Mam Tor from Castleton

Karen was on holiday today to make up for having to be in work yesterday. We started off in Castleton and then made our way along the lane which leads past the Hollowford Centre where we could hear and see a group of kids enjoying themselves on the outdoor rope apparatus.
When we reached the start of the path leading to Hollins Cross, we followed that and had a short, light rain shower as we were walking up the stone steps on the path higher up.
Soon we reached the small col at Hollins Cross and I was telling Karen about my memories of having walked up to there before many years ago when on an attempt at the Pennine Way with a school friend, Dave. Dave had planned everything and we had got a bus to Castleton the evening before to stay at the Youth Hostel. It was when we got to Hollins Cross and looked down into the Edale valley and across to the village of Edale laying below Kinder Scout. Dave pointed out that was where the Pennine Way started! I wasn't impressed when I realised we hadn't even reached the start! I was even less impressed when we reached Crowden Youth Hostel (eventually!) and found it was fully booked and had to sleep in some polythene bivvy bags, we had brought in case of emergency, behind a drystone-wall!!
Anyway, this time our target was the summit of Mam Tor further along the ridge.
We walked along the stone slabbed path and were soon at the trig point on the summit. We could see more showers moving in behind us and even though there wasn't too much wind, we found a sheltered spot with some convenient stone blocks to sit on just below the summit where we sat for a few minutes to eat the rolls we bought in Castleton earlier.
Luckily there was hardly any rain by the tome the clouds reached us and we continued down from the top of Mam Tor to the small pass at Mam Nick, then down towards the Chapel-en-le-Frith road which we crossed and made our way to the small cave with a large entrance know as Windy Knoll.
We had a quick look at the entrance, noting the large rocks which had fallen from the roof a few years ago and then made our way to the road from the top of Winnats Pass, near Oxlow Farm, which we crossed and then followed the tarmac road passing Rowter Farm.
Continuing on the now non-metalled track until we reached the crossroads where the route of the Limestone Way went through a field gate then across fields to reach the top of Cave Dale.

We found a sheltered hollow to have a quick sit and finish our lunch before following the remainder of the route down Cave Dale to arrive back in the village square in Castleton.