Paul Lydon: Shining Tor from Erwood Reservoir

After leaving the car in the southern car park by Errwood Reservoir in the Goyt Valley, we made our way up the grassy path along side Shooters Clough. Although it was a cool day (about 6C), I was wearing only a thermal shirt as I didn't wan to get too warm on the ascent.

When we left home, Winster was enveloped in mist and fog and there were clear patches as we travelled towards Buxton on the A525. As we were approaching Buxton earlier on the A515 we could see clouds of mist in the distance filling valleys with the hilltops standing clear which looked very picturesque: a classic temperature inversion.

We were hoping for lovely views from Shining Tor, a hill overlooking the Goyt Valley some 4 miles from Buxton but it was not to be, In fact it was the opposite case with the lower ground completely clear and the higher ground shrouded in mist.

As we followed what was obviously an ancient track as it had been worn down through soft ground until it reached bedrock, we reached a high point where the track continued towards the Cat and Fiddle inn and another path formed a junction. This path leads to the top of Shining Tor.

We stopped for a minute so that I could put on my Rab Vapour Rise jacket (which was ideal for a day like today which was cool, damp and with a cold wind) and then followed the improved path across the boggy moorland to arrive at the high point of Shining Tor at 559 metres.

There are a pair of wooden benches at the top in a corner of two drystone walls which are somewhat sheltered from the prevailing wind, but the one which was best sheltered was already in use by a lady and a young girls, so we went though a small gate in the wall by the old trig. point and sat in the shelter of one of the small gritstone craglets which overlook the slopes on the other side of Shining Tor and had our lunch.

Continuing onwards in the mist, we followed the path, which like many others in the Peak moorland, has been improved with large stone slabs, northwards towards Cats Tor. As we went along we could hear the odd grouse making its odd call of “Ack! Ack ack ack! Go back! Go back! Go back!”.

We eventually arrived at Pym Chair which is next to a minor road and here we had another short break in the shelter provided by the drystone-wall and a hollowing on the ground before we made our way gradually down a footpath alongside the road until it got too churned and muddy by trial bikes and then just walk on the road instead.

At a footpath sign and finger post by the road, we left the road to follow a well-used path which leads down through the woodland near the old Erwood Hall ruins, and stopped to have a quick look at the “Spanish Shrine”.

The “Spanish Shrine” is a tiny shrine or chapel built by the old proprietors of Erwood Hall, the Grimshaws in the 19th century in memory of their Spanish governess who had died on a trip to Lourdes.

We followed the path onwards down through the woodland which brought us back to the road next to Erwood Reservoir near our starting point.