A Long Time Coming…. Millers Dale – Grindsbrook Clough

Hello all, and welcome back….. first id just like to explain briefly why I’ve been away for so long. Back in mid August i did three back to back days of big (for me) miles, the first day is what this blog will mainly be about. This was all done with a full camp set up, and during this time i managed to develop a nasty twinge in my knee. Unfortunately this curtailed my walking quite a lot, and then it was the school holidays, and as i have four boys, i spent a lot of time with them. so all my walks, blogs and videos took a back seat. With my knee now feeling a lot better, normal service should resume, with some small changes. As much as i enjoy writing these detailed blogs, its very time consuming for me as writing doesn’t come naturally, so i will be making it more of a photo blog with linking text. This will help me spend more time with my family and less time glued to my PC screen.  So i’m sorry for being away for so long without explanation, and i hope you enjoy my new content, including this one 🙂

Ok so, this walk begins at the old station of Millers Dale on the Monsal trail, my plan was to follow Monks Dale and join the Limestone way, which id follow to Castleton and then cross the great ridge to Grindsbrook Clough.    The first section of Monk’s Dale was pretty easy going and open, with the only real problem being a few thorny trees over hanging the path threatening to rip by bag open. The problems really began when the path descended into the bottom of the dale and into the trees. As beautiful as it was, it was very damp, and the path was pretty much all uneven limestone. Anyone familiar with limestone will know its incredibly slippy when wet. This made progress slow.   Leaving Monk’s Dale, the path joined up with the Limestone way. This took me through Peter Dale, which was a lot more open and wider, but it was very muddy, and i was quite lucky to not fall or get mud in over the top of my boots.    Once the mud of Peters Dale had been negotiated, i came to Hay Dale. Thankfully this was open like Peter’s dale, and also dry. It was getting to lunch time now, and all my meals were dehydrated and id been unable to find a water source. In the end i opted to stop and eat a few snack bars to at least replace some energy.      At the end of Hay Dale the route passes through open farm land and past peak forest. I must admit that at this point i was starting to struggle and the constant uphill was really starting to become painful. There was still lots of beautiful views to admire though, and i took advantage of them to take my mind off the aches.    As the route finally leveled out i started to recognise the views on the horizon. This was just the morale booster i needed as landmarks like the great ridge and Rushup edge came into view. This meant that Castleton wasn’t far away now, and a chance to either get some water for my meals or possibly a pub lunch was on the cards.   It wasn’t long before i reached the top of cave dale, and that meant that the village of Castleton was imminent. Making my way down the dale, Peveril castle came in to view. It sits proudly on top of a large Limestone mound, making it near impregnable due to the steep drops on all sides.       Finally i was in Castleton, and after missing lunch i decided to visit the Bulls Head pub for a very late lunch, which was more like tea time.   At last i was fully fueled up and ready for the last part of my walk, this would take me up the great ridge to Hollins Cross and back down the other side towards the village of Edale.    Once over the great ridge it was only a short way to the base of Grindsbrook Clough where i would be setting up for the night, ready to meet my friend Colin in the morning.  

Eventually i made it to my chosen camp spot as the light started to fade, so these last photographs will be from the following morning when the light was a lot better.  So here ends the blog, i hope you enjoyed the new format. I had a really great day if a little hard in places, but its always more rewarding if things aren’t always going exactly to plan and you still get through the other side 🙂

So if you made it this far down the page, thank you very much, a MASSIVE thanks to all who have stayed with me through this quiet period, it really means a lot to me 🙂  Please feel free to comment, and as always i’ll leave a link to the video below for those that are interested in watching. So until next time goodbye 🙂

 

Here is the link to the video:

Millers Dale – Grindsbrook Clough Video

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Rushup Edge – Crowden Clough A Peak District Walk

