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...

 Castleton, Cavedale and Mam Tor We always enjoy a walk from Castleton and this meander around the area has a lot to recommend it. The first section up Cavedale is certainly picturesque and atmospheric. The entrance to Cavedale Looking up Cavedale Peveril Castle, from which Castleton gets its name The climb gradually gives way to the plateau of the White Peak and the old lead mine workings. The livestock that we passed were definitely feeling the heat, and were not inclined to move. Hot beasts! The line of the walk then goes along Oxlow Rake, past some impressive beech trees and down to the hamlet of Old Dam. We stopped for lunch on a convenient village bench. We then progressed up Eldon Lane to reach the open hillside. Sadly, the donkeys seem to have gone and have been replaced with some impressive looking yurts. We gave Eldon Hole a miss this time and began the longish walk to Mam Nick- passing many grazing sheep and a multitude of stiles. On the way to Mam Nick and The Great Rid...

 Mam Tor, Rushup Edge and Brown Knoll A trip to The Penny Pot was a little overdue, so off we went to Edale. The ewe on the fence still had her Easter decorations on! Happy Easter to ewe Lambing had started in earnest, and everyone was enjoying the sunshine as we went up the late towards Hollins Cross. There was still a slight chill to the air, and the clouds were a bit broody, but the view of the Great Ridge to the east was absolutely classic. The Great Ridge, in and out of the sunshine Grindslow Knoll basking in the sunshine The walk along the ridge was as crowded as ever, but once we were past Mam Nick, we were more or less on our own. The ridge from beyond Lord's Seat: both Back Tors visible here. We only met a very few people (there were more sheep!) before reaching the trig point at Brown Knoll, where we had our lunch. Arriving at the Brown Knoll trig point We had had a brilliant walk, with great views across the Vale of Edale, so it seemed fitting that we just returned to Ed...

 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...