Tawnyard Lough

This picture shows Tawnyard Lough with the cloud-topped Sheefry Hlls in the distance, and is to be found in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland. I spent a week there in 2008 and the weather was generally poor (not helped by it being March). Minutes before this picture was taken it had been raining, but then it suddenly stopped and the sun came out revealing this lovely scene. You can read about the walk up Ben Gorm and Ben Creggan here. Tragically I have not been back to Ireland since 2008 so I really must make plans now to go back so that once the current situation is over I can correct that omission.

Windermere from the Langdale Pikes

The Langdale Pikes are a well known sight from the shores of Windermere, but this picture turns the scene around and shows Windermere from the Langdale Pikes. While the lake is in the distance, the green valley of Great Langdale can be seen below Stickle Tarn from the rocky slopes near the top of Pavey Ark. This picture was taken after climbing the tricky ascent of Jack's Rake and I was rewarded with this stunning view towards Windermere. While I am unable to go out walking at least I can be reminded of old walks like this one (described on this post) and see the pictures I took then such as the one below.

Bluebells

I love the sight of bluebells at this time of the year and although I can't go out into the woods at the moment to see extensive carpets covering the woodland floor I can still look at old pictures of them. This picture benefits from the bluebells not being under a dark covering of trees so they can shine in the sunlight. It was taken during a walk around the Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire two years ago.

Looking towards Borrowdale from Greenup Gill

After a challenging walk that included snow and thick cloud I was rewarded with sunny weather when I got to Greenup Edge that continued as I descended into Borrowdale. You can read about the walk here. The valley could justifiably be called after the village further along: Stonethwaite.

Gordale Scar

Gordale Scar in the Yorkshire Dales is a collapsed cave and features awesome scenery. I visited it while walking along the Pennine Way in 2009 and is described in this post. I love the soaring cliffs that ominously lean inwards around you. And best of all it is possible to climb up through the scar all the way out to the top of the valley. This is a tremendous place and is one of my favourites.

Skiddaw and Derwent Water

This picture shows Derwent Water with the snow topped mountains in the background of Skiddaw and Blencathra. I was standing on the side of Cat Bells while walking along the bridleway that crosses the eastern slopes of the fell. The walk is described here. The picture was taken at Easter 2013 when winter was late which left plenty of snow on the high fells and restricted some of my walking, but sunshine meant I got loads of lovely pictures.

River South Tyne

Last year I walked part of the Pennine Way and while on the trail I stopped beside the River South Tyne and took this picture of the tranquil river. The walk is described on this blog entry. While there I also took some selfies and for the last year I have been using one of those photos as my profile picture. However I had ruined a good photo, so the picture below shows the scene as it's supposed to be seen, without someone's face in the way.

Newlands Valley from Robinson

While walking from Buttermere to Keswick in 2011 at the end of a sensational week in the Lake District, I was coming down from Robinson when this view opened up before me. I was overwhelmed by the arrangement of the dark, craggy hills perfectly aligned with each other contrasting with the green Newlands Valley to the left. Remembering stunning days in the Lake District like this is what is getting me through these dark days.

Blaby Oaks and Countesthorpe Country Park

A coronavirus walk

With the current restrictions because of the global pandemic I have been unable to do the sort of walking that I would like to do including not being able to go to Scotland at Easter. Instead I am stuck in my house and only able to go out for a walk locally for not much more than an hour. My first choice local walk is one that has previously been mentioned on this blog along Mill Lane between Blaby and South Wigston, just outside Leicester. To stretch my legs a little further I have been turning off Mill Lane onto a bridleway beside Blaby Cemetery with an old cemetery on other side that has recently been cleared of overgrowth to develop the site for wildlife. It now has bluebells and red campion growing in amongst the nineteenth century gravestones and looks delightful. At the top of the short incline is the Peace Meadow Garden where the path splits to go either side of a small space where one can sit in quiet contemplation. The path continues beyond leaving the new cemetery behind and passing beside a thin strip of young trees along a wide lane that provides plenty of room to keep the necessary two metre separation from other people that social distancing prescribes.

