I got to Castleton before the car park was full. Always get to Castleton early in the morning.
The sun was shining as I walked up Hollowford Road ...
Continuing up the road, which was a track by now [and assuming it doesn't have another name by this point] I walked past a stone field barn. Good to see it in reasonable condition.
Mam Tor was in the clouds [or perhaps it was a line of mist].
As you climb higher the track becomes a sunken bridleway. Tell me ... does a bridleway or packhorse route really 'sink' because it has been used so much over the years ?
By the time I'd got a bit higher the cloud or mist partly screening Mam Tor had gone.
Looking back with Castleton in the valley and Hope cement works visible too.
I reached Hollins Cross much more easily than I thought I might. The last time I'd been up here it was a hot, sunny day so perhaps that had taken it out of me.
The view of Edale, with Kinder Scout behind, was as good as ever.
From the path to Mam Tor I turned round to see the view along the ridge. OK, I was having a rest ...
I had another rest a bit later ...
A walker coming down from Mam Tor provided a bit of foreground interest ...
... and scale I suppose.
The path surface is made up of old flagstones from mills in the north, airlifted in by helicopter ...
There was a paraglider paragliding around the slopes of Mam Tor when I got there.
On the ground around the trig point on Mam Tor there are a number of artefacts embedded in the stones. The first one appears to be a small part of a piece of machinery. Quite what I'm not sure ...
It's obvious the second piece is a piece of pottery that, presumably, the inhabitants of Mam Tor would have used 2000 years or more ago.
I didn't fancy the steps down from Mam Tor but I somehow managed to get down them [and the ones beyond that] without falling on my backside.
I crossed Windy Knoll ...
I had to clamber over the National Trust gate to get onto the road. The 'PLEASE CLOSE GATE' notice proving unnecessary ...
Across the road a driveway had been cleared and there were still piles of snow beside the drive ...
After walking down the right hand side of 4 or 5 fields I had to turn left towards Castleton. The snow had drifted here and though most of it was frozen solid every nowand again my foot went right through the frozen surface ...
As I walked along the Limestone Way, low cloud was moving parallel to me across Old Moor ...
As I turned left again, with a view to walking down Cave Dale, I could step over the top bar of a five bar gate.
Then I was descending into Cave Dale.
Further down the dale the path was like a stream with water running down it. As I picked my way carefully amongst the stones a runner came up the slope without stopping ... and even managed to say 'hello' as he ran past.
Peveril Castle came into sight.
I passed through the nick in the rocks at the bottom of the dale and, of a sudden, I was back in Castleton [and the crowds of people].
Date of walk ~ 23rd January 2010
Length of walk ~ 6 1/4 miles
Total walked [so far] in 2010 ~ 17 1/4 miles
Total walked since 1st September 2009 ~ 147 1/4 miles
3 of 2010
The sun was shining as I walked up Hollowford Road ...
Continuing up the road, which was a track by now [and assuming it doesn't have another name by this point] I walked past a stone field barn. Good to see it in reasonable condition.
Mam Tor was in the clouds [or perhaps it was a line of mist].
As you climb higher the track becomes a sunken bridleway. Tell me ... does a bridleway or packhorse route really 'sink' because it has been used so much over the years ?
By the time I'd got a bit higher the cloud or mist partly screening Mam Tor had gone.
Looking back with Castleton in the valley and Hope cement works visible too.
I reached Hollins Cross much more easily than I thought I might. The last time I'd been up here it was a hot, sunny day so perhaps that had taken it out of me.
The view of Edale, with Kinder Scout behind, was as good as ever.
From the path to Mam Tor I turned round to see the view along the ridge. OK, I was having a rest ...
I had another rest a bit later ...
A walker coming down from Mam Tor provided a bit of foreground interest ...
... and scale I suppose.
The path surface is made up of old flagstones from mills in the north, airlifted in by helicopter ...
There was a paraglider paragliding around the slopes of Mam Tor when I got there.
On the ground around the trig point on Mam Tor there are a number of artefacts embedded in the stones. The first one appears to be a small part of a piece of machinery. Quite what I'm not sure ...
It's obvious the second piece is a piece of pottery that, presumably, the inhabitants of Mam Tor would have used 2000 years or more ago.
I didn't fancy the steps down from Mam Tor but I somehow managed to get down them [and the ones beyond that] without falling on my backside.
I crossed Windy Knoll ...
I had to clamber over the National Trust gate to get onto the road. The 'PLEASE CLOSE GATE' notice proving unnecessary ...
Across the road a driveway had been cleared and there were still piles of snow beside the drive ...
After walking down the right hand side of 4 or 5 fields I had to turn left towards Castleton. The snow had drifted here and though most of it was frozen solid every nowand again my foot went right through the frozen surface ...
As I walked along the Limestone Way, low cloud was moving parallel to me across Old Moor ...
As I turned left again, with a view to walking down Cave Dale, I could step over the top bar of a five bar gate.
Then I was descending into Cave Dale.
Further down the dale the path was like a stream with water running down it. As I picked my way carefully amongst the stones a runner came up the slope without stopping ... and even managed to say 'hello' as he ran past.
Peveril Castle came into sight.
I passed through the nick in the rocks at the bottom of the dale and, of a sudden, I was back in Castleton [and the crowds of people].
Date of walk ~ 23rd January 2010
Length of walk ~ 6 1/4 miles
Total walked [so far] in 2010 ~ 17 1/4 miles
Total walked since 1st September 2009 ~ 147 1/4 miles
3 of 2010
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