The Eastern Edges of the Peak District

Monday 24th August 2020

For my holiday at the end of August I had planned to head off to the West Country, but events intervened and I had to stay at home, but at the beginning of the week the weather was so good I couldn’t stay indoors and drove up to the Peak District parking at the Curbar Gap car park. I have used this car park several times in the past including on my first walking holiday back in 1998 and on this occasion set off onto Big Moor walking along a path beside the rather shallow White Edge. I walked along White Edge in 1998 and again in 2004 on a walk that I have never written up and I don’t have any pictures so all I’ve got is my vague memory, though I seem to recall I had a young lady with me, but those days are long gone! The weather on this walk was fantastic, however there was a stiff, cold breeze at first that had prompted me to put on my cagoule, but it wasn’t long before this came off. It was lovely walking in the sunny weather beside the rocky edge with a gently descending terrain to my left and the purple flowers of the heather moor to my right.

Passing the 365 metre trig point I continued along White Edge until I reached a road junction where I crossed over and entered the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate under a continuation of the rocky edge following a wide track towards Longshaw Lodge. These edges run along the whole eastern side of the Peak District with the River Derwent to the west and open moorland eastwards, and I was following them north on a walk similar to the one I took in 2004. From my vantage point on this track I had great views down the Derwent Valley with the two peaks of Win Hill and Lose Hill clearly to be seen and Kinder Scout behind them in the distance as I remembered the walks that I had done just a couple of weeks earlier. Where the track enters a wood I veered off around the visitor centre to avoid the crowds and walk along the edge of the wood before finally entering to take a course not far from a main road. Eventually crossing the road I took a path that climbs onto another rocky edge heading towards Burbage Rocks on a great path that was fun to ascend as any rocky path is and always immensely enjoyable.

With great views across the valley of Burbage Brook and towards the rocks on Carl Wark I made my way around a sharp turn in the path and across a depression to climb up to Burbage Rocks with the vast Burbage Moor to my right. Finally I reached the road at Upper Burbage Bridge where my friend and I had started our walk in 2004 having driven over from Sheffield. Instead of turning south to copy that walk my eye had been attracted to the rocks at the southern end of Stanage Edge, which I thought would make a good place to have lunch, so I headed across the moor up to the rocks and stopped near the trig point on the unnamed 457 metre top. The highest point on Stanage Edge, High Neb, is almost as high at 458 metres, so perhaps you could call this South Neb or Low Neb? I had my lunch there gazing out over the stunning scenery before setting off across the moor, over a couple of roads before climbing to the top of Higger Tor where the crowds were immense. There had been loads of people all day brought out by the good weather, but now they seemed to have grown to overwhelming numbers that detracted from the enjoyment of the walk.

Doing my best to avoid everyone and keep a distance I came down off Higger Tor and made my way across to Carl Wark and then to Toad’s Mouth, whatever that is, and down to Burbage Brook. Walking along the path beside the stream was really tricky as it was packed with people, mostly families enjoying the weather. As the terrain steepened the stream drops through the stunning Padley Gorge and the woodland scenery became quite spectacular. Some of my colleagues from work had found a website that listed the ten best walks in the Peak District and Padley Gorge was number one even though I had never heard of it let alone walked through it before. Unfortunately there were too many people around for me to appreciate the surroundings and the path doesn’t afford any good views up the darkly wooded gorge. Eventually I crossed the Burbage Brook and climbed up into Yanncliff Wood heading south through Hay Wood on a path that couldn’t compete with the open vistas of the eastern edges, but at least I was now away from the crowds. After crossing a main road I took a path that climbs up towards Froggatt Edge and now my fun could start again.

There is stunning walking along this edge that I have visited many times in the past including that first walking holiday in 1998 and I enjoy it every time keeping to the rocks along Curbar Edge as I slowly made my way south taking many pictures as I went until eventually I reached the car park at Curbar Gap. This was a fabulous walk with stunning weather and was really enjoyable especially when climbing on a rocky path. It was disappointing that I was unable to do the originally planned holiday, but I hoped that I would eventually be able to get away and until then this was great compensation as I enjoyed some great weather and some of the best walking that the Peak District has to offer.