On reaching Hospital Lane the bridleway continues to the left on a grassy path for a short distance before ending opposite the entrance to Blaby Oaks. This is a Woodland Trust property and is often very muddy, as it was when this lockdown started after the huge amounts of rain we had over last autumn and winter, but the dry and sunny weather we’ve been enjoying over the last month has completely dried out the mud making the going a lot easier. The bridleway continues around the woodland but it is better to follow the main path into the wood beside a drainage channel and half way through the options open up to provide alternative paths to avoid other people. This woodland is still quite young so doesn’t have the appeal of ancient woods, but is still a good place to walk when the ground is dry. At the southern end of Blaby Oaks the bridleway turns left, but the field to the south is also open to the public. When I first came here I thought I might be trespassing, but the site has now been beautifully developed and a clear gravel path has been built with gates that allow passage into Countesthorpe Country Park.

This is a lovely place to walk with a pleasant parkland feel to it as I make my way along the path and into the next field where a wide mound has to be climbed. Here the path splits in two with the path heading to my right joining a right-of-way towards Winchester Road while keeping straight ahead passes a drainage pond and a second drainage pond can be seen in the adjacent field. I could extend the walk slightly by diverting into that field, but so far I have just climbed onto the mound created by the creation of the ponds and pass to the left of the first pond. There is a wood between the drainage pond and a new housing estate and this provides a much more pleasant walk than the tarmacked right-of-way that follows the edge of the estate. The wood seems fairly mature however it is littered with old plastic tree guards that have not been removed when they should have been, and the local youths have been at work remodelling the terrain for their own adrenaline-filled adventures.

With the nearby housing estate now clearly in sight, the field at the far end of the woodland provides more parkland walking and leads to the remains of an old railway line. The right-of-way crosses the line by an old bridge immediately before entering the residential streets of Countesthorpe, but a slender path has been forged alongside the old line. Within the deep cutting there is an abundance of wildlife while at the bottom pools of water remain where it can no longer drain, but this path keeps to the top of the cutting passing under gorgeous tree-cover beside the darkly enclosed cutting. The path weaves around the tree roots taking an interesting route through the delightful surroundings until eventually it climbs out and joins the bridleway encountered earlier at the point where it crosses the old railway line at the top of a small, shallow hill. Turning left I follow this path beside grassy fields with relatively extensive views ahead of me slowly descending until eventually I return to the southern tip of Blaby Oaks.

Taking a different route through the community woodland I veer left eventually coming out of the wood into the adjacent playing fields of Oakfield Park. After crossing the grass I am back on Hospital Lane and the wide lane that I was on earlier. An alternative route back would be to go along the narrow woodland strip of the Long Walk, however the access path is narrow which makes passing other people awkward at this time so I have been avoiding Long Walk and stayed on the bridleway until I reach a footpath at the edge of Blaby Cemetery. This takes me to the right angle in Long Walk where I can join the woodland path, or alternatively stay on the footpath, which takes me straight back onto Mill Lane. Although this is not a particularly long walk it does have a mix of terrain from grassy parkland to dark woodland including a tricky undulating path to tackle. It is difficult keeping away from people when on a narrow path, but a lot of this walk involves wide paths that provide easy social distancing, and while anywhere further afield is unavailable it is a good way to get my daily exercise.

Sgurr a' Mhàim from Glen Nevis

This stunning view looks towards the shapely peak of Sgurr a' Mhàim in the Mamores. If that means nothing to you then how about I tell you that the valley is Glen Nevis and the slopes on the right lead all the way up to Ben Nevis. This picture was taken during a walk that is described in this post while on a three day trek from Dalwhinnie railway station, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, all the way to Fort William on the west coast. I had good weather for my trek that got better and better while slowly I passed Loch Ossian, pictured two days ago, and down to the head of Loch Treig eventually reaching the top of Glen Nevis. This is a fabulous area that has left a lasting impression on me over the years, so it is good to remember those times with this picture.

Great End and Allen Crags from the Windy Gap

The picture below shows the rugged beauty of the Lake District taken from the slopes below Great Gable near Windy Gap looking towards the rock filled landscape at the heart of the national park. To me this is what the Lake District is all about. I'm not interested in lakes. What constantly draws me there is the rock covered mountains. I love it, and is why it features so heavily in these pictures. This picture was taken while walking from Great Langdale passing over Bow Fell and Esk Pike (in the distance in the middle of the picture) and then up Great Gable finally crossing Windy Gap to Green Gable. The walk is described here.

