David and Jacinta's Walks- 2025

Cave Dale and the Great Ridge Although much of this walk follows familiar territory, the final part is less well trodden for us. We began at Castleton and walked up the limestone gorge of Cave Dale, enjoying the views provided by Peveril Castle and the village itself. Cave Dale and Peveril Castle Exiting Cave Dale We made our way up to the Limestone Way and through the disused mines and quarries that litter the hillside. It is an exhilarating walk from here to the start of Mam Tor, the hillside on this part littered with many sheep and only the occasional uninterested cow. Descending to Oxlow House The Great Ridge in the background We climbed over Mam Tor where many paragliders were preparing to take off and then went on to the Great Ridge and Lose Hill. Just before the top of Lose Hill we stopped and had lunch in an ideal rocky outcrop, closely watched by a number of crows who were hopeful that they would benefit from some leftovers as soon as we departed.  Paragliders above The G...

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...

 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...

 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...