Baslow, Longshaw Estate, Fox House, Totley Bents, and Totley

The weather forecast for Bakewell today was for 'sunny intervals and breezy' - much better than yesterday...so I decided I'd risk having a day out in the Peak District, my first day walking there for nearly a month. And what a great day out it turned out to be; the weather was better than predicted - it was sunny all day, and there was still plenty of snow left for me to enjoy.

The day didn't start off too well though. The bus I had intended to catch at Sheffield didn't turn up and so I caught the 218 service to Baslow. There were only two other people who boarded the bus and they both stated their destination as being Chatsworth, but didn't pay. There must be some sort of offer or special promotion today; I just scanned my pass as usual though.

I got off at Baslow Nether End and walked towards the Golden Gates roundabout and took the footpath up through the woods to reach the top of Bar Lane, and then Froggatt Edge.

Towards the northern end of the edge I started looking for somewhere sheltered and warmed by the sun to sit down and eat my sandwiches. This wasn't easy because the wind seemed to be simultaneously blowing from all directions; I don't know how this might be possible.

I reached the road a few hundred yards before the Grouse Inn and left the same road to cross Big Moor a few hundred yards beyond the pub.

I soon hit difficult terrain; tussock grass and two feet deep snow. Walking through this was exhausting; I must have fallen over a dozen times and rolled about in the snow, but I really enjoyed being a polar bear.

I was glad to reach White Edge Lodge, one of the Longshaw Estate's holiday cottages. I knew it has vehicular access to the road...and therefore easy walking. 

I changed my socks in the public toilets at Longshaw and had a pot of tea and a scone with jam in the cafe - it was more expensive than my cream tea at York last week.

This pair of socks didn't stay clean and dry for very long; just past Fox House I was confronted with more deep snow.

My crossing of Totley Moor wasn't too difficult though. I took a route that I'd not used before into Totley Bents and then walked up the road and caught the bus back into the city centre at the Cross Scythes pub.