Curbar Crossroads to Fox House

Today's walk, starting at Curbar Crossroads, was my third choice because the train I went to catch to Sheffield was cancelled. I got off the bus and walked down a road and the across the moors to the path that goes along White Edge. I continued, heading north,  to Longshaw Estate, and then caught the bus at Fox House.

As soon as I'd hurried up to the bus stop at Fox House the bus was coming round the corner and ten seconds later I boarded; at Sheffield Railway Station I walked straight on to my train and it departed a minute later.

The weather was really quite nasty, prolonged rain and a very strong wind...not the cloudy with bright intervals and a strong breeze forecast: It was sunny and the pavements were dry when I arrived home in Doncaster. 

Curbar Crossroads to Hathersage

I travelled on the Bakewell bus to Curbar Crossroads and took the path across the moors to the southern end of White Edge. I walked along the top of the edge; it's set further back onto the moor than Curbar Edge and Froggatt Edge and isn't as rugged, but it still has its own charm.

I crossed the road and entered the Longshaw Estate and soon headed off to the left going towards Bole Hill Quarry, but couldn't find my favourite area with the pond at the bottom of the sheer cliff. I briefly went down into Padley Gorge and then climbed up to the Hathersage road. I continued, climbing through some woods and passed some 1940s ruins, most likely something to do with wartime air defences.

I finished today by walking down the road to Hathersage and taking some photos of the church. Although the building was open, all of my internal shots were out of focus though.

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.

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. 

Owler Bar To Baslow

Today's walk started with a stretch of about half a mile along the road from Owler Bar until I reached the access road across the moors to Barbrook Reservoir. Taken out of use and decommissioned about twenty years ago it is already getting difficult to distinguish the area covered by the reservoir basin from the rest of Big Moor, the vegetation is nearly the same.

When I reached the reservoir I walked along the top of the dam wall until I reached the spot where it had been breached and then stepped down into the basin, the area that had until not so long ago been underwater. Walking along this section was quite easy, unlike the remainder of my crossing of Big Moor, a large tract of land consisting of mainly tussock grass and a few small areas of heather. Walking through the tussock grass is difficult; it's hard work and in my opinion is some of the most difficult terrain in the Peak District - it's like walking across a large field where hundreds of trampolines are lashed together, then three foot tall pressurised balloons are attached as closely together as possible...then the whole area is covered  with tons of treacle and hay, straw, and sawdust dropped from helicopters...and there you have it, Big Moor [oh, and of course hundreds, if not thousands of adders, England's only venomous snake live there.]

I arrived at White Edge, at the western edge of Big Moor absolutely exhausted, but elated at my first solo crossing. I found the first comfortable spot and sat down and ate my sandwiches before turning south and walking along the footpath, enjoying the views and taking plenty of photographs.

When I reached the car park at Curbar Gap I bought a 100% real orange juice ice lolly; I thought it was the healthiest option now that I'm having to contend with having both rickets and diabetes.

I walked down the road towards Curbar, but before reaching the village turned right, taking a footpath that was new to me, then joining a more familiar path closer to Baslow. At Baslow Nether End I had twenty minutes to wait for the bus; I wasn't feeling too well by this time and I needed some sustenance and so popped in the shop and bought an ice cream, Bakewell Tart flavour. They didn't have my favourite flavour, lemon curd.