DGH and JRH Walks- 2022

  The Black Cloughs and Bleaklow Our original plan was to head to the Eastern Peaks but this was scuppered as the Snake Pass was closed. Instead, we went up to the (old) Woodhead Station and parked up. We walked down to the stream ford which was the scene of the unfortunate incident in 2010, where Jacinta slipped and broke her wrist. Fortunately, an incident-free crossing this time! The infamous ford... The walk climbs up beside Swan Clough and then on to Far Black Clough. The going was a little tough as there is a lot of going up and down the hags. Set against this , this area feels a bit more wild, remote and less well travelled than many areas of the Dark Peak. Wild and remote beside the upper reaches of Far Black Clough In fact, we only saw one other person in five hours. We stopped for a break at the Bleaklow Stones; they're a fantastic example of wind-eroded gritstone. A sample  of the Bleaklow Stones We took the obligatory pictures of someone posing by The Anvil: David ...

  Eyam and Stoney Middleton Jacinta chose a walk from Bradwell's "Longer Walks in the Peak District" so to travel to Eyam and Stoney Middleton was to seek out a walk very different from Wednesday's tramp from Wessenden. We parked opposite Eyam Museum with its minimalist but highly effective logo. Eyam Museum- avoid this place like the plague The first section of the route involved a walk up to Eyam Edge, passing pretty gardens, and with good views. Lots of pretty gardens- this one with rampant sweet peas A fair bit of (quiet) road walking took us to the Barrel Inn in the hamlet of Bretton, dated 1597 and the highest pub in Derbyshire. We stopped for a drink and talked to our waitress (aged 23) who was one of the many refugees from Ukraine who have come to the UK to escape the war in her country. After the pub, we made our way to the Sir William Hill Road, formerly the main turnpike across this part of Derbyshire. The views were good and David had a quick look at Eyam ...

  Wessenden Head and Black Hill First time this year for Jacinta- we were out on a Wednesday, a lovey sunny day and remained so for the whole way round.  The track at Wessenden Head, with Wessenden Head Reservoir We took the usual way up to the mast and had a snack and a drink with a view of the Blakeley Reservoir and the Pennine Way climbing up from the reservoir feed. Blakeley Reservoir and the Pennine Way climbing to the water board track (RHS) We walked up to, and beyond the Black Moss and Swellands reservoirs and unusually didn't stop here for lunch as it was a bit breezy. We chose a nice spot just before the road, sitting on the heather and enjoyed our lunch and a rest before the final push up to Black Hill.  As often, we didn't see another soul on the tramp across Dean Head Moss and up to Black Hill. The emptiness of Dean Head Moss- no-one else to be seen! There are still a very few of the original Pennine Way waymarkers, most are very weathered and some just broke...

  To the Dark Woods! Something different but very enjoyable. Off to Dark Woods to the Pop-Up Cafe for coffee and cake in the morning. Jacinta had booked a table so we didn't have to queue at the hatch to be served! The Dark Woods Roastery. Fortunately, we had seats inside. It was good to see the place bustling and Ian full of ideas and plans- the makeover sounded great and we're looking forward to seeing it when it's done. David took the opportunity to stock up with a couple of kilos of  Crow Tree  and Jacinta chose some  Lamplight Decaf  which was decanted into a natty tin. Afterwards, we went for a walk along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal  which runs beside the roastery. We walked along to Slaithwaite, taking in all the industrial heritage and little businesses which had sprung up along the way. David was, as ever, fascinated by the locks and took several pictures. Lock- lower end and length. Probably more than 3m deep Lock- top end with sill Final l...

  Jacinta and Anna: Taxal A pleasant walk for Jacinta with Anna Wells above Whaley Bridge. I went over by train and we walked up to Taxal Edge and then to Kettleshulme where we stopped at The Swan for some lunch. The Swan, Kettleshulme It was a beautiful sunny day but I forgot to take any photos so this is a first- a walk without any photographic record! Nevertheless, a pleasant walk in very good company.

