Hope, The Great Ridge, Bradwell, and Brough

It was sunny when I left my house in Doncaster this morning, it wasn't sunny though when I got off the bus at Hope; it was drizzling and quite misty...I had much heavier rain at times later though, and some glorious sunshine as well. Today I walked along the Great Ridge from east to west, from Lose Hill to Mam Tor, for the first time for a few years. From Hope; I headed north, passing over the railway line that goes to the cement works and then cut down to the Edale road.

Just before Townhead Bridge I took the track going uphill over to the left and was soon climbing up the southeastern flank of Lose Hill.

The walk along The Great Ridge is less than two miles but it took me quite a while because I kept stopping to admire the views and take photographs in the improving weather conditions...and there's a steep, rocky, slippery descent with lose stones underfoot as you come down Back Tor.

As expected, it was quite crowded on the summit of Mam Tor and so I didn't linger and made my way down the steps and then across the fields and along the track, heading south all the time.

I know this area well and so when I reached a spot where five footpaths meet I wasn't hesitant about which was the right way. A bit further on I had to pause though to check my other map because my route today would take me just beyond the coverage of the northern map and just very briefly into the area of coverage of the map for the southern part of the Peak District. 

Having confirmed the way ahead I crossed Bradwell Moor. There's a choice of routes down into Bradwell and I can't be precise about which one I took.

There's only a bus every two hours going to Sheffield on a Sunday and so I walked along the road to Brough, to finish the walk there.

I didn't use this footpath; I just took a photograph of the sign, which is placed there so that the right of way isn't permanent and so therefore will not appear on any official maps of the area.

I didn't use this seat either.

The unpredictable weather spoiled the walk a bit for me, but the thing that really annoyed me today was my itchy arms. I always keep them well covered up and so I don't think it would have been  caused by anything that bit, stung, or scratched me. So what was it then? When I got home and got undressed I noticed that there was no rash, nor any other blemishes on my skin; it's not as bad now as it was a few hours ago and I'm hoping a good long soak in a hot bath later will soothe my skin. 

Brough, Hope, Mill Cottages, Ollerbrook Booth, Edale, Barber Booth, and Castleton

I woke up at 5:30 this morning and so took advantage of that to make an early start and arrive at Brough for 8:45.

The walk across the fields to Hope is delightful, with views to the north.

Fortunately the toilets at Hope were open, after being closed for a few months. The shops were open too by this time...but I wasn't tempted. It was the ascent of Lose Hill that was taking my interest; the large hill on the right in the next photograph.

I maintained a steady pace and reached the summit in less than half an hour without stopping - and for the first time I can remember I was alone...apart from the sheep.

I had a rest for a few minutes and took some photographs, but I could have easily continued without a break; the next section along the Great Ridge was quite easy.

I noticed an impressive cairn that wasn't there the last time I was.

There was the scramble down Back Tor which required a bit of care and a lot of concentration, and then an easy way down to the road.

I passed through the hamlet of Mill Cottages and then took the lane to Ollerbrook Booth and the footpath to Edale. I arrived at Edale earlier than expected and both the pubs weren't open yet so I went to Cooper's Café. I arrived there at 11:40; the menu stated that breakfast was served until twelve o'clock, yet the blackboard mentioned 11:30. I asked the young girl who was serving, she checked and said it was okay...I could have breakfast: I've had better though.

I finished my breakfast and took some photographs of the village; it was a shame that this was the only part of the day when conditions weren't ideal for photography; it was quite hazy, even a little cloudy.

The walk across the meadows to Barber Booth was a footpath I hadn't used before...and the buttercups were enchanting. The views were gorgeous, but were even better as I gradually climbed up the other side of the valley towards Hollins Cross and my second crossing of the Great Ridge. 

I arrived down in Castleton with forty minutes to wait for the bus, so I took some photographs.

Castleton, Mam Tor, and The Great Ridge.

Introducing Simon and Chris to Castleton and The Great Ridge.

Today started off with an interesting intellectual and philosophical challenge or conundrum: certainly something that's had me thinking all day.

