Monday 28th February

 Mortimer House, Dukes Road, Back Tor and Dale Dike Reservoir

Off we went to Mortimer House to walk in the Eastern Fells. The last time we went there was July 1st 2022, so it was good to see the countryside at a very different time of year. The most marked difference was the lack of people- we walked the whole of the first section (about seven miles) without seeing a soul. There are signs that the earth is warming up and that spring is on the way, but there is a fair way to go yet.

Back Tor and Lost Lad on the horizon, from Dukes Road
There were red kites and the sad remains of several hares, noisy pheasants and the welcome sight of a curlew, perhaps choosing a nesting site.
Hare today, gone tomorrow...

Invasive species with colour contrast
Cakes of Bread, Dove Stone and Win Hill (on far horizon)
Descending Foulstone Road towards the Brogging Moss Plantation
The walk down to Strines Reservoir and across the dam is an interesting new rout and we picked our way through the rather muddy fields beside the Dale Dike Reservoir until we reached the pumphouse and the Dale Dike Dam. From here, it is a pleasant walk up to, and through Agden Woods, where the birds were singing loudly. We got back to the car after about 5½ hours and with 11½ miles under our belts. It was a great start to Jacinta's March for Stroke this month.

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday March 19th (Mothering Sunday)

Image
Marsen and March Haigh We had a leisurely start and headed off to Marsen, where we had a pleasant Dark Woods coffee  at Arcade . We parked up in the station car park- always ample space, and no charge then walked along the canal to the start of the Standedge Tunnel. Just beyond this, there was a small enclosure with a number of beehives. Beehives at the Standedge Tunnel These had been set up and managed by a Syrian refugee. We made our way up towards the March Haigh Reservoir, by now a familiar route. On our way to the March Haigh Reservoir It's quite a stiff walk up to the top of March Haigh itself, and we stopped for lunch just before the very top. As we wanted to get home in good time to talk with Rachel and DK, we took a shorter route back, down Willykay Clough and down to Close Gate Bridge, where a passerby kindly took a picture of us. Portrait on Close Gate Bridge The return to the car was back along the outward path beside the canal- lots of toads about! 7.6 Miles, 320m asce...
Read more

Tuesday June 6th

Image
Eyam Moor, Abney Moor and Offerton Moor Another walk from "Day Walks in the Peak District", and a complement to the walk that we did on  May 4th .The walk starts from the Hathersage car park and rejoins familiar territory at the Leadmill Bridge, where there's a short overlap with the May walk. Inscription on Leadmill Bridge On reaching Hazelford Hall, the two routes diverge and this time we went more or less directly up to the Sir William Hill Road. Rather than following the public road, we used the byway to skirt Bretton Moor and stopped for light refreshments (including crisps!) at The Barrel Inn at Bretton. From there, we followed the (currently closed to traffic) road across Hucklow Edge- easy walking, and very quiet. It was clear why the road was closed- there were landslips to its south and the road itself had collapsed at its western end, although not to the extent of the Mam Tor road!  On nearing the Gliding Club, the route took a welcome break from tarmac, cuttin...
Read more

Saturday April 1st

Image
Holmfirth, Upperthong and Lots of Reservoirs  After consulting Mike Dale's "Adventures in the Northern Peak", we decided to go to Holmfirth to do something different and, at 10.5 miles, we chose what seemed to be a reasonable walk in a new area. After a lovely coffee at the Holme Coffee House and a trip to the Co-Op for provisions, we started on Stage 1 of the walk. Essential rations... when in Yorkshire Stage 1 went from Holmfirth to Bilberry Reservoir, starting from the main road and going up the (very steep!) side of Victoria Park. There was a fair amount of twisting and turning down lanes and footpaths on this leg, including a walk though Upperthong. Door to waterworks in Thongsbridge The houses were interesting and the views were good- there was a constantly changing perspective on the Holme Moss Transmitter, familiar from Black Hill walks. We got to the Digley Reservoir and had lunch in a good spot above the reservoir. Outflow from Digley Reservoir After lunch, th...
Read more