 Edale, Hope Cross, Madwoman's Stones and Pt.590 We tried a walk from Bradwell's "Longer Walks in the Peak District" to walk from Edale to Madwoman's Stones and back to Edale. In the end, we modified the route from the stones, but it was still a very enjoyable day out. The forecast was good and the weather remained warm and mostly sunny all day. The route from Edale is a familiar one, turning right just before the church and then walking up to the Youth Hostel. This was built as a grand Victorian villa on the site of a farm that was a part of the Duke of Devonshire's estate. All the way from Edale, we had a good view of The Great Ridge. The Great Ridge. L-R: Lose Hill, Back Tor, Mam Tor and Rushup Edge in the distance We also enjoyed the spectacle of a farmer's pickup being mobbed by sheep from every direction! We took the path onto the National Trust's Nether Moor Estate where the path traces the northern flank of the Noe Valley to reach the thick Bac...

  Ramshaw Rocks and The Roaches with Ann and Julian We'd arranged to meet up with Ann and Julian, and had suggested the Ramshaw Rocks - Roaches - Hen Cloud walk, which had a degree of flexibility. We had done this walk for the first time on 28th August 2021 and it would be great to do it again for the blog this year. We met at the Tittesworth Reservoir car park- full of rabbits and ducks, as before! The initial section along the road isn't particularly pleasant but we were soon off it and onto tracks and paths with no traffic. We wound our way up, via the ford at Upper Hulme and Naychurch up to Ramshaw Rocks. The ford at Upper Hulme There were great views, and wonderful geological forces on display. We then dropped down to Hazel Barrow and decided to carry on, beside the river, and past Goldstich House. the trackway then climbed steadily, past the remote schoolhouse eventually to reach the lane at Roach End. David was disappointed that the ice cream van wasn't there. There...

 A quick romp to the summit of Shining Tor There is a small set of "good value" walks that are fairly short and close by, in case we want a quick blast of fresh air. The Shining Tor walk is one of those. We parked at the Pym Chair car park. Jacinta remembered that it was the day of the Francis House Three Peaks Challenge, which we'd done a few times before but had skipped this year. The views today were good, with Shutlingsloe (the Matterhorn of Cheshire) clearly visible. Shining Tor (notch on skyline at left) and Shutlingsloe There was the usual contingent of happy dogs and it was really nice to get that breath of fresh air. 4.2 miles, 350m ascent.

  Chew Reservoir from Crowden David had done this walk in March but this was the first time that Jacinta had been back to this walk for almost a year. (We last did the walk together on 9th June 2021) The weather was off and on raining for a lot of the time. We set off from Crowden without our cags on but as we were reaching the A57 it seemed prudent to gear up as the clouds were looming. Jacinta getting ready for the rain We took the usual route to the Torside Reservoir dam: we like to cross over this and walk on the south side down to the Valehouse Reservoir. Torside, Rhodeswood and Valehouse are a magnificent set of reservoirs and there is always something to see, depending on the weather conditions. From the reservoirs, we went up to Tintwistle where we had our usual snack by the war memorial. On the way up to Arnfield Low Moor, we met a cheery United Utilities employee in his Suzuki Jimni (a small SUV) enjoying his day off logging cuckoos. He clearly had an outdoor job which he...

  The Alternative Edale Skyline  - David I'd been intending to do the Edale Skyline for quite some time but it was always a matter of steeling myself to do it. When Caroline, of Pro-Mountain  sent a mailshot offering the walk, I didn't hesitate to sign up! I'd done a night navigation course with Caroline and so I knew that, as well as being a great walk, there'd be excellent company as well. Even better, Rob, a friend from university days (he'd been in the room next to mine in halls during the first year at uni) also signed up- I'd met Caroline through Rob. I was a little intimidated as Rob has done some extremely hard outdoor exercises and he'd signed up to be a part of Caroline's safety team for The Spine . We started from the car park in Hope at about 09:00 and my fears were realised... the pace seemed just a little bit hot for me! However, we soon settled into a comfortable gait for all of us. Caroline, Margaret and me- on the way out of Hope © Pro-...