I was looking out of the window as the train approached Sheffield Station and noticed the words 'Imagine waking up tomorrow and all music had disappeared' painted onto a pipeline which spanned the river. A very interesting, and disturbing, idea indeed.

I went walking with Chris and Simon from Leeds today, catching the bus to Bamford Station bus turnaround where I met up with them. We drove in the car, parking up on the abandoned road, as near to Mam Tor as we could. They were both impressed with the pinnacles on the rims of Winnats Pass on our way there.

We walked a few yards along the road and then took the path leading up to Mam Nick and then up the steps to the summit of Mam Tor. The weather wasn't ideal, but we knew what to expect; the forecast was for sunny intervals, showers, and a cold wind...and that's precisely what we got - with a bit of hail and sleet thrown in for good measure too.

We took our time walking along the ridge, frequently stopping to admire the limited views obscured by the murk. Chris tried especially hard when we reached Lose Hill.

We carefully worked our way down to Hope where we sat and ate our sandwiches on a bench next to the car park; it was raining, but not too heavily.

The next section of the walk was along the river to Castleton; stopping for about ten minutes at the location where the path crosses the railway line which leads to Hope Cement Works. The amber lights were flashing, indicating that a train was due. Simon is especially interested in trains and railways, and was hoping to see a freight train go along this rarely used section of track: after waiting for ten minutes though he gave up hope and we continued with our walk; soon arriving at Castleton.

Neither Simon nor Chris had visited Castleton before. Chris soon decided that his wife would love the place with its blue john jewellery shops, gift and craft shops, and cafés; and Simon, thinking it might be a while until he's here again, relished every moment; going in most of the shops, and exploring all of the narrow lanes.

Being wary of the time, we reluctantly left Castleton and walked across the fields towards the abandoned road; caused by the ongoing landslip at the foot of Mam Tor. When we reached Odin Mine we gave Simon the opportunity to cut his walk short and wait for Chris and myself to pick him up in the car. He said that this was one of the most difficult walks he'd been on, and was very tired; but wanted to continue. We didn't have far to go at this point, but parts of the abandoned road are quite steep; and the strong wind was blowing straight in our faces.

It was a short drive into Castleton, where I was dropped off at the bus station: when the bus reached Sheffield it went a different route in the city centre because the vehicle is a different colour. I had to get off at Arundel Gate and walk down the steep hill to reach the railway station.

I had another piece of equipment failure today: my anorak split along the left elbow. I've cut both sleeves down to the elbows now; I don't know if any such garment as a short-sleeved anorak actually exists though.

Castleton, The Great Ridge, and Hope.

I've done this walk several times before, apart from some short sections of footpaths near to Castleton, and it's one of my favourite routes;  however, I've not done it for over two years.

The ground was mostly frozen today and so a lot easier walking - I did need to put on my ice grippers for a couple of short stretches though.

The weather was okay, nothing more, mainly cloudy with occasional brief light snow showers. The sun did pop out for a few minutes illuminating Kinder Scout, the highest part of the Peak District, just as I was on the Great Ridge and in an excellent position to take some photographs.

At Castleton I walked down the track which starts at the side of the house with what I always imagine to be a stone circle, or henge, in its garden - it's probably just a random arrangement of old gateposts, but maybe one of the owners is, or was a Druid.

I was soon walking across open country with spectacular views of Mam Tor in front of me. This is the favourite of several photographs I took. It tells a story I suppose: the sheep must have been hungry, they followed every hiker thinking they were the farmer coming to feed them. (Please note: I am not a shepherd.)

I continued along the path to Odin Mine, and then the abandoned road, which I walked up in its entirety until reaching a footpath which eventually leads up to the summit of Mam Tor. Getting to the top was easy, the steps presented no problems, but descending along the ridge towards Hollins Cross was slippery, and so I put on my ice grippers for the first time.

The views from the ridge were as enjoyable as ever, even though the visibility wasn't particularly good. It was busy up there, as it always seems to be, and to be honest, I was enjoying watching the other walkers as much as the scenery.

