matt deflating on me. I’ve used and abused my Alpkit Wee Airic over the last 6 or 7 years so i’m not surprised its finally given up. If i’m completely honest, it gave up a few years ago but i’ve just been making do with it :-). The rain had been intermittent throughout the night but thankfully the sun came out as I stuck my head out of the tent at around 06:30.
I made myself some breakfast, boiled more water for a few cups of coffee and then packed away. I recorded myself dismantling the tent which you can see in the YouTube Video that is embedded further up in the post. I stowed away the Zephyros 1 in its stuff sack, chucked all my gear inside my rucksack and left for another day of walking without leaving any trace of my presence at camp.
Vale of Edale
I appeared out of the forest and was blessed with stunning sunny views down in the Vale of Edale. It was around 08:00 and there was not a soul in sight. I had arranged to meet Andy at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn so took a few pictures and got on my way.
Ladybower plughole
I had a gentle walk down hill taking in my surroundings as I knew Andy wouldn’t be at the pub until around 10:00. The walk down through the forest is rather nice as the Ashophton Viaduct comes into view down at Ladybower. As we have had lots of rain in recent weeks I found that the “Plug Holes” were being utilised which is a impressive sight to behold. I must say that they do look like a gateway to another dimension or something straight out of a science fiction movie.
Accent up Win Hill
Andy was bang on time and he was getting kitted up by the car as I walked around the corner from the dam wall. I decided to stow my overnight gear in the boot of his car as I would no longer need any of it. We then headed off to ascend back up to Win Hill via the very direct path which heads up from SK 1969 8502. Its a sharp accent but it has to be one of my favourite little climbs in the entire Peak District, It would feel pretty punishing after a long day but we were still pretty fresh so we breezed to the top with ease (ish) 🙂
Hope Cement Works from Win Hill
Once out of the forest its only a short walk to the summit of Win Hill. The weather was being pretty kind to us and the rain was staying away. It was pretty blustery up top and I sheltered behind a rock while having some more food. I’ve got used to the sight of the Hope Cement Works now days but if we are honest its a bit of an eye sore. I have no idea about the history or future of the works but I can’t help but think it kind of spoils one of the nicest areas in the Peak.
The Great Ridge from Win Hill
After our short break on Win Hill we headed of the summit and begun walking towards Hope Cross. The sun was still showing its face every now an then and we made good progress as we picked up the Roman Road. We had chosen to do a shorter route today so it wasn’t long before we were making our descent into the Woodlands Valley and down towards the River Ashop.
Vale of Edale from Hope Cross
We had originally considered the idea of heading towards Alport Dale and then looping back via Rowlee Pasture. The sight of the deep water rushing across the ford where the Roman Road crosses the River Ashop put us off that plan. We decided to take in a new section of footpath that we hadn’t walked before, we swung back east towards Ladybower and followed the course of the River Ashop Silt Trap.
River Ashop Silt Trap
The walk through Blackley Hey Wood is rather gentle and pleasant. We were certainly ready for a more relaxed wander today as yesterday’s challenge route around the Edale Skyline had taken its toll on our legs a little. It wasn’t long before we reached the banks of Ladybower and begun walking along the forestry track that is also used by anglers. It was a nice coincidence that we ran into a family friend who is a warden with the Ladybower Fisheries who i’d been meaning to drop in on for some time. He had said months ago that I should call in for a coffee if I was ever passing, me being me I had never managed to find the time after a walk.
It wasn’t long before we were weaving around the final few corners and the wall of Ladybower dam came into view. We could almost taste the refreshments at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn as we walked past the Plughole’s and along the wall itself. We quickly chucked our gear in the car and headed to the bar to toast a couple of great days out in the glorious Dark Peak. Thanks for reading and I hope to have more Peak District Wild Camping posts for you very soon.
I really enjoy getting out for the day for a big walk, its great to get up early and stretch the legs from sunrise to sunset. day walks always leave me with the same feeling though, sadness that its over so quickly and the need to get back out again as soon as possible. As daylight hours are now increasing the weather seems to be gradually improving from week to week, I though it was high time I dusted off the camping gear and headed out for a multi wander.
