Baslow, Longshaw Estate, Fox House, and Totley

I travelled to Baslow today; the Bakewell bus was the first service leaving for the Peak District when I arrived at Sheffield Interchange. I got off at Nether End and walked up the hill to reach the moors. I headed north along Baslow Edge, and then, Froggatt Edge, and Curbar Edge.

To the south of Longshaw Estate I found a path I'd not used before, it was quite overgrown with bracken though. It cut across Access Land and so wasn't shown on the map.

The new cafe, outdoor seating area and toilets at Longshaw are very nice; the area was quite busy and so I didn't take any photographs. The views were still available though.

There was over an hour to wait for the bus at Fox House and so I continued with the walk, going down through the woods at the Blacka Moor Nature Reserve and caught the bus on the main road at Totley. It started raining just before three o'clock when I was on the bus travelling to Sheffield city centre - the forecast was for the rain to start anytime after one o'clock.

Baslow, Froggatt, Longshaw Estate, and Fox House

I've been on the hunt for animals today on another of my themed walks, this time in the Peak District.

I travelled to Baslow and soon found my first animal, the Italian restaurant there, 'Il Lupo' [The Wolf.] I soon found my next one as I was walking up Bar Road to the Eagle Stone, located on Eaglestone Flat, a tract of open moorland. The word 'eagle' in this name actually means 'church' - but I'm still claiming it. I also passed a house called Hawkfield, so that was four animals within the first mile or so.

The rock obviously looks nothing like an eagle; the name 'eagle' means 'church' in the old Celtic language...does it look like a church though? 

At Curbar Gap I walked down the road for a bit until I found the footpath that would eventually take me through Bee Wood.

This was the third of five stone structures I passed; I don't know what they are but they seemed to be evenly spaced out along the route through the wood.

I continued along the road for a few minutes, walking through the upper part of Froggatt. I took a path going through some more woodland, and although I couldn't see it, I knew that I would soon be at my nearest point to Goatscliffe, the southernmost part of Grindleford, over on the other side of the river.

A few minutes later I passed through Horse Hay Coppice and then climbed up through Hay Wood to the Grouse Inn, located at an isolated spot on the moors.

It was then a straightforward easy walk through the Longshaw Estate to Fox House, my eighth animal encountered today...happy hunting. Not far away there's Houndkirk Road, a track going across the moors to Ringinglow - it will feature on another of my animal themed walks though.

I had a pot of tea at the tearooms at Longshaw; the cakes are quite expensive and so I didn't buy one...anyhow it was too early, it was only 12:40.

Walking From Curbar Crossroads to Fox House With Damo and Lydia

A short afternoon walk in the Peak District today with my friend Damo from Leeds, and Lydia, his friend who lives in Sheffield.

We arranged to meet at the bus station at Sheffield for two o'clock; fortunately they were twenty minutes early and so were able to catch the 13:40 bus, arriving at the start of our walk about forty minutes later.

We headed over to the Wellington Monument and then the Eagle Stone.

We continued walking along the Eastern Edges until we reached Fox House, calling en route at the Grouse Inn, which is at an isolated location up on the moors.

We had a Diet Coke each at the Grouse Inn - I took photographs of the foreign banknotes which are displayed throughout the pub.

It was a bit too windy on the edges, but otherwise it's been a lovely afternoon and early evening spent walking and chatting in Derbyshire with friends.

Fox House and the Eastern Edges

A walk with Maureen and Chris from Leeds today. As usual the brief was a six to eight mile walk, fairly flat and easy conditions, and parking somewhere with toilets. Starting a walk from Fox House just about fits all these criteria, although the public toilets are now closed there are still some at the visitor centre at Longshaw, only a ten minute stroll. Out of good practice I always take my map, but I didn't need it today...and didn't use it - I know the area very well.

As the passengers were boarding the bus at Sheffield Interchange I helped the driver work out where a couple of foreign students needed to get off; the end of the road to Ringinglow for Mayfield Alpaca Farm and Fox House for the car parking area at Longshaw Estate. This seems to be becoming a regular task for me; I'm not a particularly helpful person...it's just that I see this as being the best way to hurry things up and make sure that the bus sets off on time.

The route of today's walk was through the grounds of Longshaw Estate, along the road to the footpath on the top of Froggatt Edge, cut across the moors to Eagle Stone and the Wellington Monument, and then across more moorland to reach White Edge and return to the visitor centre at Longshaw...and then finally back to Fox House.