It’s been an interesting and enjoyable year, blogging.
I remember my first thoughts about blogging,
after reading many other peoples blogs, and I still do.
In my profile, I describe how my first
thoughts were on blogging and how to get started;
“Then, during a walk with a fellow hill
walker, we got talking about blogging and trip reports on an outdoor forum that
we share, and it was suggested that some of the trip reports I’ve done, would
be more than suitable for blogging.
But how do I blog, what would it cost, would I have to set up a web page....
Questions questions and the answers just seemed to appear when I was browsing my Gmail account.”
But how do I blog, what would it cost, would I have to set up a web page....
Questions questions and the answers just seemed to appear when I was browsing my Gmail account.”
Here I am, one year on with a list of blogs,
stories and tales about my walking experiences I’ve shared with you and those
who I’ve had the good fortune to walk with.
Why “Peak Rambler”?
Well, first it’s my Twitter name (@PeakRambler), which I just stumbled
upon by pure chance after many weeks of trying to find a suitable twitter name.
I feel that covers nicely my outdoor activities, I enjoy summiting peaks.
I not only enjoy visiting the
Peak District, an area where I spent a lot of my childhood days walking the
Dales with my family, some of whom, originated from the Dales. I’m probably a
victim of a misspent childhood, because most of my childhood walking was in the
White Peak and its beautiful dales.
The Dark Peak was an area we
rarely ventured in to. So I guess I’m going through one of those mid-life crises,
but a fabulous one at that. I think there is a lot of making up to be done?
Most definitely.
Another area I’ve ventured in during my
childhood days was North Wales and Snowdonia. Of which a favourite haunt was
Cwm Idwal from Ogwen Cottage and Conwy Mountain on the North Wales coast among
many more.
Cwm Idwal and The Glyders are an area that’s
a victim of its own success and beauty, but still a beautiful place to walk.
Since those childhood days, walking around
Llyn Idwal, I’ve ventured on to the peaks of Tryfan and the Glyderau, Y Garn,
and surrounding area.
Lathkill Dale, where the villages of Over Haddon and Lathkill used to draw their water supply from the River Lathkill many years ago, was a dale I spent many hours walking through as a child, sampling the water and water cress from the fresh water springs that lay alongside the River Lathkill.
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| Lathkill Dale |
Monsal Head and Monsal Dale also played a large part in my childhood walks. However, the rest of the walk covered some new ground for me, namely Tansley Dale and Litton.
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| Monsal Head |
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| Cressbrook Dale |
The route I followed was a
route I walked back in the August Bank Holiday of that year, with some fellow
walkers and backpackers from Twitter, at what was called the Monsal Meet.
This time, it was in the winter
and I can honestly say, it was just as fabulous to walk in winter, as it was
back in the summer.
I’ve spent many hours around Castleton, Mam
Tor, Treak Cliff Cavern, Peak Cavern, Cave Dale, Pin Dale and a lot more. So
again, it was a return visit to see how things are today and walk the old
Buxton Road, which I can remember as a child, being driven down before it was
finally closed along the many times it was closed off due to land slips.
The rest of the route was to cover new ground
and an area which I’ve read and heard about.
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| Looking back to Mam Tor from Back Tor |
Stanton Moor is an old favourite of mine, both as a child and adult.
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| Robin Hoods Stride |
Today, it still holds that special place, the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, just seems to call me.
No, I’m not a Druid, nor hippy, I just
remember the magical feeling it seemed to express in my childhood days.
Stanton Moor today, is a small moor with a
beauty all of its own.
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| Nine Ladies Stone Circle, Stanton Moor |
I’ve been using Toughprint paper for a little
while before I wrote this piece.
The desire to use Toughprint successfully,
originated from my days as a Scout Leader, where I had the opportunity to spend
time with qualified Mountain Leaders (ML’s), picking up tips, learning new
things, especially navigational tips and generally tidying my act up when out
walking.
We’ve all been there, trying to fold that
rather large OS map to a manageable size, with the area you’re interested in,
easy to read.
Even more fun when out on a windy day!
The first time I tried Toughprint in earnest,
was on my Alport to Stanton
Moor; Sunday 4th March 2012 walk (mentioned
above), where it rained most of the day.
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| My map for the day, on a nice A4 size sheet |
Since then, virtually every walk I’ve been
out on, I’ve had a printed copy with me, even demonstrating its benefits to
those with me.
It’s great fun watching some people’s faces,
when dunking a piece of waterproof paper, especially when it’s a map or
something of equal importance!
Then their amazement when the printed paper
comes out unscathed.
I stumbled across Tuffmaps totally by
accident.
Basically Tuff maps are the OS Lamfold maps,
but with the cover detached, making folding a lot more manageable.
Even today, I’m still slowly converting my
Lamfolds over to Tuffmaps.
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| Tuff Map, showing map and separate cover |
It’s probably better to read the blog to get
the full picture, rather than for me to repeat a lot of what I’ve already
written.