I was sitting at home and looking at books on our bookshelf, a particular set of books caught my eye. I have a set of Wainwright Guides to the Lake District Fells and I randomly selected one then begun reading. Then it dawned on me, Why not head off for a few days and go for a spot of Wild Camping and Walking while continuing my quest to tick off all the Wainwright Fells. I took a quick picture of my Wainwright Guides along with some Ordnance Survey maps then posted it on Twitter, “hhmmmm… Where to go walking in the Lake District this weekend??”. Within around 4 or 5 minutes i’d had an invite from a couple of my twitter friends Alex and Chris who were heading out for a 3 day / 2 night wildcamping adventure. They forwarded me a GPX file detailing the route they planned to take and I decided It would have been rude to say no given how perfectly things were taking shape. The plan was set, the times were arranged and my camping gear was being unearthed from the garage. Off to the Lake District I go.
I set off from home at around 09:00 and headed straight for the M1, I had been and picked up plenty of supplies the day before which allowed me to get on the way relatively early. The plan was to meet Alex & Chris at Seathwaite in Borrowdale at 14:00 and we would then set off on our little wander. One thing led to another and Chris was subjected to a series of unfortunate disasters so it meant that he would meet up with us later that evening. I drove up the M1, M18, A1 and then took the A66 west from Scotch Corner all the way to Keswick. I was running pretty early so after a very brief stop (toilet break) I decided that I would head for Ashness Bridge and enjoy the sunshine before making my way down to Seathwaite.
Ashness Bridge is one of those places that is burned in the mind from my childhood. We spent a lot of time in the Lakes when we were younger and my grandmother made a Patchwork recreation of Ashness Bridge that she has hung in her home. I had never been to Ashness before so it was really great to finally stand and look at a view that has always been so familiar to me. As I sat there at the side of the river taking in the views I gave my grandmother a ring and said “You’ll never guess where I am” 🙂
After a very relaxing half an hour or so by the stream I decided that it was about time I got to my final destination so I could park the car. I made it down into Seathwaite for around 13:15, I parked up and then begun to get my kit ready and double check that I’d remembered to bring everything. I couldn’t resist making an AudioBoo as I arrived which is embedded below.
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While I was relaxing in the sun waiting for the arrival of Alex a familiar looking gentleman walked along the road towards me, “Are you Dean Read” he said. It was Gary, another one of my twitter friends who had decided to join us at the last moment. I had not really had a great deal of signal most of the morning so it was a nice surprise to have more company for the next few days. Alex arrived at 14:00 and it wasn’t long at all before we were walking back up the road towards Seatoller, after a quick walk across a field we then began the accent up to Rosthwaite Fell. The weather today was absolutely stunning, just the right temperature and the haze that had blighted the landscape in recent weeks had all but vanished from the atmosphere.
The accent up towards Tarn at Leaves was rather sharp in places but over relatively quick, we chatted pretty much all the way up so before we knew it we were there. We stashed our bags near the tarn and then headed for the summit of Rosthwaite Fell. a quick scramble up to the cairn and that was Wainwright number 1 of the weekend safely in the bag. Back down to the tarn we went, picked up the bags and begun the undulating attack on Glaramara.
The path from Rosthwaite to Glaramara is rather rough at times. we crossed a few boggy patches of moorland and then had a great little scramble up on to the very top. The views were just getting better and better today.
After Glaramara we headed due south straight past high house tarn for Allen Crags. The light was slowly fading as we spotted a figure that was moving up along the path from Sprinkling Tarn. It was Chris, we rendezvoused at Esk Hause where we decided would be a perfect place to pitch up for the night.
The cloud was rolling up the valley from Eskdale which was starting to look like the beginnings of an inversion. we looked towards the east and the sun was setting over the top of Great End. We decided that a quick jaunt up Esk Pike would be a good idea and a great opportunity to get some nice images.
From the summit of Esk Pike the inversion looked stunning. The cloud was like a sea of white and the peaks down the valley were just popping through as the sun set to the west. Over towards Great Gable the cloud had begun spilling over the top and rushing down the sides to Sty Head. Down Borrowdale I could see the twinkling lights of Keswick in the distance and the majestic heights of Skiddaw standing guard behind. We spent a good half an hour or so up there soaking in the panoramas before deciding to retire back to the tents for some food. It wasn’t long before we all called it a day, I lay in my new Terra Nova Wild Country Zephyros 1 pondering what a great day it had been and feeling great satisfaction about being back up in the LakeLand fells once more.
