Peak District - Lathkill & Bradford Dale

I'm always keeping a watchful eye on the weather to spot some nice walking windows, sometimes though the need to walk overtakes the importance of nice weather and you just have to head out. I'm not scared of a little rain which is a good thing as this year has offered up plenty of it. When the weather looks bad I just adjust my plans accordingly and plan a route that will keep us out of the worst of it. Today was one of those days where staying low was a good choice, a months worth of rain had been forecast over a 24 hour period and it came down with full force as we walked :-)



We started off by parking the cars at Alport and then heading northwards up Lathkill Dale from SK 2202 6455. The rain was coming down hard at this point and it didn't relent at all throughout the day. We wandered while chatting up to one of the many impressive Weirs that are along the River Lathkill, The one pictured below can be found at SK 2145 6518.

[caption id="attachment_1792" align="alignnone" width="600"] Lathkill Dale - Weir at SK 2145 6518[/caption]

We continued on up this wonderful dale passing many great looking spots up to Conksbury Bridge at SK 2117 6561, This interesting historic bridge is a Grade-II-listed structure from the 18th century. The rain was particularly heavy at this point so sadly I don't have any pictures to show you from today. Here is an image of the bridge that can be found on the Geograph website.

[caption align="alignnone" width="600"]

Conksbury Bridge (Dave Dunford) / CC BY-SA 2.0

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As you proceed up the Valley from Conksbury Bridge it opens out slightly and you can see the many wiers that alter the flow of the river, You really can't help but notice how clear the water is that flows through here. The Dale itself is littered with signs of its past where it was widely mined for Lead, There is even the remains of an aqueduct and a ruined pump house near the old Mandale Mine.

[caption id="attachment_1791" align="alignnone" width="600"] Lathkill Dale - River Lathkill[/caption]

We decided to leave Lathkill Dale at SK 1747 6553 by heading over the bridge and joining the Limestone Way in Cales Dale. We followed the way as it climbed up the steep steps then came out on to farmland which then leads across towards Calling Low. We were out in the open then on which meant we were met by the full force of today's weather. It was a misty wet wander across the fields as we were just below the cloud line today, in no time at all though we arrived at the road at SK 1927 6447. We crossed over then decided to leave the Limestone Way by headed down Moor Lane to Youlgreave. Moor Lane is one the many Quiet Lanes in the area and its an interesting concept that I welcome. Here is the definition from the Department for Transport "Quiet Lanes are a Countryside Agency initiative, which has the support of the Department for Transport. Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads which are appropriate for shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and motorised users. They should have low traffic flows travelling at low speeds."

[caption id="attachment_1790" align="alignnone" width="600"] Bradford Dale - Swimming Area[/caption]

After Walking down Moor Lane we arrived in the narrow back streets of Youlgreave, we Proceed down Holywell Lane to the Bridge of the River Bradford at SK 2089 6399. We followed the river down stream and in no time at all reached the Swimming Area at SK 2112 6405. I doubt you would have wanted to swim in there today as not only was in raining it was pretty cold. I can imagine this place gets rather busy in the summer months.

[caption id="attachment_1789" align="alignnone" width="600"] Bradford Dale - Swimming Area[/caption]

From the swimming area its a nice gentle walk down the dale past Rheinstor Rock and then to were we had parked our cars at Alport. It had only been a relatively short walk today but given the conditions it was probably a wise move. As a result of the rain I haven't managed to take many pictures or do an episode of the Podcast, I did however record a quick before and after AudioBoo for you to have a quick listen to. Thanks for stopping by to read this pretty short post, its a great route than can be done easily in 3-4 hours even with a few break along the way to take in the history.

listen to ‘Peak District - Lathkill Dale’ on Audioboo

Peak Routes Podcast - Episode 1 - Bleaklow

The very first episode of the Peak Routes Podcast is now live and available for your listening pleasure. This is my first attempt at podcasting so please ignore the occasional wind noise and the breaks in concentration :-)



This episode documents the route I did on the 29th of February 2012 which can be found at Peak District - Bleaklow. The route starts at Birchin Clough, goes via Lady Clough, Doctor's Gate, The old Roman Road, The Pennine Way, through Devil's Dike up to Bleaklow. I then turn eastward and head across the peat bog to Bleaklow Stones. After a short break I then descend to Alport and then climb steeply up to the top of Nether Reddale Clough. I then admire the via down into Alport Dale before heading over the top of Alport Moor to the head of Birchin Clough. A short while later I arrive back down at the car park at the Snake Road.



This episode is no longer available from iTunes, If you would like to download this episode or any from the archive then visit the dedicated Podcast page of the site.

Peak District - Bleaklow

Another week and another brand new route. I decided once again to head for the Birchin Clough car park on the Snake Road, this place has fast become a firm favourite for me. The area is just simply stunning. The beautiful pine forests with Kinder Scout lurking to the south makes for great viewing. Today however, the aim wasn't Kinder, it was another peat covered favourite by the name of Bleaklow.



I set off from the Birchin Clough car park at around 10am and headed over the road down into the forest. I headed north following the river that winds under pines up Lady Clough. Today was to be the day that I would make the very first PeakRoutes.com podcast. I begun recording an introduction as I meandered alongside the tranquil flowing river. It had been an idea spawned by my frequent AudioBoo entries with which I had been summarising my walks in audio form. I decided it would be a great addition to my websites to have a larger audio accompaniment, even if no one was to listen it would be a great historical record to have an audible account as well as images.