This walk took place 2 days after the trip in my last blog, and as mentioned in that blog i shall fill in on a few missing details. To start off with, when i reached my car after the Bamford edge wild camp, i didn’t drive home, instead i made my way into the village of Edale. Once there i set up at the Fieldhead campsite with the secondary gear i had left in my car, this middle day was to be a lazy one, or at least a day with no massive hill miles. I will not be going in to huge detail on this day, infact all i will say is that i spent most of the day in Castleton, with a visit to Perveril castle before returning to the campsite to relax. I will add though, before moving on to the titled blog, that i had a great day, and i’d definitely recommend a stay at Fieldhead and/or a trip to Castleton 🙂

Ok so back to the main story…… I had a relatively slow start in the morning, but i didn’t have far to travel as my journey was going to be starting from the base of Mam Tor,  a mere 2 mile drive or so from Edale. I decided to park on the old road section outside Blue John Cavern, for the main reason being it was free, and secondarily it would add a little extra to my days mileage 🙂  The walk i had roughly planned was to start with Rushup edge, a section of the Edale skyline i had been wanting to do for a very long time, and i was finally about to do it. The only downside was the weather, the previous day had been beautiful, with sunny blue skies. Today however was misty low clouds and even stood virtually at the base of Mam Tor i could hardly see the summit…… if at all.  I set off on my walk, and made my way towards the gap where the road cuts through the great ridge, and then turned towards Rushup edge. Soon i was at the National trust sign and the walk up to the top of the edge began. I was very excited to be finally doing this walk and the only downside was the poor visibility, i could only hope that it would get better throughout the day.  On top of the ridge the views were not as bad as i expected, and whilst Kinder scout was pretty much obscured the views lower down, like Edale were still visible. Whilst i am happy to walk in the mist, i do prefer top be able to see the views, especially as i film the walks too, and its much more interesting if you can actually see something 🙂  So as you can imagine i was pleasantly surprised when there was actually a bit of view to see….. bonus i thought.   After just less than a mile on the ridge, i came to the highest point of Rushup edge, Lords Seat. Lords Seat is an ancient barrow, which is a late neolithic or early bronze age burial mound.  The Burial mound had been fenced off due to erosion, and the sign said it would remain so until the ground had fully recovered. I stopped for a short while, shooting a bit of footage for my video, and then carried on my walk. After Lords seat, the height of the ridge slowly drops, and after about 1km i was at the junction where i would be taking the path towards Brown Knoll. I however wouldn’t be going that far, as i would be taking another fork in the path and heading down Whitemoor Clough to Dale head and Upper Booth farm. Before reaching the path down the Clough, i was met with a very wet obstacle, the hole path was completely under water. As i approached the water, i couldn’t see any way around without going through the grass, which i also expected to be saturated. Thankfully as i got closer i saw a way past , i was very relived, as on this trip i had worn my Columbia walking trainers, and i didn’t fancy water coming in over the top at this early stage of the walk.  Shortly after passing the watery obstacle, i arrived at the path for Whitemoor Clough. As i followed the path downhill it got steeper and steeper, and i soon began to wish i’d brought my walking poles. My knees were really starting to hurt and i could’t wait to get back on some level ground for a short while to recover, however i did take some comfort in the fact that the views were starting to get better as the air started to clear.   Thankfully i soon made the bottom, and passing through Dalehead and crossing the stream i was in to open fields. These were quite wet in places with lots of large puddles from the previous night rain. The route was then to take me past Tagsnaze farm, and it was here the path disappeared. I’m not sure if it was due to fence repairs, but there was no stile where it should have been, and looking around i couldn’t see a replacement anywhere. I decided to just follow the path most used, and to what looked like a gate on a wall in the far side of the field. As i got to the gate it just went to a small drystone wall enclosure……. not this way then i thought. I consulted the map, i knew exactly where the path should be, i just couldn’t get to it. I approached the farm house hoping to see the farmer and ask for his help, but unfortunately there was nobody around. Now stood at his gate, map in hand, i knew the path was on the other side of his yard and past the far gate. With no other obvious way around i decided to go through his yard, taking care that i closed his gates properly behind me………. at last i was back on track 🙂  Finally back on track again, time was pressing on, it was already about 13:00 and i was starting to get hungry, but i was determined to reach Crowden Tower before stopping for lunch. On the plus side, the low cloud and mist had gone now, which meant when i did reach the tower, the views would be great. I made quick work of the next section, partly due to my hunger and partly down to losing time around the farm building. After passing through a small wooded section and across a stream i made it to Upper booth farm. Walking past the farm and across a bridge, i came to a small gate which was the start of the Crowden Clough path. A short way down this tree lined path was a small waterfall in the brook, it was a irresistible photo opportunity, so i stopped for a moment to get a few shots before carrying on. Leaving the trees, the landscape opened up, and crossing the style, there it was before me….. Crowden Clough 🙂      Being so hungry made the Clough look really long, but at least Crowden tower was finally in sight, and i was really looking forward to the scramble, as i’d heard it was a bit more difficult than the Grindsbrook one 🙂 Despite my hunger and eagerness to reach the top, i couldn’t help but stop and take lots of photographs of all the small waterfalls in the brook.  