Castleton, Old Dam, and Beytonsdale

Northern Trains is still running a limited service every Saturday until the end of the year due to an ongoing strike; all other services are running normally though. For the last few Saturdays I haven't risked travelling to Sheffield on the train because I thought I might have to wait for quite a while - not particularly a problem when setting off, but not nice on the return journey if my muscles are stiffening up as I'm waiting for a train on the platform at Sheffield...it's bad enough having to sit in a confined space on the bus...at least I can stand up or walk up and down on the train.

A train departing for Sheffield was already on the platform when I arrived at Doncaster Station this morning; it started moving before I could run up the steps two at a time though so I had half an hour to wait for the next one: I only had a couple of minutes to wait coming back home. Both my trains today were operated by Northern Trains and on the second train there were three ticket inspectors - maybe it's a new tactic being tried by staff in their industrial dispute.

The church bells in Castleton were ringing for nine o'clock as I passed by.

I headed straight for Cavedale, where the Limestone Way starts. 

Although it was sunny, because Cavedale is deep and narrow, it was still in the shade this early in the morning, but Peveril Castle on the top of the crag wasn't.

Further up the dale as I walked past a blocked up entrance to one of the old mines I could hear the noise of machinery in operation, maybe a pump or a ventilation fan...I've not noticed that before.

Not far from the top of Cavedale I had a chat with a couple of mountainbikers who had decided to push their bikes, rather than ride down.

I left the Limestone Way and took a path which runs at the side of Oxlow Rake until I reached Old Dam. I turned right and walked along the road leading to Perryfoot and took the second path leading back northwards, just beyond Beytonsdale.

I then turned right again along the old quarry road, with good views looking down into the quarry - by now it was cloudy and not very good for taking photographs.

It was an easy walk across the grasslands all the way back to Castleton, apart from the final few yards which consist of a very steep slippery descent which I partially did on my backside...I didn't stumble or slip, I decided this was the easiest, quickest, and safest way to get down the hill.

It had been drizzling for awhile when I got down into the village, a bus was due and so I got on it. This gave me plenty of time to do some shopping in town and then phone up the box office at Leeds Grand Theatre and book some tickets when I got home.

Castleton, Pindale, Bradwell, Shatton, and Bamford.

Today is the second consecutive day that I've been out in the Peak District. I went on the train to Manchester yesterday, along the Hope Valley Line; seeing some familiar locations from a slightly different perspective.

Here's a photograph I took when the train was stopped at Hope station.

I decided to use my free travel voucher for Northern Rail, which I got several months ago when I was delayed for nearly two hours at Wakefield Westgate station.

I've recently joined English Heritage and so thought I'd visit Peveril Castle at Castleton today; an English Heritage property. Several stops after leaving the bus station, some passengers, students most likely, got on the bus and said, "Surprise please" to the driver - this isn't as strange as it may sound; it's just that one of the locations along the route is known as 'Surprise View.' It does make me smile though when someone says this; and maybe one day the driver will actually surprise someone.

The castle opens at ten o'clock, and I was the first visitor of the day. Peveril Castle is everything a ruined castle should be; stark, austere, threatening, perched precariously on the top of precipitous crags and the only access being up a steep zig-zagging path.

I took plenty of photographs on the way up to the keep, and from inside the building looking out towards the stunning countryside, but it was quite hazy and I'm not happy with the results. I have decided to include a shot of one of the garderobes, the castle's toilets. Interestingly, the word has the same origins as 'wardrobe.'

Whilst I was inside the keep I let my imagination run away with me. The building is very atmospheric; ghostly shadows were poking their way through the haze as the noise of ravens flapping and cawing, planning some unimaginable atrocity, echoed around the hollow shell of the keep, as, down in the village the church bell tolled its foreboding rhythm, summoning the dead to rise, or the living to enter through the gates of Hell. It certainly reminded me of a Hitchcock film, or a Hammer House of Horror production.

My visit to the castle lasted about forty minutes. I returned to the village and then walked along the road towards the hamlet of Pindale. Before leaving Castleton I managed to stroke three cats, none of them seemed particularly sinister though: as I said "Good morning" to the final one a woman in a cottage garden across the road responded - I responded to the cat.

I passed Pindale, then walked by Hope Cement Works and down into Bradwell, where I was way too early for an ice cream from Bradwell's of Bradwell ice cream shop. I had to make do with a  sandwich and a carton of milk from the Co-op shop.

Next I climbed up to Brough Lane, a track popular with mountain bikers. As I walked near to a farm I learned something new; that moles use shovels to make their molehills - I took a photograph to prove it.

The next section, across fields towards Shatton had a surprise in store for me, and I didn't ask for one on the bus; patches of deep snow I had to walk through - there was no obvious way to walk around.

I had timed things well for a brief visit to the coffee shop at High Peak Garden Centre where I had a pot of tea and a warmed scone served with butter and jam. I've not tried a warm scone before; it seemed to make it more moist though.

My day was slightly ruined when the bus was over half an hour late. This is a rare occurrence though: the bus services in the Peak District are usually very reliable.

Today's walk was a short one, maybe only five miles. I was a bit tired after going to Manchester yesterday and walking what I should think was quite a distance exploring the city centre.  

Castleton, Bradwell, Brough, and Hope.

Some people had a good start to their day this morning; the guard on the train didn't collect any fares. He seemed to be rather busy frantically pacing up and down the carriages, but doing nothing else that I could make out. Of course, I didn't benefit personally because I have a free travel pass anyhow.

I started today by walking up Cave Dale, for the first time this year I think. Access from Castleton is very easy; just head for the Market Place and go slightly up the hill to the left and just look for a cleft in the rocks between two cottages to the right. There's a short path squeezed in between overhanging rock faces...and then, there you are; in front of you is a gate with an information board telling you all about the Limestone Way, which begins, and ends, at Castleton. There's also a sign at the side of the road which indicates Cave Dale.

The early morning sunshine was perfect for seeing Peveril Castle at the top of the rocky crag; this photograph was taken probably no more than a ten minute walk from the shops and tourist facilities of this popular village.

As I climbed and got higher up than the castle, Win Hill and the Great Ridge came into view; again, perfectly illuminated.

When I reached the head of the dale the weather conditions changed dramatically, the grasslands of Old Moor were shrouded in mist.

At the junction of five paths or tracks I turned left and headed towards Bradwell; firstly along a well-maintained track often used by motorised vehicles, then a short section of path across fields, and finally along the road down into Bradwell. I took a short detour to visit the observation platform overlooking the active quarry workings at the Hope Cement Works: being a Sunday there was no activity to observe though.

After a brief visit to one of the village shops I found the path which goes across the fields to Brough. Although the chimney and the plant buildings of the cement works are always in sight, there are still some lovely views to be had along this section.

At Brough I walked across the site of the Roman Fort (NAVIO or ANAVIO). The footpath goes right across the archaeological site, I don't know if any artefacts have been unearthed but there was a couple kicking over new molehills, possibly hoping to find something.

The last mile or so approaching Hope was absolutely idyllic. The low angle of the sun was casting long, dark shadows in the foreground, in the middle distance deciduous trees were shedding the last of their leaves, and on the horizon Win Hill and the Great Ridge were bathed in sunshine.

Lovely.