My first walk in March; if everything goes according to plan I'll be finishing the month by starting a walk in Staffordshire using the new X71 bus service.
Today I was only travelling to Derbyshire and it didn't start well, the train had only recently left Doncaster this morning when the guard announced that we'd only be going as far as Meadowhall because a section of track further south had collapsed. We all transferred onto the tram at Meadowhall and then just before it set off the train driver came running towards us, gasping for breath, to inform us that the track had been repaired and the train could now proceed to Sheffield. So we all got off the tram and transferred back onto the train...the journey would be much quicker. We arrived at Sheffield about fifteen minutes late but I still had plenty of time to catch my bus.
I started my walk today at Tideswell, one of the larger villages in the Peak District.
I stayed within the confines of the village for as long as I could as I headed north along the road to Highfield House, a farm I think.
I wonder which one of these players is the captain?
I don't know what this small cone-shaped building is - when I first saw it I thought it was a pyramid. It looks like it might be covering the entrance to a mineshaft though because I could see what appeared to be steps going down into the darkness.
I continued along the road, much more rural in character now as I reached the busy Buxton main road which I would have needed to walk along for a few yards as I approached the first footpath of the day if I'd done what I normally do when planning a route, that is to minimise the amount of time I spend on public roads. Instead though today, as I sometimes do, I opted to cover a longer distance going along a quiet country lane before finally reaching a footpath leading across the fields until it intersected with another path, going towards Bradwell.
There were small patches of lying snow in a few sheltered spots...I even managed to step in some later.
There are extensive tracts of old lead mining rakes and deep abandoned quarry workings on Bradwell Moor and I was particularly interested in a feature which with a bit of imagination might look like an ancient hill fort.
The western approach to Bradwell is rather complicated with a dense network of country lanes, footpaths, bridleways, and tracks leading in all directions. You can't really get lost though if you're on your way to the village - you just keep on going downhill.
Shatton is probably less than two miles over to the northeast, the path climbs up the hillside and then levels off, followed by a gentle descent.
I didn't need to rush to get back to the bus stop at Bamford but I decided to jog because I was feeling so well; there certainly was no need to, especially because the bus was fifteen minutes late. For once I wasn't the person with the muddiest clothes on the bus either.
When I got back to Sheffield the train back to Doncaster was absolutely packed, although there were plenty of empty seats in the first class area - the rest of the train was the worst that I've experienced. The situation was so bad that a fat woman from Richmond with a trapped nerve in her leg had to use the toilet as a seat, and three other people joined her in the cubicle, standing up....and of course this meant that no-one would be able to use the toilet...including those seating comfortably in First Class.
The blustery wind spoiled what would have otherwise been a perfect day for walking and photography; I had to crouch as low as possible when climbing over stiles and keep to the lower ground or in the lee of the prevailing wind direction.
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