Loch Ossian

This picture shows the view from the Corrour Shooting Lodge looking down the length of Loch Ossian in the Central Highlands. I spent a long weekend in these beautiful surroundings at the Loch Ossian Youth Hostel during a bank holiday in 2012. I had arrived on the Thursday and this picture was taken on the Bank Holiday Monday. I was catching the train from Corrour station about midday so I had some time spare and took a slow walk around the loch in gorgeous weather taking this picture half way round. It was the perfect end to a fabulous weekend. The walk is described at the end of this blog post.

Ullswater from Arnison Crag

This picture of Ullswater was taken from Arnison Crag while on a walk in 2006 that is described here. As soon as the photo was taken I was fond of it, but it later took greater significance. About ten years ago my sister asked for some pictures and of those I sent her she selected this one. She had it printed and mounted onto a frame and is still displayed at her home so everyone who visits will see it.

Pen-y-ghent

Pen-y-ghent is one of the Three Peaks in the Yorkshire Dales. Although it is the smallest of the three it is the most photogenic. This picture was taken while walking part of the Pennine Way and is described here, however I was making some diversions from the official route of the Pennine Way. Once I was back down from Pen-y-ghent I left the Pennine Way as it headed north towards the town of Hawes while I turned west towards the second of the Three Peaks, Ingleborough. This is a sprawling hill covering a wide area so by the time I was coming down into the village of Ingleton at the end of the day I was exhausted. Many people try to do all three peaks in one day, but on this occasion I was happy to just do two of them and leave Whernside for the next day.

Ennerdale from Green Gable

This picture was taken on the same holiday mentioned previously, in 2013, when snow clung to the high fells. On the walk described here, I had struggled to the top of Green Gable on snow that was really on the edge of my ability to safely cope with, so I wisely decided to turn back from that point . I made my way down the gentler slopes to the right on the picture and eventually made my way into the valley. The view down Ennerdale in the Lake District is always a good one, but add a sprinkling of snow and the result is stunning. I wish I was there.

Ben Lawers from Beinn Ghlas

Ben Lawers is a very high mountain in the Southern Highlands that just misses out on the magic four thousand feet mark by seventeen feet. At one time a large twenty foot high cairn was piled on top of the summit of Ben Lawers to raise it above that magic figure, but it was a waste of time and has now gone. I climbed the mountain in very poor weather in 2007 from the east (and is described in this blog entry), but the following day the weather was completely different and I couldn't resist climbing the mountain again, now from the west. I had climbed its neighbour, Beinn Ghlas, from the National Trust for Scotland car park and this picture was taken from the summit. The ridge to Ben Lawers looked so good for walking I couldn't resist returning to the top of Ben Lawers even though I'd been to the top only a day earlier, but now I had fabulous weather (and that walk is described on this blog entry).

Kirk Fell

This picture shows Kirk Fell in the Lake District. To the left is Black Sail Pass and the way from there to the top involves climbing the Kirkfell Crags, which is tricky but always fun. On the walk that this picture was taken on (and described here) I never actually climbed Kirk Fell. I had just been over Pillar and was on my way down to the Black Sail Pass when excellent weather afforded me with this tremendous view of Kirk Fell in the sunshine. This is a great mountain and I always love walking over it.

The Grey Corries

This fabulous ridge is called the Grey Corries after the colour of the quartzite scree slopes that adorn the tops. I had a fabulous twelve hour walk over this ridge in 2006 that I still remember with great affection. I eventually returned in 2017 staying at the nearby Leacach Bothy to reduce the length of the walk and deliberately waited for a couple of days before I got some good weather. My patience was rewarded with these amazing views and clear blue skies as I headed across this gorgeous ridge in lovely sunshine, and I was more than happy to return back along the ridge.

From Haycock towards the Cumbrian coast

When I went to the Lake District at Easter in 2013 I found there was snow on the high fells, which forced me to keep to the lower slopes. Despite the snow I had some good weather and this picture was taken from the slopes of Haycock at the snowline looking out from the Western Lakes towards the Cumbrian coast. I was unable to head further into the Lakes due to the snow so this picture shows my onward route away from the snow and onto the safer snow-free grassy slopes of Caw Fell.

Lathkill Dale in the Peak District

This picture was taken in the beautiful valley of Lathkill Dale in the Peak District during the walk described in this blog entry. The water in this limestone valley is crystal clear below sheer limestone cliffs. I remember doing a walk through this valley in 1998 on my first walking holiday and I always love to return to this beautiful valley.