During the descent from Lose Hill, at the eastern end of the ridge, there was a small area of sheet ice which required my ice grippers. One person had slipped just before I got there, and others were obviously struggling, so I smashed up the ice as best I could with my spikes....and my eighteen and a half stone.

I only had five minutes to wait for the bus at Hope. When I arrived at the railway station in Sheffield the train services were in a mess, due to both the continuing problems caused by the landslip at Hatfield Main Colliery, and scheduled engineering works in the Hope Valley.

Trans Pennine Express services were particularly badly affected; they seemed to be only able to run a shuttle service between Sheffield and Doncaster. Before the train set off the guard announced that it was the Trans Pennine Express Service running from Sheffield to Doncaster. I muttered to myself, but obviously loud enough for the woman sitting next to me, 'Yeah, but where are the Pennines?' She looked at me, stood up, and walked further down the carriage.

Yet again my Asperger's syndrome has done me no favours; I try to be jocular and friendly...but it always seems to backfire on me. At least I don't get paranoid though; there were police officers at both Meadowhall and Doncaster stations; but I knew that they weren't there for me.

Tideswell, Windmill, Little Hucklow and Bradwell.

Today has been the second day of the Bakewell Show and since all the roads leading to the town would be very busy I decided to catch a bus that stayed well away; the number 65 to Buxton, and got off at Tideswell.

Tideswell is such a pretty little town at this time of the year; there are flowers everywhere, hanging baskets, containers and troughs decorating nearly every building.

I wandered around the streets and alleyways for about twenty minutes and then set off down a country lane in a northerly direction. I soon arrived at the Baslow to Chapel-en-le-Frith road. The road was very busy and so I hurried along the next section of the walk until I reached the footpath that leads towards Tideslow Rake - this is the best example of this type of landscape feature I've seen so far. A rake is a man-made linear feature in the landscape; a series of old surface mine workings following the line of a mineral seam or vein; excavations down to the bare rock and grass-covered spoil heaps.

A bit further on there's a less obvious rake, High Rake, with fabulous views to the north and east though; all the way to Lose Hill, Win Hill and the Hope Valley.

I then arrived at Windmill, a hamlet I've not visited before, and then walked across grassy fields to Little Hucklow.

Next I walked to the north across fields again and then along the road in Bradwell Dale. The views towards Bradwell Edge are impressive here, and I enjoyed watching several paragliders launching themselves into the air off the edge, and then spiralling upwards as they caught the thermals.

(This photograph was actually taken looking in the other direction though.)

Since it's now the school holidays the 15:09 bus from Bradwell goes all the way to Sheffield - I arrived in the village just in time to catch it.

Hope, The Great Ridge and Castleton

I got off the bus at Hope and popped in the shop and then briefly visited the toilet. As  you can see, there's a lovely floral display covering the entire parade of shops on the main road.

I set off in a northerly direction to reach the Edale road after about a quarter of a mile. A few hundred yards later I turned left along a lane which passed a very swish hotel/spa. Soon after this point I was walking across meadows with stunning views of Lose Hill and the eastern end of Edale: by the way, Edale is both the name of the valley and the name of the only village in the valley.

The next location marked on the map was the information shelter at Edale End, which I didn't stop to visit. Next up was a complicated series of stiles and gates where the footpath was routed around a farm.

I then walked along the road for about half a mile; in places it was quite dangerous, but the views of the Great Ridge were impressive, even though the sky was clouding over by now.

The path across the field towards Edale was easy going and very pleasant; I turned off before reaching the village though and headed for the most direct route to the lowest point of the ridge, Hollins Cross.

The climb up was quite strenuous but the most difficult thing for me was the makeshift path that had been constructed out of small boulders.

At Hollins Cross I had a rest and enjoyed the view back towards Edale from where I'd come, then moved a few yards and had another rest to enjoy the view of Castleton and the Hope Valley.

This is the view looking east along the Hope Valley:

Finally I walked across the fields to Castleton to arrive just as it started raining. As at Hope there were flowers everywhere; this is a photograph of some tea rooms in the village.