Eventually though i did reach the scramble, it didn’t seem quite so long as the Grindsbrook one, but it did look a bit steeper. So with a quick look back at the beautiful view, i started the ascent.  It wasn’t as hard as i had imagined in my head, though if there was a lot of water i imagine you’d get very wet. Around the half way point, i did find a short section that i didn’t want to do with my tripod in hand, so with a quick stop to stow my tripod on my pack i carried on, feeling much safer with both hands.   I soon made the top after a great scramble, and my lunch stop was now within touching distance. The view from the top was pretty special, made even better by the fact i’d climbed up from it 🙂 After a few photographs i set off on my way to Crowden tower, and for a well deserved rest.    Settling down on the top of Crowden tower, i perched myself on the edge, my legs dangling down into the Clough below. I set my camera to time lapse while i ate my lunch, and boy did the food taste good. It was a very late lunch, i had originally hoped to get to the tower for 13:30 – 14:00, but after losing the path at the farm and taking LOADS of photographs on route it was now 15:00. Still it did not matter, there was no rush, the weather was great now, and with the clear skies the views were amazing.   After half an hour i decided it was time to carry on, my plan for the rest of the route was to head to Grindslow Knoll and then back down to Edale via Grindsbrook Clough. The weather was so much better now, and following the edge of the kinder plateau, the views over the vale of Edale were awesome. If fact i could also see Rushup edge, where earlier in the day you couldn’t see one from the other due to the low cloud. Its not very far between Crowdon tower and Grindslow Knoll and it was soon in sight. I pressed on to make the top and i must admit in the heat i got a bit of a sweat on as i made the final climb to the Cairn.     At the top the Views were awesome, i could just about see my entire route that i’d done, and also my route back. I remember thinking i wish i could do Rushup edge again, as visibility was so good now, but i knew by the time i got back over there again my legs would not want to. Whilst at the top of Grindslow Knoll, i had a great conversation with a lady from Sweden, she was quite taken with the Peak District, and this was her second trip, having been here many years ago. We said our goodbyes, as she headed down towards Edale via the direct route, i however was taking the scramble down Grindsbrook.  Approaching the Grindsbrook scramble i passed one of the many gritstone mushrooms before reaching the top. I’d been up this scramble quite a few times, yet id never been down it, so i was quite looking forward to the descent.   Making my way down the scramble wasn’t as bad as i expected and i made quite good time down, and before long i was out of the rocky section and onto the normal path. Down in the Clough was like a sun trap, up on Kinder there had been a nice breeze, but now it was really hot and stuffy.  I decided to kneel down at the edge of the brook and splash my face with the water, and what a welcome relief it was, it felt great to be a few degrees cooler, even if it was only fleeting 🙂   As i got up from the stream, i met a man with his son passing in the opposite direction, and i just happened to notice he had a small microphone attached to his shirt. So i asked him if he also made YouTube videos, to which he replied yes. He told me his name was Nigel Danson, so after a quick chat and exchanging channel names, we went our separate ways (i later found out at home he has over 2k subscribers, he kept that quiet 😉 ) I will leave a link to his channel below in case anybody is interested in checking him out. As i carried on, it wasn’t long before i was roasting hot and sweating like mad in the glorious sunshine. The rest of the journey was now pretty straight forward, all that was left was to reach the village of Edale, and the carry on towards the great ridge via Harden Clough and to the Blue John Cavern car park. As i neared the end of the Grindsbrook path, i past the site of my first videoed wild camp, and i knew Edale was very close.   It was around this point that i ran out of water, and being the clever chap i am, id forgotten my Sawyer water filter. So my plan was to make my way to the shop in Edale village and buy a couple of water bottles and fill my hydration bladder that way. It didn’t take long to get to Edale, and i promptly made my way to the shop……… Closed…. gutted i thought. So i decided to make my way to Fieldhead campsite where i had stayed the previous night, and ask them if i could use their tap. They were more than happy for me to get some water, so a massive thank you to them for helping me in a time of need 🙂  With plenty of water on board it was time to carry on back to the car. Passing through the village, i made my way up the farmers track towards Harden Clough. Once on the path it was nice and shady from all the trees, providing some much needed respite from the all powerful sun. It wasn’t long though before the trees ended and i was back in blazing sun. I’ll be honest, i was starting to struggle now, my route had been very up and down, and with a combination of the heat and distance of the walk, i couldn’t wait to sit down and rest. Thankfully though i was almost back, and with a bit of help from the amazing views i knew id be finished soon.   Looking down into the Hope valley from the gap in the great ridge, i was almost back, and it was all down hill from here. I was soon back at the car, from what had been an incredible walk, from the morning mist on Rushup Edge to the glorious sunshine on Kinder. Id had a really great day, and despite wishing my first walk on Rushup Edge had been in the clear, its still got a certain appeal walking in those eerie, mystical conditions.

