Peel, Isle of Man

We flew from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Saturday morning to Ronaldsway Airport on the Isle of Man for J's 50th Birthday party.

We got a taxi to Peel, where the J lives and after a coffee, had a wander around Peel and Peel Castle in the cool and windy weather.

In the evening we met Lorraine and Gavin, who were staying on the B&B next-door but one and walked around the corner to the Masonic Hall where the party was being held.

Next day after breakfast, we dropped by J's place for a quick visit the got the bus to Douglas.

Here the weather was cold and windy and we basically went form café to café to keep warm!

After seeing Lorraine and Gavin off at the ferry terminal (they had come across on the ferry as foot passengers), we got a bus to Ronaldsway Airport for the return flight to Liverpool in the evening.

Orpheus CC AGM

We attended the Orpheus CC AGM in the morning and although we originally intended to go caving afterwards, the weather was crap. So after a quick chat with Tony Seddon, who was there with his travelling caving shop van, StarlessRiver, we just went home.

Knotlow Cavern

Prospective new member Geoff Wood had arranged with Chris Jackson to visit us at the Orpheus hut in the morning to go on a caving trip.

After a quick session on the bridge over the Tissington Trail to help Geoff set up his SRT kit and then a quick refresher on the hut gable-end on passing rebelays, Karen, Keith, Chris and I took Geoff on a quick trip down Knotlow Cavern as far as the Waterfall Chamber.

First, Keith attached a rope to the top of the 70 metre foot Engine Shaft and lowered the rope down, then we all went down the Climbing Shaft as I rigged the pitches.

Keith prusiked back up the Engine Shaft and the rest of us returned to the surface be following the same route we had followed on the way in.

We all adjourned for a welcome mug of tea and a snack in The Old Smithy Cafe in Monyash.

Longwood Estate from Grindleford Station

After parking on the approach road to Grindleford train station, we first had breakfast in the café and then after crossing the bridge over the Manchester – Sheffield railway, we followed the path up Padley Gorge on a mostly sunny but cold day.

After reaching the moorland at the head of Padley Gorge, we crossed the road and then followed a path leading to the Longwood Estate where we stopped at the café for a break.

Leaving the old National Trust-owned shooting lodge, we crossed the moor below Higgar Tor and Carlwark to the obvious notch on the skyline formed by Winyards Nick.

From here we followed a descending path leading below Millstone Edge, eventually arriving at the main road out of Hathersage near Surprise View.

After crossing the road, we went through a small gate and then followed the old track leading down below Lawrencefield crag passing many old gritstone millstones left behind many years ago when work creating these millstones was abandoned.

The path continued through a silver birch wood then along a path which joined our earlier route in Padley Gorge near the footbridge crossing the Burbage Brook.

After dropping back down the gorge for a short distance retracing our earlier route, we were back at our starting point.

Derwent Edge from Fairholmes Car Park

It was quite cool as we left the scrounging ducks behind in Fairholmes Car Park between Derwent and Ladybower Reservoirs in the Derwent Valley and passed below the large dam of Derwent Reservoir.

After walking up steps next to the dam, we followed a track along one side of the reservoir popular with cyclists.

After a couple of kilometres, we found the footpath leading off into the Abbey Brook valley which we followed. It's a very picturesque valley and very enjoyable to walk along even with the cold wind and beginnings of a light shower. We could see the crags on the skyline ahead were beginning to be hidden by low cloud and mist.

Near the head of the valley, the path swung around to the right (heading south) and began to rise more steeply and became softer underfoot.

After crossing a couple of stiles, the path swung to the left (eastish) and was paved with old slabs and headed for the obvious small summit of Lost Lad with its cairn and small stone column with a topograph on top.

It always seems to be particularly windy at this location and after taking a few photos, we continued along the slabbed path heading for the large gritstone tor known as Back Tor some 500 or 600 metres away.

By now the light rain had returned and with the temperature drop due to the increase in height, it had turned to sleet and with the wind, it was blowing across our route horizontally.

At Back Tor we found a sheltered spot and sat on a couple of small boulders and ate our lunch while being amused by the antics of some male grouse as they flew a few feet up in the air and made their characteristic call of “Ack”, “Ack, ack, ack,” “Go back, go back, go back”.

After we had finished our lunch, the sleet luckily stopped and we continued on our way, passing a curlew nearby.

The path continued to be paved with stone slabs so was easy going as we passed the large landmarks of Dovestone Tor, The Salt Cellar and when we reached the next large tor of gritstone known as The Wheel Stones, we again made use of their shelter to have a short break and some hot drink. Luckily it was while we were sitting in this sheltered spot that there was another sleet shower.

