Totley, Holmesfield, and Owler Bar

I travelled to the Cross Scythes pub at Totley and headed south, using the Sheffield  Country Walk. Where the route takes a sharp turn to the left I continued straight ahead for Holmesfield.

I  continued to head south, taking a path that goes next to one of the pubs; the gate I had to pass through was, by a long way, the most complicated and difficult to use and the most physically demanding that I've ever encountered.  I had to check my map several times as I progressed, there are a lot of criss-crossing paths in this area. I don't like passing through fields where there are cows, but it has to be done - I've never seen all white cows before though and so did stop to take a photograph.

There was a short section of road to walk along and then a footpath heading west mainly going through woodland until I reached the path that intersects with Car Lane, a wide track that leads up to Baslow Road. The bus stop is over to the right, back towards Sheffield, and uphill.

I had to wait over an hour for a bus because two didn't turn up. It's a rather uncomfortable place to be stranded for so long, it's very exposed to the weather [which fortunately wasn't too bad], there's certainly not a bus shelter here but neither is there anywhere to sit - there's not even a wall, a boulder or even a grassy bank. I did notice that there's a phone number on the bus stop to ring for information and updates; I'm not sure if the buses on this route have trackers though. Even if I were able to acquire some information it wouldn't really be any use to me. There aren't really any options from this location; the next bus stop is at Owler Bar, a mile away along a busy, dangerous road. There's a wall to sit on, or maybe lean against, and a couple of pubs, one of which is closed for renovation. 

 

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.