Brough, Bradwell, and Castleton

I couldn't wear my regular boots this morning; my right boot didn't fit, it was too tight - the laces were digging in to the top of my instep. So, I wore another pair, an older pair of Berghaus boots which are no longer fully waterproof, but still very comfortable. I'm wondering if this problem with my instep might be connected to the bone spurs I've got growing on the back of my heels which have been causing tightness and pain in my Achilles' tendons.

I got off the bus at Brough and immediately took the wrong path, the path at the wrong side of the river. It didn't take me long to realise my mistake and cross over the bridge and find the correct path. There were some nice views as I was walking along this path towards Bradwell, an easy low level route. I've selected a photograph I took of the Hope Cement Works which were brightly illuminated by the morning sunlight.

A few minutes later I was taking photographs in the village of Bradwell and called in the shop and bought some sausage rolls to eat later.

I climbed up the steep path and steps to eventually reach the road that leads to Pindale and Castleton. There were some lovely views as I got higher...not from every viewpoint though because in some places the unattractive roofs of several of the buildings in the small industrial estate can be seen.

The next section was flat, walking across limestone grassland and well-maintained tracks suitable for vehicles.

When I  was still quite a distance from Mam Tor I could see there were a lot of people on the summit, the most I've ever seen...there were also many vehicles parked on the various approach roads.

I didn't climb Mam Tor today, I turned right and walked down Winnats Pass, which is always spectacular. None of my photographs were really any good; the contrast seemed to be too high and much of the detail was washed out. The image I've selected, because I do like this one, was taken right at the bottom of Winnats Pass after I'd been to the toilets which are hidden away at the back of one of the ancillary buildings next to the car park for Speedwell Cavern.  

When I got down into Castleton it was very busy too; I'm thinking that this might be because it's Valentine's Day today, the weather was fine, it's a weekend...and Chatsworth House is closed until the end of next month due to the renovation works. 

I was hungry, and unusually for me I queued, for ten minutes, for some chips and mushy peas. I wasn't this hungry though.

Due to roadworks at both Hathersage, and Bamford, the bus was fifteen minutes late. The latter part of the journey back to Sheffield was rather cramped and uncomfortable...and potentially dangerous. A large bouldering mattress nearly fell on me and I nearly had my eye poked out by the point of another walker's walking pole.

Health Audit 2015

I reckon that I'm not in too bad a shape physically. I'm 53 years old and a few stones overweight, but I can easily manage a ten mile walk, maybe even fifteen miles, in the more accessible parts of the Peak District. With me having to rely on public transport time and logistics are the main constraints on how far I walk.

I do have a few minor medical ailments though. At the moment my main problem is with my Achilles' tendons which are permanently stretched tight because of bone spurs growing on the back of my heels. There's nothing that can be done right now; if things get too bad though I might have the option of having surgery to have the excess bone pared back. In the meantime I have to make sure that I wear the right footwear, with the foam and gel inserts positioned correctly.

My calf muscles are also causing me problems at the moment; there's a muscle knot in my left leg, and I have a tendency to suffer from cramp when walking, and severe muscle spasms at times when travelling home in a tightly confined space on the bus or train...I think this condition is called 'Claudian legs' or 'Charley horse.' In both circumstances taking magnesium oxide tablets seems to help.

Walking for prolonged periods loosens my bowels and so I need to take a couple of loperamide anti-diarrhoea tablets in the morning as a preventative measure; I also have spare tablets in my basic medical kit. 

After a few hours/miles I sometimes start having problems with chafing on my inner thighs and testicles, and my piles can become bothersome, so haemorrhoid cream, vaseline, and petroleum gel need to be liberally applied before setting off and sometimes re-applied later...not every toilet cubicle has enough room for me to bend over and splay my legs - this is where old barns come in handy.

Despite being told as a child that I would grow out of my hayfever by the time I turned eighteen I'm still blighted by the symptoms, not as bas as when I was younger, but I still need to take a loratadine tablet to dampen down the symptoms when I'm out on the moors in the summer months.

Another minor ailment is golfer's vasculitis. it's nothing more than annoying really, a temporary rash that burns and itches a bit. I find the best relief comes when I soak in a hot bath when I get home.

Finally, I wear glasses. I'm perfectly safe to continue walking and get myself home without them, but I wouldn't be able to focus on anything in the far distance, thus ruining my enjoyment of the views. I always take a spare pair...just in case.