I’ve always wanted to get and see an air
crash site in the Dark Peak, coupled with the fact that I’d never yet ventured
on to Bleaklow until this point.
I was awe struck, not only at the sheer
remoteness and beauty of Bleaklow, with some choice weather, but also the scale
of devastation of such a large air craft.
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| The wreckage of the B29 Superfortress "OVEREXPOSED", where thirteen men lost their lives. |
It also humbled me to think that thirteen
young men lost their lives so suddenly. But it was a fantastic day and an area
where your navigation skills need to be up to scratch.
I mustn’t forget the kissing stones….. Two
lumps of rock near Bleaklow Head, which if you view at the right angle, look
like puckered lips kissing.
The Blenheim was the next crash site I visited;
on what was a reasonable weather day.
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| The Bristol Blenheim wreckage on Bleaklow |
Again, a good test of my navigation skills
and providing a fabulous insight to a lot of things I’d seen on my Dark Peak
map and wondered what the hell they were, particularly the various mentions of
“Stakes”.
I’ve been to Tissington Well Dressings, along with many others, many times as a child. They’re all good in their own way, but Tissington, always puts on a grand village festival, blessing and celebrating how those who used the wells for their water supply, never suffered any ill health or water shortage.
Well Dressings are deep rooted in history,
some of which I explain in this blog.
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| One of the Well Dressings in Tissington, 'Coffin Well', so called because the trough from which the water is drawn, is coffin shaped. |
However, if ever you get the chance, these
Well Dressings are well worth visiting.
Once again, wreck hunting in the Dark Peak.
It was a very hot day and one where I used my
new found knowledge from the last walk on Bleaklow, Bleaklow and the
Bristol Blenheim Crash Site, where used what was marked on the map as “The
Stakes” as part of the navigation to reach the Defiant wreckage.
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| What is left of the remains of the Boulton Paul Defiant, on Bleaklow |
Wow, that was one hot day, the sun shone
gloriously.
We returned via a different route, following
Near Black Clough back to Bleaklow Head.
By the way, my ornithological skills are
rubbish, as I have had an observation corrected. To those of you, I give my
sincere thanks for pointing out my error.
I have deliberately left the error in the
blog, to give authentication to those who have corrected me.
Please, don’t ask me to pronounce either of
those Scottish summits.
Carn an Fhreiceadain pronounced “carn in RAYCHKiten”
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| The cairn marking the summit of Beinn Bhreac |
I haven’t yet found the pronunciation of
“Beinn Bhreac”. But I’ve found the meaning of Beinn Bhreac, but related to its
bigger sister peak, at 931 mtrs, just south of Cairn Gorm, which means Speckled
Hill.
One thing I have discovered since writing
that blog. Just as in Wales, where you get more than one peak sharing the same
name, Scotland also has the same scenario.
Yes, there is more than one Beinn Bhreac!
While staying with a family friend in
Kingussie, a small village in the Highlands of Scotland, not far from Aviemore,
I decided to venture on to the local hills, which just happen to be the Monadhliath
Mountains.
It was very remote, very quiet and the views
over to the Cairngorm plateau were fabulous.
My descent, was pure bliss, not a sole
around, though it did get me wondering, what if something should happen?
You’ll need to read the blog if you’re
wondering what the end scenario was…..
A venture in to the Dark Peak, just to north east of the Ladybower Reservoir, lies Derwent Moor, overlooking the Ladybower and Derwent Reservoirs, exhibiting many fascinating rock formations, with even more fascinating names.
Strange names like; Cakes of Bread, Dove
Stones, Wheel Stones and many more.
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| The Cakes of Bread, on Derwent Moor |
Here, on our outbound route, we walked past
Cutthroat Bridge, with a gruesome tale to tell. Not only was there a gruesome
tale to tell, but further on in the walk, a very sad one about a Shepherd Boy.
You’ll need to read the blog to find out
about these two tales……
Wreck hunting again, this time just off
Kinder, on Mill Hill, a USAF Liberator that crashed. This was one where the crew actually
managed to walk away.
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| The Liberator wreckage as we approached it from Mill Hill summit |
Moel Siabod; this was one summit I have been
intending for a long time to conquer.
I’ve must have driven past it hundreds of
times; I know I’ve walked on the plateau quite a few times, in the dark!
That was where I spent many hours, perfecting
my night navigation skills while out with some ML’s, who were providing the
training.
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| "This was a rare occasion where I actually saw the plateau in daylight" |
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| The Crimea Pass from Moel Siabod Summit |
This was a rare occasion where I actually saw
the plateau in daylight. It was fascinating to see the plateaus properly and
also the views from the summit, looking at many of the peaks in Snowdonia that
I had conquered.
It was a fabulous day.
I must not forget John from Stoke, who I met
up with while ascending Moel Siabod.
August Bank Holiday 2012, a chilled weekend
camping with friends in the White Peak, we took a wander up Parkhouse and
Chrome Hills.