So here ends another blog, i really hope you enjoyed it. I was really happy to do Rushup edge and Crowden clough for the first time and i definitely recommend doing them if you haven’t already. As always if you read this far, thank you very much, i really appreciate all the support 🙂 I will put all links below, to my video of this trip and also to Nigel Danson’s channel as promised. So thanks again for reading, and until next time, goodbye 🙂

Rushup Edge Crowden Clough Video

Link to Nigel Danson channel

A Walk in the Peak District Millstone edge – Burbage rocks

We all love a mid week walk in the beautiful countryside, i’m sure you’ll all agree with me. Its always a lot easier to park and you are much more likely to have the hills to yourself…… selfish i know 😉

So this is exactly what i did mid June, with a rough route planned the night before, i made my way to the Peak District the next morning. My walk would start from the National trust car park next to Millstone edge. True to form, the car park was all but empty, i picked a space and made my way to the pay and display machine. It was upon reaching the machine, i realised the mistake i had made. The pay machine way a card only, and i had left mine at home…..Doh!                                                                                         I decided to head for one of the lay-bys around the corner instead, so i got back in my car and started to make my way out. As i got to the entrance, there was a woman returning to her car, i decided on the off chance, to ask her if she would get me a ticket if i gave her the change……. she agreed, so i made my way back into a space. I met the woman at the machine, who very kindly got me a all day parking ticket, and i handed over the £4.50 in change. It turned out, she had come back to the car park, as she was unsure where the gap in fence was to get to the rocks at Owler Tor. I happily led the way to show her where the footpath entered into that area. At the gate i decided to visit the rocks at Owler Tor myself, taking care not to get in her way as she was taking Photographs using the rocks as the foreground.   After a quick wander around the rocks, i made my way to where i was going to start my walk. Cutting back through the car park on my way, i entered the moor land via the gate nearest the road. From there it was only a short way to “Surprise view” at the end of Millstone edge, this was the beginning of my walk. The view was not as good as it could have been, as the weather was particularly hazy, but it was still great, and i was able to pick out a few places i knew on the horizon. Some of the places visible from here were, Win hill and the great ridge and the outline of Kinder just barely visible on the horizon.  After a good few minutes soaking up the view, i decided to carry on with my walk. My route would know take me along the length of Millstone edge and then following the boundary line all the way to the back of Over Owler Tor. I decided not to go up the Tor just yet though, as i wanted to come back this way later. Looking to my left here, or North if you prefer, i could see Stanage edge jutting out from the landscape. A far cry from the last time i was here in February, when i had brought my partner and kids to see the snow fall. Back then, not only was the place covered in snow (obviously) it was also extremely misty, so the views were limited to a mere 100 meters or so.                                                       Anyway, back to this walk, I was now heading pretty much straight towards Higger Tor, but i didn’t want to head up there first. I was actually looking for a place marked on the map as Sheepfold. I soon found it, it was a large drystone walled area, and it reminded me of a sheep dog trial arena. Upon reaching this point, my next destination was revealed, Carl wark fort. It is widely believed to have been the location of a Iron age hill fort, and also possibly to have been re used as a defensive position during the Roman period. On the approach you can see why they would have chosen it, and i’m glad i was just visiting and not an attacker. I made my way up via the western slope and not by the marked path, this meant i passed through what was like a gritsone gateway, which was pretty cool. I was soon on top having a good explore of all the rocky outcrops, trying to imagine what it may have looked like thousands of years ago.    