I had rather a restless sleep if I’m completely honest, I wasn’t too cold, The weather had been rather still. Sadly it was my sleeping mats constant need to deflate that made it a rather long night. I have an old Alpkit Wee Airic, when I say old I mean around 6 years old but sadly it is now past its best. It began to let me down last time I used it which was on the West Highland Way last year. I totally forgot about replacing it so its my own fault really, I have had many nights of comfortable use out of it so I feel I’ve had my pennies worth.
We awoke around 07:00 and I begun to make my breakfast. I am still using my trusty old Coleman Stove with what my friends and I have affectionately named the Jiminy Cricket. I’m not quite sure why we decided to call it that but it’s basically the tiniest little attachment made by Coleman to fit atop one of their gas canisters. Both Gary and Alex had come equipped with JetBoil stoves which I was really impressed by. I have been making do with my old gear for years now so it is definitely time to upgrade in some areas I feel. The piece of Kit that surprised me the most was Chris’ stove, I’m not overly sure exactly what model it was as I’m not fully educated on these things but… basically, it boiled water within literally 20 seconds from cold. how is that possible? not just technically possible but physically 🙂 top marks to Chris for that life changing demo.
The light was stunning this morning once the cloud had cleared a little, the views down towards Eskdale where the cloud inversion had been last night were particularly impressive. We packed all our gear away and headed off for Great End just before 09:00.
The summit of Great End arrived rather quickly as its only a short walk up from Esk Hause, that’s what I love about wild camping in the hills. when you pitch high the hard work is already done so you can just concentrate on enjoying the views.
I am resisting the want to type out many superlative words, phrases and jargon here. I will just say that the views from Great End this morning were amazing in the fresh early light of a new day.
The next Wainwright of the day after Great End was Lingmell, we had to cross Ill Crag, Broad Crag, then descend between there and Scafell Pike.
The descent down this little section was pretty steep and a spot of Scree Skiing fun was had by all. We made a quick stop just at the top of Piers Gill to refill our water supplies before heading up towards Lingmell which was to be Wainwright number 6 of the trip.
We had expected to see another one of our Twitter friends Peter and his trusty sidekick Oscar the dog on the summit, little did we know he was laying down basking in the sun just off down the slope towards Wast Water. We had planned to meet Peter and Oscar on Lingmell but as the signal was iffy we fired off a few tweets with details of our plans and headed back down off the summit.
Back down at the top of Piers Gill we picked up the Corridor Route, we passed many groups of people who must have been heading up to bag Scafell Pike today. Sadly for them the cloud had begun to roll in from the west and it had begun to drop below the heights of the surrounding summits, no views from the top for them today.
We arrived at Sty Head Tarn and decided it would be a perfect moment to break out the food. We chatted and ate as the cloud thankfully began to lift ever so slightly. We then noticed a figure running down the Corridor Route towards us that was being shadowed by a hound. It was Peter and Oscar catching up with us after enjoying the sun on the opposite side of Lingmell.
We all chatted for a good 45 minutes or so before we packed away and begun the accent up Great Gable. I’ve done this route up the mighty Gable from Sty Head before when I came for a Solo Wildcamp a few years ago, I knew it was going to be steep and unrelenting. Gary and I decided that the best plan of attack was to put our heads down and just go for it, that’s what we did. We powered on up higher and higher. I resisted the need to look around and I also put my GPS away so I didn’t give in to the temptation to check our altitude. My calf muscles and energy levels felt invincible so In what seemed like no time at all we were on the summit. It felt great to once again be admiring the 360 degree views on what is my favorite Lakeland Fell. To be honest I think I had built the climb up in my mind a little, last time I was here my pack weight was a lot heavier so today it was a breeze.
I think we must have spent around 45 minutes up there today, I took plenty of pictures, sent out a couple of tweets and recorded a 360 Degree video on my iPhone.
