Journal: |
Spectacular scenery, all day.
I slept in and didn't have breakfast until after 9am and didn't
leave the hotel until just after 10am on a dry and sunny day.
My walk began with a stiff climb across sheep pastures and past
some beautiful historic houses up to Stanage Edge and the moors.
There was a very strong cold wind blowing, which soon had me
stopping to put my Goretex top on to stay warm. The scenery
down into the valley and along the limestone bluffs of Stanage Edge
was superb.
My early walking was interrupted by a scary accident. I was
walking fairly closely behind a couple about my age, when I caught
up to them as they negotiated a very high stile. It was very
much like a steep step ladder straddling a wire fence and was going
to be a challenge. Anyway the woman cautiously made her way
over, then the guy was descending the other side when a rung broke
away and he fell quite some distance on the side where the cliff
was, and landed heavily on his arm and shoulder. He was
wearing a pack and had the wind knocked out of him. His
partner and I both rushed to his aid and, after some careful
examination and a few minutes, he recovered his equilibrium and
seemed not to have broken anything. If the fall had happened
on the side we came from, the cliff fell away quite steeply and he
would have rolled down and who knows what would have happened.
They continued their day hike and seemed OK.
There were lots of other walkers out and also some climbers on
the rocky bluffs. The path followed the very edge of Stanage
Edge for the next hour or so with fine views all the way, before
descending, fording a few boggy streams and then climbing onto the
Derwent Moors. There were grouse butts (hides for shooting
grouse from) in several places on the moors and I saw a number of
grouse and some very young chicks several times during the day.
At the top of the climb on to the moors, the path swung northwards
to follow Derwent Edge. The scenery was even more spectacular
with remote moors on one side and a steep fall on the other down
into the Derwent Valley. I suspect it was a photo from around
here that adorned all those metal Derwent pencil boxes I remember
from my childhood. Also below was the Derwent Reservoir, which
was used to train the Dam Busters during World War 2 and then later
in the movie about them. Above the Derwent Reservoir was the
beautiful Howden Reservoir.
Along Derwent Edge were high points usually crowned by weird
limestone rock formations adding to the scenic splendour.
There were a lot of people out walking despite the gale force colds
winds that made walking in a straight line very difficult.
Many times during the day I was literally blown sideways off the
path, with my pack acting like a sail, despite its weight. From
Derwent Edge, the path descended through high sheep pastures and old
falling down stone walls to the forest-bordered Howden Reservoir.
I found a nice spot beside the road there at 3:30pm and had a late
lunch of fruit cake and a Mars Bar. Although the guidebook
said there was no accommodation and no food available for this day,
I had noticed a pub referred to as no longer offering accommodation
and now converted into an Indian restaurant, where I thought I may
be able to get some dinner before carrying on and finding somewhere
to camp.
Before getting there, though, I still had some way to walk,
starting with a very pleasant path along the side of Howden
Reservoir where there were many walkers and mountain bikers, before
turning to another stiff climb, this time on to the remote Howden
Edge. There were no rocky bluffs, just windswept moorland.
I saw two (more accomplished) mountain bikers on this trail but,
otherwise, had it to myself. As it clouded over around 6pm and
became very dark with the howling cold wind continuing to blow, it
felt very remote indeed. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable
walking and I pressed on towards my hoped-for restaurant.
After a long descent and some walking through a conifer forest I
reached the "restaurant" at 7:20pm and found it was a combo
pub/Indian restaurant that was serving a Sunday buffet carvery until
8pm. It also said it offered B&B, but didn't really look like
it. I went in and bought a drink and got ready to eat when I
asked about the B&B. A manager appeared and said they only had
a double room that was normally priced at £50. I said that was
out of my price range and she said I could have it for £30. I
agreed and then had my dinner before getting the room. It was
huge and modern with a large flat screen TV. A good deal.
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