After a good explore, i was starting to get hungry, and so my attentions turned towards Higger Tor, i had ear marked this location earlier as my lunch stop. It was not very far from Carl Wark to Higger Tor, and i was soon at the top, sat out of the wind, in the shelter of one of the largest rocky outcrops on the Tor. As usual, i had wraps for lunch, though this time they were un prepared, as i had only brought them on the way. So making them up one at a time, with the cheese and salami slices, i ate my way through three wraps, before sitting back to let them digest while i enjoyed the view.  Once i thought my food had sufficiently settled, i decided to have a go at climbing the big gritstone outcrop i had been sheltering behind. Now i’m no big climber, and i will always shy away from anything too technical, but I’ve always loved a good scramble up rocks since i was a small boy. So having a good look at the rock in question, i decided it was definitely on my level of ability, so up i went. Around half way up there was a little bit of a precarious section, but i managed to get past it, and before long i was on top, and surveying the land before me.  After climbing down, it was time to plan some more of my route. I hadn’t really got an exact plan from here, and with the weather being a lot cooler than i had expected, the possibility of extending my walk further had arisen. Out came the map, i decided that i would make my way to Upper Burbage bridge, that would then open up my walk to return via Burbage rock. So that settled it, and off i went.                                                            There was only really one obvious path to Upper Burbage bridge, and that was via Fiddlers elbow, i did however chose the higher of these paths. It was only roughly 1km to the bridge, and with most of it being a gradual down hill i thought it probably wouldn’t take me very long. On route i passed two groups of kids, all with climbing helmets and with a guide. Im not sure if they were young scouts or out with school, but they were definitely being educated in the surrounding geology by their teacher/leader. From this moment on, i would occasionally hear their shrill cries blowing on the wind, as they excitedly went about their activities. Sure enough i soon arrived at the Bridge, where i stopped for a little while to record an update for my video before carrying on.   Crossing the brook, i was greeted with Burbage rocks, and a choice between the high path along the edge or the low path along the base. I opted for the former and took the high route along the edge. I was glad i did join the high path, as despite the haze, the views were excellent. I had decided though, i wasn’t going to walk the entire length of the edge, i was going to walk as far as the end of the woods and drop back down and recross the brook then make my way back up to the gap between Carl Wark and Higger Tor.  My junction was soon upon me, and i made my way down to the brook. The woods in this area had recently been cut down, well nearly all, just a few small sections remain. I believe the notice board said it was 2014 when they had been cut down, making way for other species of plant, but to me it still looked quite an obvious scar on the landscape, and personally i think the woodland would have been more pleasing to the eye. But give it time, and i’m sure nature will have its way and it will all be looking beautiful again. Well i was soon crossing the brook, and before long i was stood next to Carl Wark once again.  Back next to Carl Wark, i had decided from here i would retrace my steps back to Over Owler Tor, as i wanted to look for a spot i had my picture taken in the snow earlier in the year. It took me around twenty minutes to reach the Tor, and despite a good look around, i was never totally sure i found the exact spot, as it all looked very different without the snow. The next spot i wanted to see was mother cap, this was only two hundred or so meters down from the Tor. It wasn’t quite what i was expecting, but there was a great view and a rather large gritstone outcrop standing proudly on its own.  From here it was a short journey back to the car, but not before passing what looked like a new species for the Peak District, a gritstone turtle. It looked very similar to one i’d seen on kinder scouts southern edge, (more on that in a future blog). Also in this area were a few discarded millstones, apparently abandoned after people started buying cheaper imports. After recording a bit of video footage, and having my picture taken with the turtle, i carried on my way.  Well after my turtle discovery, i was back at the car after roughly 9 miles of enjoyment. It had been a really great day, and it was now time to rejoin reality and drive back home.