We headed off the summit of Great Gable down towards the next Wainwright of the day which was Green Gable. the slippery and rock descent down to Windy Gap was over quickly and then all that was left was a quick accent up on to the summit.
Green Gable stands side by side with Great Gable at the head of Ennerdale, it’s a place I have visited in my childhood many times. I have also walked here with my friend Stevo in recent years, memories of that 2 Day Wildcamping Adventure came flooding back as I stood gazing towards Haystacks and down to the Black Sail Youth Hostel.
Base Brown was to be our last fell of the day, Side by side we walked and talked across the moor and then up on to the grassy summit. It was here where we decided that the lure of the pub down in the valley was too great, instead of pitching up early on Base Brown we chose to head down to the campsite at Seathwaite.
We pitched up at the campsite and quickly got ourselves ready for a few drinks to celebrate a great couple of days. we chose to head around the valley to The Langstrath Country Inn. I think we had half expected it to be empty but we were surprised to find it heaving with people. We took up the last remaining seats at the bar and toasted a job well done.
The next day Alex and I decided that it would be rude not to tick off the last remaining fell in the area which was Seathwaite Fell. We had walked in the hills surrounding it for 2 days so it would have been a shame to leave it unclimbed.
The weather was perfect this morning, glorious sunshine with just a slight cold bite in the air. We headed up towards Sty Head tarn where we had had lunch the day before and then swung east towards Sprinkling Tarn.
We spotted a few Wild Campers who had pitched up by the banks of Sprinkling tarn. They had a few rather large tents with them and it was now 09:45. The unwritten rule or generally accepted code when wild camping is to pitch late then leave early, this group of people obviously had other ideas.
In no time at all we were stood on the summit of Seathwaite Fell ticking off the final remaining Wainwright in this area. We stayed for a very short while before heading straight off the summit via the most direct route down towards the path at Styhead Gill. We chatted all the way down and before I knew it we were back at the cars and this adventure had drawn to a close.
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I’d like to say a big thank you to Alex and Chris for the invite to join them this weekend. I’d also like to say what a pleasure it was to finally meet up with them and also with Gary, Peter and Oscar. The power of twitter made this weekend possible and I’m sure it wont be long before our paths cross again. We had climbed a total of 10 Wainwright Fells, of which 9 were all new ones for me. I have currently only climbed 45 of the Wainwrights but this weekend has renewed my need to complete them.
Those of you who are regular visitors to my site will know I’m a huge fan of Social Hiking (shareyouradventure.com). A few months ago a great new feature called “Combi Map” was introduced, Obviously the name is pretty self explanatory but it basically allows you to combine a number of different maps into one.
I’ve been doing a lot of walking in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District so I thought it was about time I shared my map here. I have combined all my walks into this map above which currently contains 10 different routes, they each individually contain tons of images, video, tweets an AudioBoos.
My collection of routes and maps is growing week by week as there is a wealth of routes to choose from. I’ve made it my mission to walk every inch (or as near as possible) of the Dark Peak, thanks to the genius developers of Social Hiking I now have an easy way of tracking my progress.
I mentioned in a very recent blog post how I have a great passion for seeking out new routes in the Peak District. I really enjoy finding a spot on the map where I haven’t visited and then trying to plot a nice route to get to know that area a little better. Today’s route was plotted for that very reason, I have walked the Northern Edge of Kinder Scout a handful of times before but i have never approached from the Ashop Valley side. I decided it was high time that I paid it a visit so I plotted a nice route in ViewRanger and off I went to explore.
It’s always nice to find new routes while out walking, go new places, see new things or just explorer your surroundings. That’s pretty much what I have been doing for the last year or so in the Peak District. The Peak has a hell of a lot to offer, from dramatic edges, to vast moorland landscapes and breathtaking views aplenty. I don’t really have favourites, as having them means you like somewhere or something less. I do however have a route which I can say I have favoured more than others. The route in question is one that I have done 100+ times but it never gets old to me, simply because it has it all.