Continuing again afterwards, when we reached a signpost, we left the path which continued along the edge towards Whinstone Lee Tor, and followed a path dropping down to join a bridleway which passed a field with sheep and some lambs, including a pair of very recently-born lambs.

The muddy path continued dropping down towards the Derwent Valley and the reservoirs in the distance, passing a well-preserved small barn with the date 1647 over its door.

Nearby was an unsurfaced track leading back along Ladybower Reservoir, soon becoming surfaced with tarmac and in a couple of kilometres, we were back at Fairholmes Car Park.

Tideswell Dale, Millers Dale and Cressbrook Dale

After a very reasonable breakfast at Yonderman's Cafe at Wardlow Mire, we set off from the car park in Tideswell Dale then followed the path down through the dale to Millers Dale and Litton Mill with the light rain continuing to fall on the wettest day of this year's Easter break.

We had to avoid pools of water on the path at Water-cum-Jolly Dale due to the highish water conditions and passed a few climbers bouldering on the limestone crag beside the river Wye.

We were looking forward to a mug of tea at D's Brew Stop café at the beginning of Cressbrook Dale, but found it has closed down.

After passing the old converted mill buildings at Cressbrook we walked up hill on the lane then left the minor road at the start of a footpath leading below Raven Crag (another well known Peak rock-climbing venue) bringing us to a wet and muddy path in Cressbrook Dale.

We followed this date as far as the much smaller Tansley Dale which joins Cressbrook Dale near the village of Litton.

At Litton we took advantage of the tea and cakes for sale in the village shop to have a hot drink and a break from the wet weather.

Once refreshed, we followed the road from Litton back to the car park in Tideswell Dale.

Northern Edge of Kinder Scout

After parking in a small layby on the Snake Pass Road near the Snake Pass Inn, we crossed the road and walked about 50 metres back towards the Inn to find a stile in the wall.

Over the stile was a footpath wending its way through the small coniferous plantation of Lady Clough, which brought us to a footbridge crossing over the River Ashop.

We followed the footpath in a light drizzle along Fair Brook valley and could see the cloud cover was low enough to cover the Kinder plateau so it would be a misty walk with continuing damp conditions.

We passed a group of kids being brought along Fair Brook thoroughly enjoying themselves clambering up small waterfalls in the brook, probably some form of “gorge walking”.

Further on, in the light rain which the drizzle had now become, we passed another group of kids with a few adults who were making there way along the path above the brook.

Onwards and upwards, we continued and followed a narrow path which avoided the boulders in the brook as the water levels were highish probably due to the melted snow over the past few days. Last Wednesday, the Snake Pass Road had been closed due to heavy snowfall and except for small remaining patches of snow here and there, it had nearly all melted away.

It was quite windy now we had reached the plateau and we paused in the lee of some large boulders overlooking the Fair Brook valley and had a drink.

Afterwards, we followed the path wending its way along the plateau edge passing the promontory of Fairbrook Naze. There wasn't much of a view due to the thick mist and light rain but it did make the large boulders and rock formations loom out of the mist making it difficult to see if they were large and far away or smaller and nearer.

Karen ha dbeen out on one of her mid-week walks with a group she walks with a while ago on this route and they had visited an aircraft crash site before heading back along the Snake Path and we had plans to do the same.

The problem was that as we made our way along a section called The Edge, it was difficult to see where to drop down from the plateau to Ashop Clough.

We stopped and I was just about to get my GPS receiver about to check on our position while Karen walked about 50 metres down the slope to see if she could spot the fence and stile we needed to cross.

Just then the mist temporarily cleared and she could see them!

So she shouted for me to follow and I did so and we crossed over the fence using the stile soon we dropped out of the cloud and could see the remains of the crashed aircraft a short distance away.

We followed a narrow sheep track which ran at an angle towards the remains of the two Canadian Sabre 4s which had crashed here on July 22^nd, 1954.

They had taken off from their base at Lintin-on-Ouse, north-west of York and despite the fact the should have been 50 miles away and flying at 30,000 feet, they had been flying low and had crashed here.

We paused and had a look at the remains of the aircraft then continued on down the valley of Ashop Clough and at a suitable point crossed to the other side of the River Ashop.

The path continued as a section of the Snake Path with the occasional boggy section and at a small foot bridge, we crossed back again to the opposite bank and followed a rising path on the southern side of the river which rose up the side of the valley high above the river.

Following the path we eventually spotted the Snake Pass Inn again in the distance and after passing the pub, the path dropped down again to arrive at the footbridge we had crossed earlier next to Lady Clough wood.

