Monday August 21st

Lost Lad, Back Tor and Derwent Edge

Another walk from Day Walks in the Peak District- 20 Classic Circular Walks. We parked up at Fairholmes and up to the side of the Derwent reservoir dam, then on for almost the entire length of the reservoir.

The Derwent dam

From there, it was a steady plod above the valley of the Abbey Brook. We'd not been there before and it had a very different feel to most of the Peak District that we're familiar with. As with other walks this year, the heather was fantastic.

Heather above Abbey Brook

After a couple of miles, the route turned south up Sheepfold Clough towards Lost Lad.

On the way up to Lost Lad from Sheepfold Clough

From Lost Lad, we joined the flagged path up towards Back Tor. From this point, there were no great navigational challenges!

Back Tor from Lost Lad

We had lunch at Back Tor and from there, it was a straightforward walk south along Derwent Edge with views of much of the Dark Peak to our right.

The Kinder Plateau from Derwent Edge

Although the walking was straightforward, the rock formations (The Cakes of Bread, Dove Stone, Salt Cellar and The Wheel Stones) provided lots of interest.

The Wheel Stones and more heather

The final leg of the walk was along the side of Ladybower, back to Fairholmes.

11.9 miles,100m ascent, a shade over six hours.


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