The route I’m talking about is the one above, Kinder Scout from Hayfield. As I said before I have done this route hundreds of times in the past. My friend Stevo and I did this route pretty much every week for 2 years. It holds a special place in my heart and it’s one that I would recommend with no fear of it disappointing. The edge path is a classic route which is no stranger to the crowds in summer, don’t let that put you off. it passes the locations of a historical trespass, a future Alien evacuation, spots of scientific significance and wreckage sites with stories of tragedy. If you decide you want to get away from it all then look no further, as true isolation and the feeling of loneliness are just a few footsteps away from the edge.
I set off from home this morning and headed straight for Bowden Bridge car park near Hayfield. As I was getting all my kit together I recorded a quick section of today’s AudioBoo. I had decided to record a different sort of Boo today, the iPhone app lets you pause while recorded so I thought a step by step guide Boo would be interesting. I had already recorded the first part while at home outlining todays plans so just gave a quick update on the weather conditions.
We set off walking and the first port of call is the Kinder Reservoir. The weather was great today, a little cloudy but the sun was breaking through casting some fantastic colours on the landscape. The route then takes you up William Clough, the site of the Mass Trespass which happened back on Sunday, April 24, 1932. The trespass which was a protest by around 400 ramblers had far reaching impact and paved the way for legislation in 1949 to establish the National Parks, and also the right to roam act in 2000. for more information about the Trespass visit http://kindertrespass.com/
The climb up William Clough is rewarded by fantastic views in all directions from the top at Ashop Head. The view back down towards the reservoir was particularly good today as the Crepuscular rays were breaking through the clouds. You now join the Pennine Way which start/ends at Edale depending on which way you decided to tackle it. The Pennine Way is a 268 mile long distant walking route that weaves its way north from Edale all the way to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, maybe one day i’ll give it a go but you can be sure that i’ll blog about it if I do.
After a short breather at Ashop Head I recorded another section of my AudioBoo and we then headed up on to Kinder itself. after a short walk along the edge path we turned north east and headed inwards to find the remains of the 2 Canadian Sabre Jets. I have blogged about this wreckage site in the past and you can find the post about it in the archives – Kinder Scout – Sabre Jets or Kinder Scout – Hayfield Route Highlights.
In 1954 two Canadian Sabre Jets took off from their base at linton-on-Ouse near York, They failed to reply to radio messages and simply disappeared. A group of ramblers found the wreckage later that evening, It can only be assumed that they collided mid air. The reason why they were about 50 miles off course remains a mystery. The wreckage is spread across a wide area, there is more further north down in Ashop Valley which I have yet to find but will keep you posted. Another section of AudioBoo recorded and we were then on our way again.
The next interesting spot we visited is one where the tail of Alien Evacuations lingers. You may notice the white cross and the initials GK in white paint on the image below. They stand for George King and this is the point where Aetherians will be evacuated by Extra Terrestrials from Venus when the world ends in the year 2015. I’m yet to find an exact date for this but i’ll keep looking. If you manage to find out some more info and would like to view this spot or perhaps phone home with ET .. The co-ords are roughly N53°23’58.99″, W1°53’29.94.
There has been a large amount of rain in recent weeks which means Kinder Downfall is currently in full flow. The Downfall can range from being totally dried up in the summer months to a raging torrent after periods of heavy rain. today it was a nice gentle waterfall and we got to see it go into reverse. When the wind is coming from the west and the water is flowing you can witness this fantastic spectacle. I managed to get a few images of it happening via the camera on my new iPhone 4S, I also recorded a little video too.
I was very pleased to find that I had 3G mobile signal while at Kinder Downfall, I decided to fire up Bambuser and broadcast a little live footage. Bambuser is a live video streaming site and I’ve only used it a couple of times so far, I never had 3G signal in the Peak District while I was with O2 so I shall be using it a lot more in the future now I’m with Orange which has better coverage.
I posted a picture on twitter a few days ago of all the leftover chocolate we have from christmas. A few of my followers recommended I should give them away and that they would send me their address. I decided I could go one better. Those of you who are familiar with Geocaching will probably like my new game Geochocing. if you are unsure about what Geocaching then have a quick read of my blog post entitled “Geocaching” in the archive section 🙂
Anyway, I decided to hide a container full of Chocolate which you can see pictured below. The coordinates for said container are as follows 53.397130, -1.879470. I will be doing a blog post on the subject very soon and will give more clues then, the coords should be all you need if you wish to go off and reap the rewards.