So here ends another blog, i really hope you have enjoyed reading it. For those that have read this far, a very big thank you to all of you. As always this blog is available in video form, link at the bottom of this page.

So until next time goodbye 🙂

Regards Mark

Millstone edge – Burbage rocks video

Peak District – Win hill – Crook hill

I have visited the Lady bower reservoir many times over the years, as a child with my parents, and now later as an adult. In all these visits, i have never seen the water flowing down the bellmouth overflows (known locally as the “plug holes”). So whilst browsing social media, a couple of short videos stuck in my mind. One of these was of the water flowing over the top of  Derwent dam, and the other was a short clip by my friend Dean Read. The Clip Dean had uploaded, was a aerial shot of one of the Lady Bower “plugholes”, with water rushing down into its dark, seemingly bottomless depths. Upon seeing this, i decided that i had to plan a walk there, and sharpish, before the water levels dropped too low, and this amazing sight stopped. With a quick flick through my Peak District walks book, and a good scan of my OS map, i formulated a route, and packed my day pack. That night i went to bed, eager for the trip ahead. 

I awoke early the next morning, and shovelled my breakfast down as fast as i could. Now anyone that knows me, knows that i’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on, so to make sure i hadn’t forgot anything, i had to talk myself through all the gear i’d need and mentally check it off my list. So, breakfast eaten and list checked, i set off to the Peak District, my destination, Lady Bower reservoir, and a great day of walking. Arriving at Lady Bower around 10:30am, i Parked up in a lay-by near the dam itself. Opening the car boot, i excitedly laced my walking boots, put on my day pack and headed to the dam. As i got closer, i could hear the water crashing down the plughole, i quickened my pace. It was an amazing sight to behold, what are normally dormant, quiet plugholes, were now a crescendo of noise, with water flowing down at a blistering pace. After a few moments watching the water in awe, i set off on my walk, the first part of which would be taking me to the top of Win hill.

