David and Jacinta's Walks- 2025

Edale and The Great Ridge It was one of those unpredictable days with squalls of rain, high winds and bursts of lovely sunshine. We lingered longer than usual in the Penny Pot to dodge the rain and then set off to Hollins Cross, aided by a brisk wind behind us. Sun-soaked ascent to Hollins Cross Back Tor with its tree, and Lose Hill in the shade We chose to continue up the Great Ridge and then on to Back Tor and, eventually, Lose Hill as the weather had picked up and there were great views all around. The Great Ridge, west from Back Tor It was good to see the removal of the piles of stones at the top which I always found a bit of an eyesore as they seemed not to serve any purpose. We were battling a little with the wind so, after descending Lose Hill, we decided to return to Edale via a lower route instead of going on to Hope. We were treated to a vivid rainbow as we turned down the path to Brockett Booth Plantation below Back Tor. Rainbow above the Vale of Edale It was a pleasant, bre...

Moscar, Derwent Edge and Dale Dike Reservoir David went for a walk on his own today.  I fancied a walk on the Eastern Edges today and the parking spot at the bottom of the Moscar byway is now a favourite place to walk from. Now that the collapsed section of Sugworth Road has been repaired, it also means that the return from the folly on Sugworth Edge is shorter. The walk starts in my least favourite way- downhill- but not too badly so in this case. After passing the farmhouse at Moscar House, there's a turning uphill at last beside a gate that leads down to Cutthroat Bridge; we sometimes talk about taking photos of the weights used to close gates, so here's the first: That'll do the job! The path up to Derwent Edge runs more or less due west with a view over to Win Hill and the Great Ridge. View across Derwent Moors to Win Hill As one reaches the edge, the bulk of Kinder comes into view. Kinder from Derwent Edge Grindslow Knoll in the south (left), Fairbrook Naze to the nor...

Edale, Win Hill and The Great Ridge A solo walk for David today.  The Great Ridge (Win Hill in far background) Book on Rachel's shelf the next day The forecast was decidedly iffy but I decided that I'd like to do a walk that I'd outlined with Jacinta (who had more common sense today... as ever). This would be starting in Edale, crossing the road bridge west of Hope, going up Lose Hill and descending from Hollins Cross. However... As I was on my own, I wanted to take a scenic route so I went up Ringing Roger, with its view of the walk to come from the south edge of the Kinder plateau.. Lose Hill and Back Tor (Win Hill just about discernible) A line of beaters was out on the edge of Crookstone Out Moor and, as I passed the first of them, a radio command came through for them to advance towards Madwoman's Stones and a few shots were heard. I passed the Lonely Trees (the weather and visibility were both still good). The Lonely Trees Crook Hill (twin humps), Derwent Edge in ...

 Kinder Skyline East- David Solo Having done the Kinder Skyline West a couple of days ago , and wanting a longish walk, it made sense to do the east end of the Kinder Skyline. The Edale car park was full and the "overflow" car park looked just like a muddy field, so I drove on to Nether Booth (at the end of the road to the youth hostel) where are a few parking spots. Rather than walk up the access road, I zig-zagged my way up to the hostel in Lady Booth and contoured around, with a moody view of Lose Hill and Back Tor. A sunny Lose Hill and gloomy Back Tor Having passed Jaggers Clough, I had a view of the length of The Great Ridge from East to West. The Great Ridge When I reached Edale Cross, a frequent lunch spot, it was a little early for lunch, so I carried on to Wooler Knoll before I stopped to eat. Edale Cross. The inscription on the right is "Hope"! The day was generally gloomy, so far with a minor smattering of rain, but true to form, the sun came out as I ar...

 Derwent Edge and Dale Dike Reservoir from Moscar The weather forecast was very good, so we sent off to do a walk, last done in July 2024. Instead of going to Low Bradfield, we parked up near Moscar Cross Road which is less frequented- normal parking places (like Cutthroat Bridge) were packed. This is a great parking spot for busy days!  The walk starts with a walk down to, and through, the farmyard at Moscar Lodge, where we spotted the first lambs of the walk. No sheep dogs, though, this time. Lonely lamb! We then had a fairly gradual ascent to Derwent Edge, meandering through the grouse butts and pasture. A right turn begins the familiar 3km walk up to Back Tor, passing the Wheel Stones and the Cakes of Bread. On a clear day like Sunday, the views were magnificent. Lose Hill, Mam Tor and Grindslow Knoll from the Derwent Edge path Nearing White Tor- the Wheel Stones in the background We sat and admired the view at Back Tor and then retraced our steps to the boundary stone and...

 Edale and Around it promised to be a bright, cold, early spring day so we decided to go to Edale and do a slightly longer walk than Sunday's. After a customary coffee stop at the ever faithful Penny Pot, we strode out and up to Hollins Cross. It was a lovely clear day and the views all around the Edale skyline were magnificent. Grindslow Knoll and the Edale Plateau Back Tor (with its lonely tree) and Lose Hill We continued up the Great Ridge and then onto Lose Hill, stopping there for some lunch and a bit of shelter from the cold wind. It has to be said that this way up Lose Hill is much easier than approaching it from Hope.  We made our way down to Hope, passing many sheep who hopefully will have some lambs with them soon. It is noticeable that the ewes are beginning to lie down in the fields rather more, which one presumes is part of the preparation for the production of the lambs. The route from Hope is first up a lane which ends at the open country. The birds were in good...

 Cave Dale and the Great Ridge The weather seemed set fair, but we weren't too sure how much time we'd have for a walk. Looking at the routes in our "Day Walks in the Peak District- 20 classic circular routes", route 6 "Cave Dale and the Great Ridge" looked ideal: if we started from Castleton rather than the suggested Hope, we could either do the full walk, or cut it short by returning to Castleton from Hollins Cross. Fortunately, we were able to do the entire walk. As suggested by the weather forecast, it was very breezy with quite a wind chill. This was quite pronounced as we walked up Cave Dale. It seemed strange, because of the sheltered nature of the dale! Despite this, the sun was out and the colours were great. On the way up Cave Dale One of the features of the walk was that parts of the walk were visible most of the time (although, obviously, not from the depths of Cave Dale). As we neared the top of the dale, we could see Back Tor and Lose Hill- tow...