Fox House, Longshaw Estate and Carl Wark

I was expecting there to be a lot of lying snow today, but there actually wasn't that much; no more than in Doncaster. In fact the higher ground to the north west didn't seem to have any snow cover at all.

I had intended to just walk a few miles on the Longshaw Estate and get used to my new GPS device, but the conditions underfoot were so good that I went north along the Burbage Valley and climbed Carl Wark, and was surprised how many other people were also out enjoying the Peak District today.

GPS

I've just bought a basic GPS locator and have been trying it out in the park; it's very simple to use, even with one gloved hand - the hardest thing was attaching the lanyard before I set off. The unit, apart from being able to locate my exact position, accurate to thirteen feet; also has a multifunction trip odometer, an altimeter function (that I suspect might not be particularly accurate though) a compass, and various functions more suited to orienteering or geocaching.

Because I usually hike alone on the moors, above all it will give me piece of mind...but I'll still have fun with the trip statistics when I get home.

First Purchase

My Disability Living Allowance has been paid into my bank account, and the first thing I've bought with it is a slow cooker, so that there'll be a nice pot of hot stew waiting for me when I get home from a day's hiking.

I also bought a new map case as well, since my old one, which I only bought a few months ago, has just about had it.

Bakewell

Not a walk today; just a day out to Bakewell with my friend Justin - the trip having been postponed from a fortnight ago because of rain.

The visit began with a hearty cooked breakfast at a posh wine bar of all places; it seemed to be as cheap as anywhere else and had recently won 'The Best Bakewell Pudding award 2010'...not that the latter mattered to us. As you can see from the photos there must be quite a few entrants hoping to win this award since we saw at least three establishments claiming to bake Bakewell puddings according to the original recipe.

We then spent some time looking around the shops and market, in particular the bookshops and charity shops but then had to get the 1:30 bus back to Sheffield so that Justin could arrive back in Doncaster before his mother would get home from the Social Services' daycare centre.

I really enjoyed today's visit; actually spending a bit of time looking round the town - usually when I'm at Bakewell I'm only there for a few minutes at the beginning or end of a walk.

Neither of us bought a Bakewell pudding though - they didn't look that appetising.

Grindleford, Bretton Clough and Hathersage

A perfect day for walking and photography...and the Met Office forecast was correct for once. The day started a bit cloudy and quite cold; I saw my first ice of the winter on Eyam Moor, the highest part of the walk: later, someone told me that there had been a dusting of snow overnight on the Snake Pass - as you can see from the photograph, visibility was excellent and I could easily see towards Kinder Scout, the highest point of the Peak District, a few miles to the north; and there was certainly no sign of snow up there by mid-morning.

The walk began with a steady climb westwards out of Grindleford on the road up to Sir William Hill; unfortunately, according to the Ordnance Survey map there are no public footpaths leading from the village to the west. I then dropped down into Bretton Clough, where the woodland was looking decidedly autumnal; followed by a steady walk along the brook to Leadmill Bridge and then Hathersage in time to catch the 15:24 bus back to Sheffield...except that it didn't turn up. It wasn't timetabled to show up though, the bus was doing the school run, taking the children from Hope Valley School home. The next bus arrived half an hour later and only went to Fox House; but I knew that there were many more buses back to Sheffield from there. When one did appear it was ten minutes late, so I arrived at Sheffield railway station ten minutes late thinking I'd just missed the express train back to Doncaster and would have to wait for the stopping train...however, the express was also ten minutes late and so I was able to catch it. Hallelujah, a problem with public transport working in my favour.

So, what could have been a perfect day ruined by the vagaries of buses and trains.

No Bakewell Pudding Today

Until I read today's weather forecast on Saturday -  wet and windy, I had intended to go to Bakewell with a friend today, just to look around the shops and the market; and to have a nice meal. He's not too steady on his legs, he's got a limp and needs to use a walking stick, and so even the gentlest of walks in the countryside would be too difficult for him.

I think he's quite keen to taste a genuine Bakewell pudding, although I'm not. They just seem to be like Yorkshire puddings filled with jam. I much prefer the commercially available Bakewell tarts.