Lost Lad, Derwent Edge

Yesterday we had a day doing nothing but watching a DVD of the latest James Bond film, “Skyfall”. What a difference it was today though with temperatures around freezing to begin with and a cloudy sky.

We started at Fairholmes car park and walk past the Derwent dam and ten after carefully making our way up snow and ice covered stone steps, we walked along the cycle path along the reservoir as far as the footpath turning off into the Abbey Brook valley.

We followed a very snow footpath along the valley side and one point Karen spotted a shrew which was busy digging in the little bits of grass poking through the snow and as we stood watching, it was making its way towards us until Karen moved and it shot off into the longer grass.

We were now feeling the very cold wind blowing along the valley and this was to accompany us as we continued on rising ground to eventually end up at the top of Lost Lad, which is a small hill on Derwent Edge with a viewpoint and topograph.

We dropped down to the south-western side of Lost Lad to try and get out of the wind and have some lunch. We found a flat-topped boulder poking out of the snow which we sat on and quickly put on warmer jackets as we ate our lunch.

From here we retraced our route a short way and then followed a path dropping down past a line of grouse shooting butts. We saw several mountain hares out on the snow a few hundred metres away as we followed the footpath down through sections of steep snow slopes and drifts until we reached a gate in Walkers Clough which brought us back to the cycle track running along Derwent Reservoir.

We were not very far from Derwent dam and also our starting point. A very nice walk, but it was very cold!

Start of path along Abbey Brook valley

Mr Shrew hunting for his lunch

Summit of Lost Lad

The topograph

View of Derwent Reservoir

Another view of the Derwent reservoir

Snow drifts below Derwent Edge