A short distance further along we left the road and through a style into Padley Gorge where we followed the gritstone boulder-strewn path as it wended its way along the Burbage Brook in the trees.
After crossing the river on a footbridge, we followed a zig-zag path leading to the path following the top of the ravine on the opposite side.
This gradually-rising path eventually broke out into the open moorland where we crossed the river again on one of a pair of footbridges and then along a path onto the National Trust's Longshaw Estate.
There is a path leading past a large pond with Mallard ducks and Coots leading past rhododendron bushes to follow below the Ha-Ha in in front of the impressive house where we stopped to have some cake and a cup of tea from the tea shop, sitting outside at a picnic table watching the Chaffinches, Siskins and Robins on the bird feeders.
After the short snack break, we walked down the drive for a short way and then followed a short path through the trees to bring us to the main road opposite the Fox House pub.
We walked on the grass verge along the road and after a few hundred metres, we left the road and then joined a wide dirt track as it made its way across the moor being the original Turnpike route until the modern road took a slightly different route nearby.
We followed the track for a while then left it at a footpath heading off across the moor towards the gritstone crag of Burbage with the always prominent feature of Higgar Tor looking like an upturned boat in the distance.
We walked long the top of the crag where there were quite a lot of rock climbers out making the best of the partly sunny but cool weather.
We stopped at the bridge to sit on a stone block by the wall to shelter from the cool breeze and eat our lunch.
Continuing afterwards, we crossed the stream beside the bridge and then headed for the higher of the two paths heading towards Higgar Tor. This led via a short steeper section leading to the bouldery plateau with views in all directions, even across to Mam Tor in the distance.
After crossing the small plateau, we dropped down the other side and headed for the smaller Owler Tor and then along a path leading down past the prominent gritstone feature known as Mother Cap.
Ignoring the obvious path leading to the nearby car park, we followed a second, narrower path which led to the busy road from Sheffield towards Hathersage, which we crossed and then joined an ancient sunken path leading down to the top of Padley Gorge.
We were soon back where we had been earlier in the day and retraced our route back down the Gorge.
Reaching the old Grindleford train station, which had not fulfilled that function for many years and is a café, we stopped for a meal. It's always been an eccentric place and still has many notes pinned to the walls directing staff and customers on what they should do and more important, what they shouldn't!
In the evening, after watching Ireland thrash England at rugby and preventing England's Grand Slam by winning 24-8, we went to the Nightingale Centre in Great Hucklow to see three videos in an event to raise money for DCRO and the Silence Mine Trust.
These were two films made by Dave Webb: “Mud and Water” and “High Rake Lead Mine. . . Reclaiming a Legacy” plus Mat and Nikki's “From Ore to Orchids”.
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