I walk through the ruins of North America ...

Late January. The sun shines but the air is cold and thin. I walk out of the back of the car park at Langsett and follow the path along the top of Langsett Bank.





I trudge through a mile or so of trees before reaching a crossroads of bridleways ...



 I took the bridleway for Swinden and soon reached it ... in the process disturbing the sheep as they tucked into some hay.





 The sheep ignored me.

I followed the path through Crooklands Wood with the sun shining through the trees.



At the bridge at the tip of the reservoir I studied the interpretation panel ~  it indicated that if you switched on Bluetooth at certain points you would learn something about the spot you're standing at ... technology eh ?



There's a Peak and Northern footpath signpost there too ...



Then I walked south towards Hingcliff Common. I didn't get to the highest ground though as I turned east for North America. On my way the waters of Langsett Reservoir were visible. 



 Then I reached North America ...



Yes, it had been a farm. I assume it was demolished when the reservoir was built.

The waters of Langsett Reservoir looked really ominous ... black and forbidding.



 It was good to get to the Bank View Cafe on the northern side of the A616 in Langsett itself.



I'd not had a coffee stop on my walk for some reason and so I was hungry and thirsty. I ordered a cheese and onion toastie and a one pint mug of tea !  Would I be able to finish it ? You betcha !



... and they say the English can't cook, eh ?

 Date of walk ~ 30th January 2010

Length of walk ~ 4 1/4 miles

Total walked so far in 2010 ~ 21 1/2 miles

Total walked since records began [er, 1st September 2009] ~ 151 1/2 miles

4 of 2010

Boxing Day, 2009

I was on my own that day for some reason ...

I walked along an icy and slippery Baulk Lane towards Brookfield Manor, Hathersage Church on the hillside behind me ...

Sheep were scratching around in the snow, looking for the odd tussock of grass ...



After passing Brookfield Manor, I crossed the road with Bronte Cottage to my right and walked up the field to enter The Warren ...



In the Warren there's a newish handmade footbridge ...



 There's more about the bridge here ... http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/index/news/news-display-page.htm?id=17861

Once I'd got past Green's House and walked up the side of the plantation at Dennis Knoll, I turned round as the sun was just starting to catch some of the landscape behind me ...



 I zoomed into the middle distance of the photograph above. The next photo shows Carhead Rocks and Cattis-side Moor ...



After zooming in a little more the next photo shows a closer view of Carhead Rocks on Cattis-side Moor ~ neither of them are names I use but they are shown on the Dark Peak OS Map ...



Perhaps it was the cold or the snow ... whatever it was, there weren't many walkers about. I climbed up Long Causeway towards Stanage Edge. By now the sun was more visible as I looked across the valley towards the mast on Shatton Moor ...



At the top of Long Causeway there was a great view north-west along Stanage Edge.



It was so good to see so much snow I went a bit trigger happy ...





One too many photos of Stanage Edge perhaps ... 

I descended through Stanage Plantation and then followed the path through the wood towards North Lees Hall ...



 I stopped for a coffee leaning against the gate at the edge of the plantation, admiring the view towards North Lees Hall [in the trees ahead] ...



A couple of other walkers passed me as I stood there ...



Then I reached North Lees Hall which looks better in winter than at any other time of the year ...



... though from the lower side it didn't look quite such a wintry scene.



Continuing down the path from North Lees Hall I passed to the left of Cowclose. After a field or two there's a great view of Hathersage Church ...



 At the edge of the churchyard one of the yew trees was nicely backlit by the sun ...





  Date of walk ~ 26th December 2009

Length of walk ~ 5 3/4 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 108 1/4 miles

In Darley Dale ...

Autumn was drawing to a close and for some reason I hadn't got out early enough to go far. For once I did a local walk. Many people would be happy to walk locally around here.

I parked on the Promenade near the Red House Hotel, just off the A6.

I took the path beside the Red House Hotel. I wonder how long it is since it was red ?



The path runs down to the railway line ...