The going was good today and I made swift progress through the forest as the track climbed up and away from the river. It rose towards the edge of the road and then dropped back down again as I prepared to leave the edge of the forest. Lady Clough opened out in front of me and I could then see the cloud hugging the surrounding hills. After crossing a stream that flows into Lady Clough river I climbed upwards to walk along side the Snake Road.



I crossed over the road at OS Grid Reference SK 0962 9287 and headed for Doctor's Gate. I recorded another part for the podcast and then joined the Roman Road that rises to meet the Pennine Way. By this point I was rising into the cloud base and the mist was surrounding me. I proceeded upwards along the ancient route and listened to the sound of the grouse as I let my mind wander. It was at this point as I marched on through the mist along the cobbled path that I wondered what if must have been like here in Roman times. I could picture in my imagination the sight of a group armoured Roman soldier marching out of the mist towards me. How fantastic would it be to be able to wind back the clock to witness such a sight.



Anyway... Back to the work. I met the Pennine Way at SK 0900 9332 and turned north towards Bleaklow. The mist was thick and visibility was down to around 20 metres maximum at this point. I proceeded along Devil's Dike which rises gently, the path then winds through Groughs and around Cloughs as it makes its way up to Bleaklow Head.





In no time at all I was standing at the very top of Bleaklow. I had not seen another soul or soul less person all morning :-) the place felt very bleak indeed as the cloud silently brushed across the top of this vast expanse of peat. I recorded another section of audio and then found the path over towards Bleaklow Stones.. I say the word "path" very loosely as there isn't really a path of sorts. There Is a faint track that weaves across while you follow the Stake marked grass covered Groughs.



The route can become rather confusing at this point if you don't keep your wits and your compass about you. I have learned from previous experiences that the thing to do is walk on a bearing and ignore what is happening under foot. The paths that do appear along this stretch are rather misleading. You begin to follow what looks like a path for it to fizzle out to nothing or spin around in totally the wrong direction. As I just said, the key to success in cloudy condition along this section is to walk on a bearing.





After an exhilarating 30 minutes of navigational skill refreshing I arrived at Bleaklow Stones, I was very surprised to have 3G signal so I placed my backpack down and begun broadcasting some live video to Bambuser. Not that you could see a great deal but you do get a good idea of what it was like for me up there today.

listen to ‘Day 29 - #FeBOOary - Final Day Boo from Bleaklow’ on Audioboo

After a short break and an AudioBoo submission I decided to keep moving. Last time I was here I walked up from Howden Reservoir and the weather was stunning, I sat and admired the view for what must have been half an hour. The low cloud today however meant that the view was rather less spectacular. Not to worry, I soon began dropping down towards "The Ridge" and I was amazed to see a handful of mountain hares out in front of me. They looked spectacular with their brilliant white coats against the dark greens and browns of Alport Moor.



I decided to have a slight change of route at this point. I had originally planned to head across the top of Alport towards Alport Castles, drop down to the mouth of the valley and then pick up the roman road back to the car park. I have done this sections before in the past so I decided to go a little off piste and explore some areas where I have never set foot before. I chose to head down into Alport Dale from SK 1148 9461, I headed down towards the river and followed its course for a few minutes. I decided to head back up out the other side of the valley and climb up to the top near SK 1154 9353. The view from here was magnificent.. If the climb alone wasn't enough to take my breath away then the view certainly was. The view down Alport from this angle is stunning.



I carried on along the moor and crossed the top of Nether Reddale Clough, there are no paths here but I was below the cloud base so made a beeline for the head of Birchin Clough. I was once again met by another glorious view. An angle over towards Kinder that I had never witnessed before. The northern edge of Kinder was framed perfectly by the falling hillsides at Birchin Clough and the spruce lined banks of Lady Clough. I was glad that I had diverted from my original plan as I saw a new side to Alport Moor.



In no time at all I had begun the steep decent down the path from SK 1095 9163 to the car park. I had managed to record a good half an hours worth of audio for the podcast, I'm sure I'll probably thin this down to around 20 minutes during the editing process though. Another great new route, some old favourites revisited and some new places discovered.



Keep an eye or ear out for the forthcoming podcast. I'm a newcomer to podcasting so will have a look into the logistics and get a link posted here for you to be able to grab it from iTunes. Thanks for reading and your continued support. Join me again next week when I will hopefully be heading further north towards Black Hill. Images, words, video and audio will follow swiftly afterwards.

Peak District - Howden, Bleaklow & Alport - Video

Here is a video I recorded while on my walk today in the Peak District. It is just a quick sequence of shots I did using my old Canon A640, so it's not HD but you can get a feel of what it was like up there today on a cold wintery day. I set off from Howden Reservoir, Followed the River Derwent to its source, Headed up and over the moors to Bleaklow Stones, Down to Alport Castles and then back across Birchinlee Pasture to Howden.

I hope you enjoy it and the wind noise isn't too annoying :-)

The blog post for this walk which contains numerous images, a Social Hiking map and an AudioBoo can be found here.... Peak District – Howden, Bleaklow & Alport

Peak District - Ladybower & Alport Dale

After a relative drought when it comes to walking I decided I would head out come rain or shine today. The forecast was for high winds and also plenty of rain but I thought what the heck, I'll just go for it. A quick call to my mate Andy and the plan was set. We would park at Ladybower, Ashopton Viaduct to be precise and then head up and over towards Rowlee Pasture to Alport Dale.

[caption id="attachment_510" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="A Windy day on Rowlee Pasture in the Peak District"][/caption]