After crossing the bridge, we retraced our route through the wood, over the stile and back to our starting point.

Fair Brook

Youngsters enjoying themselves in the river

Near the top of Fair Brook

Remains of the aircraft wreckage

Following the Snake Path

Karen on a snow patch

Karen trying to get up after falling in the snow patch!

Offerton Moor from Leadmill

We parked near the bridge at Leadmill just outside Hathersage and Karen and I followed the minor road leading west near the Plough until we reached a public footpath leading down across some fields and across a bridge over Highlow Brook to cross some more fields which rose up towards Hog Hall farmhouse.

From here, a drive continued uphill to a bend in a minor road at Hazelford where another track led us past Tor Farm and through a section of Highlow Wood then down to a tributary of the brook where we had a short break.

Continuing onwards, we soon arrived at Stoke Ford from where we followed one of the various paths leading from the ford which headed north-east to arrive at the same minor road we had been on earlier.

We crossed the road and followed a winding track leading up to Oaks Farm and we again had a short break sitting on a grassy bank next tot the track looking at the views back across Abney Clough and towards our earlier route. As we sat there, some Coal Tits and a Siskin were hopping around in a small tree next to us.

After our break, we followed a footpath across a section of Abney Moor and at a junction, followed another path leading off to the north-east crossing Offerton Moor with skylarks flitting about and taking off and singing their non-stop song.

After dropping down towards Offerton Hall, we followed a track and across some fields to Callow Farm and from there through Callow Wood and then along another track to Mount Pleasant Farm.

From here there was a path leading down sloping fields to the bank of the River Derwent very close to the bridge at Leadmill and we arrived back at our starting point.

Stanage Edge

Although the past couple of weeks had been nice and mild with the beginning of Spring, now that Easter had arrived, Winter made a short return.

We had woken up on Wednesday morning to 6 inches of snow which had fallen overnight and I stayed at home.

By Thursday morning a lot of it had gone, at least at lower levels such as Matlock, but there was still a bit laying on the ground in the Dark Peak area as we parked at a small layby on the minor road at Hollow Meadows just off the A57.

From here we followed a muddy track with quite a bit of snow laying in deep drifts along the drystone walls running alongside the track, and after passing a farmhouse at Moscar Cross Farm, the track turned south passing Moscar Lodge and across the busy A57 just on the outer reached of the city of Sheffield.

After crossing a wooden stile, our route followed a narrow, peaty path across the moorland to the Stanage End area of Stanage Edge.

There was an amazing amount of snow laying in deep drifts at the foot of this famous gritstone escarpment and we walked for a while along a rough path below the crag until we found a gently-sloping steam flowing between some large rock buttresses, which we followed to gain the top of the crag.

From here we could see all around into the distance despite the heavily overcast sky and we followed another path along the top of the crag as far as the area crossed by rough track call the Long Causeway near the High Neb section of the crag. It was around here that we spotted a couple of the flat boulders which had a small basin carved out of the rock with a couple of small drainage channels, which were made to provide a source of drinking water for the Grouse. There had been a talk given in Winster Village Hall very recently by a Professor Hey about the Peak District Moors and he had described these drinking basins of which there were over a hundred, all numbered individually.

We stopped in the lee of a small buttress on the top of Stanage Edge to have a drink and then continued on to the intersection of Long Causeway with the crag.

We left Stanage Edge behind and followed the track of Lang Causeway, being passed by a small convoy of off-road vehicles coming the opposite way.

We paused at the landmark formed by the wooden pole erected at some boulders known as Stanedge Pole, to take photos and then continued along the track which passed a small coniferous wood before arriving at a rough, potholed road running alongside the higher of the three Redmire Reservoirs.

As the road passed a small car park on a bend, we broke off and followed a public footpath which followed up a sloping and muddy path between two drystone-walls and then after a stile into open heathland with views to Sheffield in the distance.

The footpath crossed the heathland for some distance then crossed a conduit supplying the reservoirs by a stone bridge.

We stopped again and sat on one of the bridge parapets to have another drink.

Afterwards,we continued on our way to arrive at the A57 once again after a kilometre or so, which we crossed and then after crossing the road, climbed over the wall using a stile and as a hare ran away from us some tens of metres away, we followed a small path up the sloping ground to arrive at the narrow road we had parked on earlier next to Crawshaw Lodge.

We turned left and followed the road for nearly two kilometres to arrive back at the layby where we parked the car.

One of the many hand-carved drinking bowls for the Grouse

Mr Grouse

Stanedge Pole

"Convoy" of Four-Wheel Drive vehicles