Beacon Hill and Bardon Hill

Saturday 22nd August 2020

During this year of disruption I had been unable to go away for a holiday but with restrictions starting to be lifted I planned to finally go away starting from this date, however life then intervened and I was unable to leave my house for long. Frustrated, I decided to go for a walk in Leicestershire that takes in two of the highest hills in the county. This is not a walk that I hadn’t done before, but one of many that I regularly do locally when I am unable to get further afield and when I realised this walk has never been described on this blog I thought I’d enlighten you on its delights. I parked at the small car park for the local nature reserve of Billa Barra Hill, but immediately turned my back on the hill to walk along a track that goes around the old Cliffe Hill Quarry on a path that was increasingly overgrown and eventually disappeared under a dark canopy of trees while maintaining a good path underfoot. All too soon I came out onto Cliffe Lane where a bit of roadside walking was necessary until I reached a path that passes Peak Hayes Farm to reach the noisy M1 motorway. After crossing a stream I climbed through a dense tangle of weeds to a farmer’s bridge over the motorway and beyond continued to climb until I reached Hill Lane.

There is a path on the opposite side of the road, but this would mean missing out on the delights of Hill Hole Quarry Nature Reserve. A short walk up the road brought me up to the entrance where I ignored the clear path to climb the steep banks that line the edge as I slowly made my way around the reserve passing the impressive crags that prove tempting to rock climbers and has even tempted me previously, though only on the easiest slopes. It appears to be more overgrown with vegetation than I remember so maybe ascents are not encouraged now. After passing the trig point at the highest point I descended into the village of Markfield and walked along Main Street onto a path that passes underneath the A50 dual carriageway onto the route of my go-to walk in Leicestershire. I probably do my Charnwood Round, or more recently a slightly shortened version, at least four times a year and has been described on this blog. Whenever I am desperate for a good walk that will really stretch my legs this is the one that is done and since I have done it so many times I don’t have to think about the route, and that is one of its appeals.

Later in the week, after this walk, between the heavy rain and life’s requirements, I did the shortened version, which misses out this section of the round down a narrow, enclosed path to a stream before steadily climbing up Chitterman Hill to eventually reach Lea Road. I now had a long section of road walking along the quiet Whitcroft’s Lane until I reached a gap in the wall surrounding a wood that is part of Ulverscroft Nature Reserve. Access is restricted in this part of the reserve, but with my Wildlife Trust membership acting as a permit I climbed through the woodland passing over the open heathland at the top of the hill before descending into Poultney Wood. This is a lovely area that I love to walk through and was enthralled to find scabious flowers covering the meadows as I passed from the wood to the boggy valley bottom. Leaving the reserve I climbed up the hill past Ulverscroft Lodge eventually reaching a road with views ahead of Beacon Hill, which was accessible following a short roadside walk and after passing through West Beacon Fields. With stunning views across most of north Leicestershire from the top of this 248 metre high hill I left the crowds behind and headed down the hill through the narrow Martin’s Wood to reach Dean’s Lane.

At the bottom of the road I took a path that climbs through a couple of fields up to a road where I decided I would make a diversion from my usual route that usually sees me walking beside the road for a prolonged spell. A path opposite took me through thick grass around the hill of Chattens Rough bringing me to the B591 road where opposite is a young wood, part of the National Forest, where there is open access all the way through a long chain of woods back onto the road, however in practice there is no path and the trees are becoming so overgrown it is very difficult to make your way through or know which way to go. Eventually I retraced my steps back onto the road and walked along that just as the rain started to fall passing under the motorway and onto the lane that leads to Charley Woods Nature Reserve. With the rain proving short-lived and stunning views behind me through the tall grass I climbed the hill through Burrow Hill and onto Warren Hills Road. Opposite the road is a path that took me around the various quarry workings for Bardon Hill Quarry and eventually brought me onto the wooded slopes of the hill and up to the highest point in Leicestershire.

Descending back down the hill I followed the diversions around the new granite workings that have obliterated the landscape and paths near Bardon Hill to take a route onto the A511 dual carriageway. On reaching the edge of Billa Barra Hill I was now too tired to climb all the way up to the top so I crossed the southern slopes to cut the corner and finally reach my car. I had originally intended on walking somewhere much further away on this day but at least I was able to do a good walk climbing several hills along the way. Although my frustration with other events may have marred this walk and never gave it a chance to excite, at least I was still able to get out of the house and stretch my legs. Even though I have not been able to get up a mountain this year I do have the delights of Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire to maintain my fitness and, importantly, improve my mental health at this difficult time.