Monday, 19 October 2009

Up Winyard's Nick ...

My Beloved felt well enough on Saturday to go for her first walk in over a month. The Peak District is what she favoured, rather than Nottinghamshire, and I was pleased to accommodate her.

We started from the car park behind Longshaw Lodge and walked in front of the lodge, with Higger Tor and Carl Wark to our right ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

We walked down the path where we'd uprooted some rhododendrons a few years ago with the National Trust. Sheep were grazing in the [fairly] early morning sunshine ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

 Padley Gorge was busy with as many photographers as walkers ... well, nearly. Twisted and misshapen oak trees push through discarded rocks ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Some of the oak trees were more misshapen than others ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

  A millstone lies in the path, though how many notice is debateable ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Downhill of the millstone a fallen tree lies against another ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

From a few yards away we noticed it wasn't as smooth as it should have been ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Hundreds of coins had been hammered into it ~ it's a wishing tree. Offer up a coin and make a wish ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

This is where I could make some reference to going from one extreme to the other, from pagans to Roman Catholics, but I won't.

Padley Chapel has a connection with the Catholic martyrs Nicholas Garlick and Robert Ludlam [or Ludlum] who were hanged, drawn and quartered in Derby near St. Mary's Bridge. There's more here ... http://padley.catholicweb.com/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=196768&From=Home ~ I wish people would stop saying 'hung, drawn and quartered' though. 

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

 If I've ever looked at the ruins of Padley Manor, it must have been a long time ago. I don't remember seeing them before ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

We were following the track from Padley Chapel towards Greenwood Farm and the A6187 beyond that ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

We were tempted to have a coffee stop at these discarded, unfinished, millstones ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

There are some good views from this track across the Derwent valley, towards Offerton Moor and Hathersage ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

We turned right on the A6187, forking left on the B road after 60 or 70 yards walking up the road beside Whim Wood [shown as Whim Plantation on the OS Map]. Then we entered the wood before we turned northward towards Winyard's Nick ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

That's the nick, above, between the two outcrops. We had a coffee stop on a rock just this side of the nick ... beside a couple of small plastic bags full of dog muck. Why do people do that ? They collect the crap in a bag then they leave the bag on the moor !

We moved on.

In the nick we got a view over the other side ... of Burbage Edge and the moorland stretching down to Toad's Mouth ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Walking down the path towards Toad's Mouth another path joins from Carl Wark. At that point there's a plain wooden seat with this plaque on it ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

We re-crossed the A6187 and crossed Burbage Brook [assuming that's what it's called, once it's off the moor] ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

Beside the path leading back in the direction of Longshaw Lodge there's a newish seat, starting to fade now, which a passing walker was pleased to pose on for me ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

All that remained was to get back to the tearoom at Longshaw.

As we went the sun was slightly more prominent ...

Longshaw Estate and Winyard's Nick ~ 17th October 2009

There was some disappointment when we got to the tearoom ~ they had just sold the last of the homity pie. Still, they were selling five of my books ... and they were still available.

Date of walk ~ 17th October 2009

Length of walk ~ 5 1/2 miles.


Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 49 1/4 miles

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