 With the weather being warmer than i had expected, and my tendency to be able to sweat in a freezer, i thought it best to take the less direct route to the top of Win hill. A easier route it may have been, but i still managed to become a sweaty mess, i can only imagine how bad i would have been had i taken the direct route. No doubt the water level in Lady Bower would have risen some what. Around half way up the route, a few trees had fell onto the path, covering it for a stretch of about a hundred meters or so. My guess was that they had fell in the tail end of the recent storm. Some of them had sections sawn out of them, so they were no longer blocking the path, but a good few of them were still there, completely blocking the trail, so i was forced to take a detour around them. After rejoining the path, i was soon taking a more direct route up, and upon leaving the tree line, the last slog to the top of Win hill began. Now out in the open, the views from the hillside were amazing, i was stopping periodically to catch my breath, and also to soak up the beautiful views around me. When i reached the top, a huge smile crossed my face, as i strolled across to the trig point to take in the amazing vistas on all sides. In fact, from this great vantage point, i could pretty much see all the remainder of my journey laid out before me.  Once i had soaked up all the views possible, and taken the walkers obligatory trig point photo, i carried on with my journey. My next port of call on the route was Hope cross, i had decided this would be an excellent place to stop for the food i had packed. Whilst following the ridge line of Hope brink, i couldn’t help but keep looking at the impressive formation of the Great ridge, Lose hill to Mam tor, standing proudly between the Hope valley and the Vale of Edale. This got me thinking, and wishing i was walking the great ridge, but that would add on another seven miles to what would already be a ten mile round trip. My legs just aren’t ready for that yet.  So i decided to just admire the view, and save the great ridge for another day, and i carried on with my journey. Now this section i was on, was a very gradual downwards slope, so it wasn’t hard on my knees and i was making excellent time. I thought to myself i’d soon be eating the lunch i had packed, and i couldn’t wait, because i was starving. It was then that it came into sight, and it seemed another large group of walkers had had the same idea. They would soon have another visitor. As i arrived at Hope cross, we exchanged a few courteous hellos, “a beautiful day for it” i said, and it was. I then took out my food, removed any breakables from my bag and then used it for a seat, and promptly ate my food. It was a beautiful location to eat, as i watched the clouds rolling over the vale of Edale towards the great ridge. This really is the life i thought as i relaxed admiring the view.  After around twenty minutes, it was time to move on, still steadily going down hill i soon reached the river that fed one part of the reservoir. Shortly after crossing the river, the easy downhill section was over and the first steep climb since ascending Win hill began. This ascent up to Hagg side, was a steep and winding rocky path. It wasn’t long before i was puffing and panting and the dreaded sweat glands were working over time again. Luckily it was only around five to six hundred meters, although i’ll admit it felt a lot longer. But i’d made it, and the path was now pretty level, with a very gentle upwards gradient. Next stop Crook hill. It was around one and a half miles to Crook hill, and i did my best to get my head down and cover this section pretty quickly. The reason being, was that all the Photos and video footage i had been shooting for my YouTube video, had taken up a fair bit of time, and i didn’t want to be home too late, and i still had a one hour fifteen minute drive ahead of me, traffic dependent. So as you can imagine, it wasn’t long before the distinct shape of Crook hill came in to view.  Now from my direction of travel, the path actually skirts around the left side of the hill, but i had an urge to actually walk to the top of both points of the hill. At first i was unsure whether to do it or not. Crook hill may not be really high, but from where i was stood, it looked very steep sided, so i left my decision till i was a bit nearer. Well who was i kidding, i couldn’t resist and up i went, and i was really glad i did as i got some spectacular views, from what was the last high point before heading back down towards the reservoir, and ultimately, my car. As i headed back down Crook hill towards Lady bower reservoir, and the Ashopton viaduct, i was filled with mixed emotions. I was really happy that i’d had such an amazing walk in such a beautiful location with great weather, yet sad it had come to an end. Yet i was also excited to go home and tell my family all about my journey and all the things i’d seen along the way. Well it wasn’t long before i had reached my car, changed back into my trainers, and slumped in the drivers seat ready to head home. This had been another extremely enjoyable visit to the Peak District as always, and as ever, i cant wait to get back out again soon. I hope you enjoy this latest installment of my Blog, and i look forward to any comments you may have. Thank you very much for reading.

Regards      Mark