Dollywaggon Pike from Grisedale

This colourful picture looks towards the snow-speckled mountains at the head of Grisedale in the Lake District. It was taken during the walk described in this blog entry. I love this picture and have printed it so I can display it at home. I don't know what it is about the Lake District but having looked through all my pictures over the last couple of weeks it is the Lake District ones that have appealed to me the most. Scotland gets a fair share, but other areas are poorly represented. A lot of this is due to the amount of time I have spent in the different parts of the British Isles (which reminds me that I really ought to go back to Ireland soon). However there is no denying how much I love the English Lakes and I really enjoy walking there.

Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn from Geal Chàrn

This picture was taken from the summit of Geal Chàrn, which is not far from Ben Alder in the Central Highlands, and looks along the ridge towards Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn. The snow on the northern edges would suggest it was taken early in the season, but in fact it was 6th June after a late winter. My blog entry describing the walk is here. The snow patches on these mountains and on the horizon makes the scene even more beautiful.

Snowdrops and Carsington Water

Saturday 1st and 8th February 2020

Snowdrops are always a welcome sight as they are the first sign that winter is not going to last for much longer and spring is just around the corner. I have some snow drops in my garden and when they start flowering in January it lifts my spirits right in the middle of the cold winter, however for a more extensive display I have to go further afield. The best display of snowdrops in Leicestershire is in the Dimminsdale Nature Reserve near the Derbyshire border and at the beginning of February I drove over initially heading off on the same route that I had taken the year before. Passing Staunton Harold Hall I came to Heath End where the snowdrops in some of the gardens were just coming through, but I wasn’t in a hurry to see any more yet. Instead I turned left onto the route of an old tramway and followed this around and finally into the National Trust property of Calke Park. Turning into a small wood on a good, surfaced path I climbed up to the drive into Calke Abbey but kept heading south-east towards the main goal of my walk: the snowdrops of Dimminsdale. The walk up to this point had occupied just enough time so that it was now a little after midday and the slender winter sun was at its maximum height lighting the snowdrops to a superb display.

Dimminsdale is an old lime works and the snowdrops are to be found in one corner where the manager’s house was located. In the hundred or more years since the quarry closed the snowdrops have spread to cover a wide area and looked fantastic in the sunshine ensuring that all my winter blues were blown away. I took an immense number of photos as I wandered all over the area, careful not to trample on any of the delicate flowers until eventually I decided I’d seen enough and taken enough pictures so I made my way up and around the lake that forms the centrepiece of the reserve. After returning home my desire to see snowdrops had not been satisfied so I made a check on the internet and discovered that there is reputed to be a good display of snowdrops at Hopton Hall in Derbyshire, just outside the Peak District. Therefore the following Saturday I drove over to the village of Hopton and entered the park just after it opened. After paying the entry fee I set off around the grounds and was immediately confronted with wide spreads of snow drops.

Unfortunately the sun wasn’t out at this time and therefore reduced the quality of the pictures, but the snowdrops were just as stunning a sight. Arrows directed me as I wandered all around the gardens ensuring that I could see the snowdrops from all directions. Half way round the sun came out lighting the displays that included other early flowering plants such as crocuses as I passed the tearooms and rounded a pond where a backdrop of a clear blue sky produced a beautiful scene. As I came back past the old hall more snowdrops came into view and I was mesmerised once again as I took more pictures of the snowdrops, now lit by the morning sun. Having walked around the gardens of Hopton Hall I now set off to walk around the nearby Carsington Water and make a day of it. Leaving my car in the car park I came out of the grounds and walked into the village of Carsington and from there to the shore of Carsington Water where a purposely designed path follows the edge of the reservoir. It was lovely to be able to stretch my legs and slowly wander along the path without a need to hurry while listening to the sound of the birds in the sunshine.

After eating something at the visitor centre I crossed the long dam where a bitterly cold, strong wind forced me to wrap up tight as I crossed the exposed bank. On the eastern side of the reservoir I continued along the path through other wooded scenes slowly making way back towards Hopton Hall. Passing through the village of Hopton I discovered a pretty good display of snowdrops even there, but this was not to be compared with the snowdrops at Hopton Hall when I returned weary but pleased to have done such an exhilarating walk. These walks were rather early in the season for snowdrops and if I’d done them a couple of weeks later I may have seen better displays, but poor weather intervened when I meant to return to Dimminsdale later in the month. Now I can’t go any further than I can walk from my own house, and then only for an hour's walk for exercise, but at least I have the memory of previous walks and the many pictures that I took in happier times to cheer me in these dark days. Eventually this winter produced by the Coronavirus will pass and I look forward to seeing the snowdrops of hope that mark the end.