It was a fabulous weekend, even though it did
rain on the Sunday when packing away our tents and kit.
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| Parkhouse Hill, the peak on the left, and Chrome Hill, the peak on the right |
This weekend was set up for a couple of
friends of mine, from London and Leicester, who wanted to see the B29 crash
site on Bleaklow.
Because the distance was too far to travel
from London for the day, we met at Monsal Head, a camp site we’ve used before, and
then drove to Bleaklow, meeting up with another friend from Doncaster, to
complete the same trail I had done back in April 2012.
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| Alvin photographing the Kissing Stones. |
This was a walk across a small area of the
North York Moors, which encompassed the village of Goathland, which many of you
will know as the village of Aidesnfield from Heartbeat.
I deliberately plotted a route to include
Goathland, which is pretty much as you see it in the TV series Heartbeat, with
the sheep wandering freely around the village.
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| Aidensfield Stores |
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| ".... Goathland, which is pretty much as you see it in the TV series Heartbeat, with the sheep wandering freely around the village" |
With the unclear footpaths on the moor, it
made for an interesting walk, giving some superb views from its high points
around North Yorkshire.
The end proved very interesting, when the
footpath marked on the map, went through some very boggy ground.
You’ll need to read the blog, to see how I
got out of a sticky situation, along with the route in general.
This was written out of sheer boredom and
frustration, waiting for the weather to break, so I could get out in the hills
or on the moors again.
However, the feedback I’ve had was extremely
positive.
Though not an exhaustive listing, many of
those items I carry as a result of my time undergoing training with ML’s and
based on experiences not just my own, but other peoples as well.
I will say at this point, I am not an ML nor am I qualified as as one. But the time I spent with ML's has been extremely educating and interesting, not just during my time as a Scout Leader, but subsequently while out in the hills and on the moors.
"What's in my pack?" has been edited in to six parts for the Cotswold Outdoor Community section to share with others and hopefully give people an idea of what to carry in their packs while out walking.
I will say at this point, I am not an ML nor am I qualified as as one. But the time I spent with ML's has been extremely educating and interesting, not just during my time as a Scout Leader, but subsequently while out in the hills and on the moors.
"What's in my pack?" has been edited in to six parts for the Cotswold Outdoor Community section to share with others and hopefully give people an idea of what to carry in their packs while out walking.
The walk I’d been waiting for the weather to
break for.
This peak probably is on a par with Moel
Siabod. But a lot more gentler and shorter ascent.
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| Looking up to Win Hill summit |
Again, absolutely fabulous views, looking
around many of the areas I’ve walked, Castleton’s Great Ridge, Kinder and
Bleaklow, Derwent Moor, Stanage Edge and many more.
This was a return with vengeance walk, in a
nice way of course. For back in May 2011 the weather beat my son and I back
from the summit of Kinder. Even more frustratingly, we were only about 400 mtrs
away from the crash site of the Sabre F86’s. Yes, two of them collided in mid
air, resulting in wreckage being strewn across Kinder’s plateau and down on
Black Ashop Moor and in Ashop Clough.
What started off as a sunny day soon became
cloud ridden and stayed that way all day, making navigating a good challenge to
try and locate some of the Sabre wreckage.
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| My first sighting of the Sabre F86 wreckage |
From there, after a tweet from a fellow
twitter friend, putting temptation my way, I then wandered over to Kinder
Downfall.
After a quick map check, I looked at my
options for the return route, made my decision and estimated my arrival time
back to the car, which would be close to sunset. You’ll need to read the blog
to see what my options were and what measures I put in to place to cover a
possible event…..
Stanton Moor on a snowy Sunday
This was really an excuse to get out and
play, for we had been savouring the delights of a very good snowfall across
much of the UK.
As I mentioned earlier, Stanton Moor holds a
soft spot in my heart, some of these memories I have shared with you at the
start of the blog.
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| The Trig point on Stanton Moor |
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| A cairn, one of the many historical features on Stanton Moor. |
I do however cover much of the moor and many
of its features in the snow, and as normal, photos to show, in my opinion, how
lovely the moor can look in the snow, just as it does on a nice dry day.
However, there is a couple of warnings in the
blog, with regards to the quarries and also the fact that while it’s a lovely
small area of moorland, it is high and exposed and can kick you just as hard as
any of the larger open exposed areas like Kinder and Bleaklow.
Thank
you for reading and following
I can honestly say, I’ve really enjoyed
blogging as much as I’ve enjoyed the walking and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading
them just as much.
I would like to say thank you to you all, for
taking the time to read and also to those who have passed comments either via
Twitter or to the various blogs I’ve posted. It’s been a pleasure receiving
your feedback.
Before I close, my next blog; "
Peak Winter Meet, a Bunkhouse and Kinder" which will follow this one which covers the Peak Winter meet, in a bunkhouse just outside the village of Hope and our walk on to Kinder from Edale.
Finally, happy rambling and thank you for reading,
Finally, happy rambling and thank you for reading,
Peak Rambler
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