I crossed the line and followed the path that runs between the river and the railway line itself, heading towards Matlock. There's a fallen tree here which has been like this for ages ... years rather than months.



Down by the river the sun shone brightly on the waters of the Derwent.



I walked through a couple of fields until I reached a point where the path from the A6 and Hackney Lane joined the path I was on from the left.





I walked through another two or three fields before climbing up the railway embankment and following the concessionary footpath that runs beside the line itself. I was now heading back the way I had come.



Just to confirm the status of the path ...



Beside the line, a little further on, there's an old Midland Railway marker. I wonder how old it is ?



I left the railway line and walked across the fields to the Square and Compass in Darley Bridge before walking along the road to Darley Dale Station. From here I got back onto the public footpath that runs alongside the railway line back towards the car. On the way I walked past the DFS outlet ... out of picture on the right in the next photo ...



On the left of me as I took the above photo was an old Midland Railway notice ...



I was only two or three hundred yards from the car ...

Date of walk ~ 25th October 2009

Length of walk ~ 4 1/4 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 78 1/2 miles.

Up Winyard's Nick ...

My Beloved felt well enough on Saturday to go for her first walk in over a month. The Peak District is what she favoured, rather than Nottinghamshire, and I was pleased to accommodate her.

We started from the car park behind Longshaw Lodge and walked in front of the lodge, with Higger Tor and Carl Wark to our right ...

We walked down the path where we'd uprooted some rhododendrons a few years ago with the National Trust. Sheep were grazing in the [fairly] early morning sunshine ...



 Padley Gorge was busy with as many photographers as walkers ... well, nearly. Twisted and misshapen oak trees push through discarded rocks ...



Some of the oak trees were more misshapen than others ...



  A millstone lies in the path, though how many notice is debateable ...



Downhill of the millstone a fallen tree lies against another ...



From a few yards away we noticed it wasn't as smooth as it should have been ...



Hundreds of coins had been hammered into it ~ it's a wishing tree. Offer up a coin and make a wish ...



This is where I could make some reference to going from one extreme to the other, from pagans to Roman Catholics, but I won't.

Padley Chapel has a connection with the Catholic martyrs Nicholas Garlick and Robert Ludlam [or Ludlum] who were hanged, drawn and quartered in Derby near St. Mary's Bridge. There's more here ... http://padley.catholicweb.com/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=196768&From=Home ~ I wish people would stop saying 'hung, drawn and quartered' though. 



 If I've ever looked at the ruins of Padley Manor, it must have been a long time ago. I don't remember seeing them before ...



We were following the track from Padley Chapel towards Greenwood Farm and the A6187 beyond that ...



We were tempted to have a coffee stop at these discarded, unfinished, millstones ...



There are some good views from this track across the Derwent valley, towards Offerton Moor and Hathersage ...





We turned right on the A6187, forking left on the B road after 60 or 70 yards walking up the road beside Whim Wood [shown as Whim Plantation on the OS Map]. Then we entered the wood before we turned northward towards Winyard's Nick ...



That's the nick, above, between the two outcrops. We had a coffee stop on a rock just this side of the nick ... beside a couple of small plastic bags full of dog muck. Why do people do that ? They collect the crap in a bag then they leave the bag on the moor !

We moved on.

In the nick we got a view over the other side ... of Burbage Edge and the moorland stretching down to Toad's Mouth ...



Walking down the path towards Toad's Mouth another path joins from Carl Wark. At that point there's a plain wooden seat with this plaque on it ...



We re-crossed the A6187 and crossed Burbage Brook [assuming that's what it's called, once it's off the moor] ...



Beside the path leading back in the direction of Longshaw Lodge there's a newish seat, starting to fade now, which a passing walker was pleased to pose on for me ...



All that remained was to get back to the tearoom at Longshaw.

As we went the sun was slightly more prominent ...



There was some disappointment when we got to the tearoom ~ they had just sold the last of the homity pie. Still, they were selling five of my books ... and they were still available.

Date of walk ~ 17th October 2009

Length of walk ~ 5 1/2 miles.


Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 49 1/4 miles