The head of Ennerdale from High Crag

This stunning picture was taken during an amazing week in the Lake District when I had clear blues skies almost all week. After walking along the High Stile ridge I got to High Crag and just stood there in awe of my surroundings, especially looking towards the head of Ennerdale and is dominated by Great Gable and Kirk Fell, but peeping over the top of them is the Scafell Pike range. My blog entry on this walk can be read here.

Hadrian's Wall

This picture shows Hadrian's Wall running above a small cliff face looking out north over the wide Northumberland countryside. I have walked beside the wall twice, first in 2006, when this picture was taken (the walk is described here) and again last year while walking the Pennine Way. There is not much of it left now, but this is one of the best preserved sections.

Wast Water

The view from Wasdale of the surrounding mountains has been voted Britain's favourite. This picture is from much further back up Wast Water from outside the Wasdale Hall Youth Hostel. It was taken at the start of a walk done at Easter 2011, but it wasn't used on the blog entry for that walk. Much later after going through a difficult time in my life I used this picture to illustrate the recuperative powers of a good walk. Although we can't walk far at this time it is still essential for our mental health to get out into the countryside and wild places. I have also been helped by looking through my old pictures of the stunning landscape of Britain and Ireland that I have visited over the last fifteen years. I hope this picture will also provide you with some encouragement at this tremendously difficult time.

The Red Cuillin

The Isle of Skye is famed for its rugged mountains that are generally out of bounds for simple hill-walkers, such as myself, as most of them require a serious scramble if not a rock climb. However away from the fearsome Black Cuillin are easier hills and some are not that far away. The Red Cuillin are just to the east of the Black Cuillin, but have smoother slopes though are still steep sided. I had a great walk up them in 2008, which is described here, and although not as technical as the complex Black Cuillin, I found the Red Cuillin to be still a lot of work trying to tackle the steep scree slopes.

Fleetwith Edge from Blake Fell

This snowy scene was taken at Christmas 2009 on the walk described on this blog entry. I go to the Lake District ever Christmas but rarely find snow, especially recently, but in 2009 the snow was deep. I am not keen on walking in snow and do not have either an ice axe or crampons, therefore I had kept to gentler grassy slopes, in this case the low fells near Loweswater, but even these were challenging that day. When I reached the summit of Blake Fell there was a stunning view before me of the higher fells, but what attracts the eye is the ridge of Fleetwith Edge pointing straight towards the encrusted outcrop near the summit that I was standing beside.

MacGillycuddy's Reeks

I bought my first digital camera just before going to the Republic of Ireland for the first time and the picture below is one of the first pictures I took. I had been drawn to the area by the fabulous name of this range of hills in County Kerry, MacGillycuddy's Reeks. This picture was taken on a walk around the Coomloughra Horseshoe and is described here, however the hills pictured were not covered on that walk but two days earlier on this walk and shows the high ridge of the Eastern Reeks.

Bow Fell from Allen Crags

I started going through my pictures to have something on the background to my computer that would cheer me up. When this picture popped up a couple of days later I had no idea where it was taken, though I suspected it had been taken in the Lake District, except the scenery didn't look familiar. Eventually I checked the date the picture was taken, and it came from the walk described here, but that still did not help identify exactly where the picture was taken. In end I had to check the time the picture was taken (13.36), and read through my description of the walk to find where I was at that time. Thus I realised that the mountain in the centre of the picture is Bow Fell, although from an unusual angle and Esk Pike is to the right. The bowl of Angle Tarn in hidden below Bow Fell. The picture was taken just north of the summit of Allen Crags looking south-south-east.

Rivelin Valley

Saturday 19th October 2019

We had a lot of rain last Autumn, but there was one weekend when there was a break in the onslaught so I took the opportunity to catch a train to the beautiful city of Sheffield to do a walk in this most amazing of cities. I went to University in Sheffield and ever since I have had a deep affection for the place where some of my earliest walks either started or took place, however there is a valley that runs into the city that I had never walked through. After getting off the train in Sheffield I caught the Supertram through the city centre eventually getting off when it reached the end of the line at Malin Bridge. In looking for a route along the valley I had found a walk described on the walkingbritain.co.uk website and their directions warned me there would initially be “a certain amount of suburban walking in order to get up to the valley side”. I set off down the Rivelin Valley Road soon climbing through the steep and muddy woodland of Walkley Bank Wood. The directions were not very clear at this point, though I suspect I was supposed return to the busy main road. Instead I kept climbing to Walkley Bank Road and followed that slowly heading back down the hill to the valley bottom where a short distance away a path climbs steeply up beside St Michael’s Cemetery.

