Ashopton, Thornhill, Shatton, Brough, Hope, and Castleton

It was quite sunny in Sheffield early this morning but when the bus reached the Peak District it was misty and so I changed my plans and decided to stick to doing a low level walk.

I got off at the Heatherdene area of Ashopton, right next to Ladybower Reservoir.

I walked over the dam wall and then down the road to Thornhill and Shatton.

The next photograph was taken at Brough.

The walking remained easygoing as I headed westward towards Hope.

I finished the walk at Castleton; by the time I got there the weather was lovely, sunny and warm. I had fifty minutes until the next bus going back to Sheffield was due, just enough time for tea and cake. I popped in to the Baytree Tearooms for a pot of tea and a slice of lemon Bakewell tart. I asked for extra hot water; the owner was confused because he thought I meant water that was 'extra hot', really hot. It was then my turn to be confused though when I couldn't find the cakes.

 

Alport, Darley Bridge, and Darley Dale

I travelled to Bakewell and caught the local bus to Alport again. Today I headed south along the road for about a mile and a half before joining the Limestone Way just before Harthill Moor Stone Circle. The last time I visited this circle, several years ago, the farmer had placed a trailer right in the middle of the four stones.

I didn't climb up Robin Hood's Stride but did have a bit of a scramble up some nearby rocks; I couldn't get to the top and neither did I fancy using the steep slippery path to get back down to the Limestone Way and so I had to retrace my steps...carefully.

I stayed to the south of Birchover and continued heading east out of the Peak District at Darley Bridge. A mile further on I caught the bus at Darley Dale; the TransPeak service didn't show up and so I caught the number 173 which goes to Bakewell the long way round.

This final photograph features the railway station at Darley Dale on the Peak Rail Heritage Railway.

Taddington, Monyash, and Bakewell

The public transport links to Taddington are quite good and I got there today for 10:15. I started by walking through the village towards the church.

I then took a path that climbs up to the road heading south out of the village.

I soon reached a bridleway going towards a location called Over Wheal. I crossed over a quiet country road and proceeded south to Monyash.

In the high limestone country of the White Peak area there are a lot of dew ponds: as expected I saw several today - they're not the easiest subject to photograph though.

 

There were several alpacas in a small field right across from the village carpark at Monyash.

I left the village by taking a footpath that goes through the churchyard. 

I then joined the Limestone Way, passing One Ash Grange Farm, and Cales Dale.  At One Ash Grange Farm there's a shrine. I think the objects in the first photograph are old pigsties.

I wish I'd counted the steps up the hillside as I climbed out of Cales Dale, there are a lot of them. As I reached the carpark at Moor Lane to the west of Youlgreave the weather had started to cloud over and so I made my way back to Bakewell by the quickest route, usually taking the road - I got caught in a couple of brief showers.

Rivelin to Hathersage

I got off the bus at the stop most convenient for walking across the top of the dam wall at the lowest of the Rivelin Reservoirs. I had to walk back in an easterly direction towards Sheffield City Centre for a few minutes, but there was a pavement for the entire length.

It's a wide gravel track that goes alongside the reservoirs and then climbs up onto the moors. After walking across the moors on quite narrow footpaths there's a another wide, well-maintained track that heads westwards to Oaking Clough Reservoir, which is much smaller than the Rivelin Reservoirs...but it's much more interesting.

A few minutes later I noticed three of these flat, round stones at the side of the path. I've not been in this area before and haven't seen anything like them before - I thought they might have been hardened cowpats, but I checked and they were definitely worked stones, about a foot in diameter.

I could soon see my next group of reservoirs, Redmires Reservoirs. There's a road that goes alongside them and then a rocky path up to Stanedge Pole.

I made my way over to Stanage Edge and then descended to Hathersage and caught the bus back to Sheffield.