Fox House to Curbar Gap and Back

It's about two months since I last went walking with Chris and Maureen from Leeds, our previous walk was cancelled when Maureen phoned me to say that the weather was too hot for her and she wasn't feeling very well - I still went walking in the Peak District that day though.

The weather certainly wasn't too hot today; at times it was like midwinter...when I was out on Burbage Moor before Chris and Maureen arrived it was sleeting and there was a strong cold biting wind.

We made our usual plans, meeting up at eleven o'clock at Fox House. Although my train was nearly half an hour late departing Doncaster I still arrived at Fox House before ten o'clock and attempted to get in a couple of miles on the moors. After about twenty minutes because of the atrocious weather I abandoned this idea and returned to the bus shelter at Fox House to wait for my friends.

Today's walk started from Fox House. We headed off down the hill to the public toilets at the Longshaw Information Centre and then walked through the estate to reach White Edge. 

At a couple of points where a gate leads out onto open Access Land on the moors  one of these signs has been pinned.

Currently there are no bulls on the high moors in the Fox House and Longshaw areas - maybe the landowners are intending to graze Highland cattle up there. There are Highland cattle further south, to the south of Curbar Gap; they're very placid and friendly but I suppose it's still advisable to have the notices there.

It's a gentle climb up to White Edge and so Maureen was easily able to cope. It's then quite level all the way to Curbar Gap...there's even a bit of downhill towards the end. Although it was raining all the time it wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as it was earlier when I was on Burbage Moor.

We then turned north and headed back towards the car, walking along Froggat Edge. For the final mile and a half we returned along the same route at Longshaw that we'd used earlier going in the other direction and the weather had brightened up enough by now for me to be able to take a few photographs.

Baslow, Curbar Gap, Froggatt, Grindleford, Leadmill, and Hathersage

I got off the bus at Baslow Nether End and my first port of call was the toilets, and then the shop - for a carton of milk and a flapjack to set me up for the walk ahead.

I walked up Bar Road and for the first time I didn't need to stop to catch my breath; my fitness level seems to be really improving now after two years of almost weekly walks in the Peak District. I quickly caught up with, and then overtook, a young couple: I was quite proud of myself. I did briefly stop once though, further up the hill, to photograph the name of a house which was informing me of that which was obvious to me.

I didn't continue right to the top of the moors, but turned north along a path halfway up the climb. I've not gone this way before; I've previously walked along the top of the Edge and down in the bottom of the valley; but from this midway point the terrain and views are just as interesting - it was quite hazy though; it did brighten up later, before clouding over again and then starting raining.

The path continued for over a mile and then I reached Curbar Gap, a popular beauty spot. I walked down the road for a couple of minutes and then picked up what was most likely a continuation of the same path: I could see right down into the valley of the River Derwent to my left, and the high ground beyond, and to my right there was Curbar Edge with many climbers and hikers silhouetted on the close-by horizon as I was struggling to look towards the direction of the sun, which was breaking through the clouds by now.

 This section of path was quite well used for the first few hundred yards; there were plenty of large rocks which could be used for bouldering, but it soon became more and more difficult to follow.  I eventually ended up trying to walk through dense bracken which was taller than me, and it was quite dangerous underfoot with there being a lot of boulders, loose rock, and fallen and damaged trees everywhere...and a steep descent. I soon gave up, re-traced my steps for a few hundred yards and found a way down where it wasn't quite so overgrown.

It didn't take long to find a path, looking at the map it seems to be a different one however, and after a pleasant walk through the woodland I arrived at the Chequers Inn, situated on the highest part of Froggatt village. It looked tempting; but I feared it was far too posh for me; being sweaty, covered in mud and having bits of bracken and silver birch still clinging to my clothes.

So...I walked past the pub and continued up the road for maybe a quarter of a mile and then took the footpath which descends through woodland to Grindleford. Along this stretch I managed to take a photograph of a foxglove plant, hanging at a precarious angle and catching the sunlight.

I soon reached Grindleford, crossed the road and continued walking alongside the river, upstream in the direction of Leadmill, and then Hathersage. I reached Hathersage with enough time to spare to visit the toilets and pop into the shop for another flapjack: I faced a choice, Devonshire Flapjacks or Dorset Flapjacks. They were both the same price and so I decided to purchase whichever variety was larger. Now; I know that the county of  Devon is larger than Dorset so I picked that flapjack up first...75 grams. Dorset seemed heavier in my hand; and it was - 125 grams...so Dorset was my choice.

Baslow, Froggatt Edge and Fox House

Actually today's walk didn't begin at Baslow; I got off the bus on the moors above the village so as to avoid the tedious climb up to Baslow Edge.

The path from the road led westwards where I soon came across a herd of rather friendly Highland cattle which just wanted to pose for the camera.

It wasn't long until I reached the Wellington Monument - there's a Nelson Monument at the other side of the valley.

From here I could already see the 'Eagle Stone' and it only took me a few minutes to reach it. There's a local legend that states that a young man from Baslow must climb to the top of the rock before he's allowed to marry - I judge it to be about twenty five or thirty foot high.

For the next few miles I walked right along the edge of Curbar Edge and Froggatt Edge, stopping frequently to enjoy the view and take photographs; even splitting my trousers as I clambered over one rock to get the shot I wanted...there are a lot of interesting rocks, cliff faces and boulders along this section.

Finally, a bit of jogging to get back to Fox House in time for the bus.