Once the gradient had eased I had good views across the valley, but I was also back on residential streets and I was still climbing as I headed towards Crookes where I once lived as a student. Before reaching Northfield Road I turned off along St Anthony Road taking a footpath off the street where it swings sharply back upon itself. The views were now extensive across the wooded valley to the houses built up on the far side as I passed the Crookes Quarry Allotments and then, according to the directions, I should have veered right down to Clough Fields Farm (now called Cloughfields Cat Hotel). Instead I veered left maintaining the contour and it wasn’t until I reached Marsh Lane that I realised my error. Rather than retrace my steps I turned right onto Back Lane where a delightful wooded lane led me down to Clough Fields and back onto the intended route. Crossing Back Lane I passed through Hagg Lane Allotments and this time correctly veered left up to Den Bank Lane.

There seems to be a line missing in the directions at this point as immediately after telling you to “bear left up to Den Bank Lane” it tells you to cross Hagg Lane, but with no direction on how to reach Hagg Lane. I suppose it should have been obvious, but I wandered up and down Den Bank Lane wondering what I should do until eventually I headed straight towards Hagg Lane and crossed it, as directed taking a track that climbs up to the Manchester Road. The directions recommended a diversion to the old Bell Hagg pub, now a private residence, but I didn’t think it was worth it, before continuing beside the main road to the Valleyside Garden Centre. I couldn’t resist a look around before heading off into the woods ascending by the side of an old quarry. With the tedious suburban walking now over, although I was still well inside the city of Sheffield, the scenery was amazing while passing along a footpath that was a delight to walk upon on top of a steep wooded escarpment above craggy cliff-faces and with stunning views ahead of me towards the Peak District.

The delights continued through Blackbrook Wood especially while crossing the stream and later in Fox Hagg Nature Reserve while crossing Allen Sike. Now I turned downhill on a path marked for the Rivelin Dams passing through beautiful woodland to reach the dam and across the other side back onto the Manchester Road. The grey start to the day had now cleared to reveal lovely sunshine that would continue for most of the afternoon as I headed back towards the city taking a narrow path through the horrendously muddy Rivelin Rough. Eventually the path widened and improved and I was able to enjoy the walk along the northern side of the valley below Rivelin Rocks and Wood Bank. On reaching a road I turned downhill to reach the valley bottom and onto a path that follows the River Rivelin all the way back into the city.

Now the wonders really started as I walked beside this river that in ages past was heavily industrialised with twenty watermills, but has now been wonderfully reclaimed by nature with hardly any sign of its past except for the dams and watercourses built to serve the mills. Early in my walk down the valley I came across a spectacular turn in the river where stepping stones provided me with a way across, but the recent rains had swollen the river so that some of the stones were submerged. After carefully making my way across I found that further travel was not possible except by wading across a weir, which I was easily able to do thanks to waterproof footwear. I later realised there is a path that goes around the difficulty, but that would have spoilt the fun.

The delights kept on coming as I made my way down the river and never wanting it to end, but inevitably as I came further into the city the urbanisation became more apparent with first the Rivelin Valley Road crossing my path and then slowly the city began to close in upon the river until eventually it all came to an end on Stannington Road. Near this point the River Rivelin merges with the River Loxley and the Malin Bridge tram station is a short distance away. This was an amazing walk in what must be the greatest city on earth. It is astonishing to see such fabulous natural scenery in a city with a population of more than half a million. The directions during the first half of the walk were confusing, but once out into the countryside the walk was fabulous. In the month since this walk Sheffield saw more rain than has ever been recorded and I hate to think what that did to the Rivelin Valley, but I was glad to get this opportunity to have another walk in the greatest city on earth.

Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales

At the end of the last ice age Malham Cove was the site of a huge waterfall, but now, except on very rare occasions, the water travels through subterranean channels. It is justifiably a very popular tourist attraction, and a friend of mine once said it was his favourite place. This picture was taken while walking part of the Pennine Way in 2009 and was described in this blog entry, although the picture on that post is not the same as below. It was taken 3 and a half minutes later