I recorde another section of my Boo and then we proceeded over Kinder Downfall. We were pleased that the wind had died down as we would have got a soaking when crossing the river. As I mentioned before the downfall goes into reverse in high winds which means anyone stood at the top is going to get rather wet.
In no time at all we arrived at Kinder Low, the light was fantastic at this point as the cloud was beginning to disperse and we had fantastic 360 Degree views. We stopped for a quick lunch break here and took a few pictures before keeping moving so we didn’t freeze solid. The wind coming in from the north west was icy cold and i managed to forget my gloves today which ment I felt the cold while messing about with my phone.
On the way down to KinderLow End you pass the KinderLow Bowl Barrow, It is a monument within a fence and is an early Bronze Age (2000-1500BC) burial mound. Over 500 barrows have been identified across the Peak District. Most are still highly visible in the landscape. Evidence shows that it was normal for between 5 to 20 burials to be placed individually, in various positions, within a barrow. It is thought that these monuments were probably built by family communities, to reflect the importance of ancestry and people’s relationship with the land. We made another quick stop so I could record another section of my AudioBoo and then made our way down the slippery path towards the steep steps.
The final section from Kinder Low End is down farmland to the road which eventually reaches Bowden Bridge. The views back toward Kinder are great from this angle while you descend through the rather slippery fields. It always seems like the day has gone in a flash when I reach this point, I usually contemplate turning around and going back the way I came 🙂
When we got down to the road I recorded the final section of my AudioBoo which you can find below. I think I will continue Booing in this manner as I am pretty pleased with the results. I having been recording Boos on the way home after my last few walks but thought I would go for a different approach this time and I think this will be the norm from now on.
The following video is one that my friend Stevo and I made back in 2007, it follows the route I did today and at present is the most viewed Kinder Scout video on YouTube.. #Smug 🙂
All being well I will be out again next week for another wander in the glorious Peak District. Keep an eye out for my Geochocing blog post and feel free to go and have a look for the container if you are passing. All I ask it that you remove the container if you find so i’m not littering the landscape 🙂 Why not hide it somewhere else in the Peak District and we can keep the game going. Thanks again for stopping by.
Well, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas break. Sadly I had to work the majority of it but never mind 🙂 I work shifts so it’s always rough with the smooth. Now that things are starting to return to normal, its high time I get back to planning where and when I’m going to walk this year. I have plenty of grand plans flying around in my head but I decided to start with something small and close to home. Stanage and Bamford Edges to be more precise.
I had been planning to walk these two edges for some time, the lure of other parts of the dark peak always seem to draw me away from there. Stanage is a very popular place amongst Peak District walkers but I must admit I haven’t devoted much time to it in the past, having only walked it once before. So I decided it was high time to give it a go again, the conditions today were looking relatively good so I called my mate Andy and we set up a plan.
Here is a video I recorded while on my walk today in the Peak District. It is just a quick sequence of shots I did using my old Canon A640, so it’s not HD but you can get a feel of what it was like up there today on a cold wintery day. I set off from Howden Reservoir, Followed the River Derwent to its source, Headed up and over the moors to Bleaklow Stones, Down to Alport Castles and then back across Birchinlee Pasture to Howden.
I hope you enjoy it and the wind noise isn’t too annoying 🙂
After my windy walk with Andy last week (“Peak District – Ladybower & Alport Dale”) I decided it was high time for another Peak District outing. There has been rather a drought when it comes to walking of late, what with one thing and another I just haven’t had the time to head out. I feel as though I have made up for it today though with a good route and some fantastic views thrown in, so without further ado here is my summary of where I headed and what I got up to.
After a relative drought when it comes to walking I decided I would head out come rain or shine today. The forecast was for high winds and also plenty of rain but I thought what the heck, I’ll just go for it. A quick call to my mate Andy and the plan was set. We would park at Ladybower, Ashopton Viaduct to be precise and then head up and over towards Rowlee Pasture to Alport Dale.
A Windy day on Rowlee Pasture in the Peak District
Peak District Routes 