High Rake and Stanshill Dale

Just 3 of us again this week and my  turn to drive. We parked up about 6 feet from where we did last week. Just a few yards away from the car and on the hillside under a bush was a memorial, still being looked after and with a wonderful view.This time we turned east and walked along High Rake which as the name suggests is an open quarry, it still looks active with one or two bits of machinery lying about. We found an old green lane which must have been used by miners eons ago and this lead us downhill until we got almost to the hamlet of Rowland. From there we followed the track towards Great Longstone and started walking uphill back in the direction of the car. For breakfast we found this lovely seat with a great view. The weather had been a bit iffy, it started out OK but got a bit damp and drizzly and then passed over, this meant that for a spell i had to put my camera away although i didn't miss much. The last 3/4 of a mile was a killer, part of it just a slight uphill but the rest was very steep and involved a bit of hands on, it was an ascent of over 470 feet and a lot of puffing and blowing. We got to the car and went down through the village of Great Longstone where we spotted the old village pump which we had completely missed last week.

This weeks route

Great views from the car park

A lovely memorial for John Henry Jupp.

Meadow Pipit

The road to High Rake

Rob & Ike beside the workings on High Rake

High Rake

Rob

Green Lane

Red Campion

Ike & Rob

Ike & Rob

Ike

Ike & Rob at this style in the middle of a field but no fence either side of it.

Cowslip everywhere

Cowslip

Ike

Flowers on Cow Parsley

Dew pond, they were dotted  around almost in every field

Rob holding up the electric fence wire for Ike to get under.

Purple Orchids

Purple Orchid

Me in the middle of some Cow Parsley

Just look what your mates get up to behind your back!!!

Great Longstone

Breakfast

View up Stanshill Dale

Stanshill Dale

Chaffinch having a bath in one of the dew ponds

This is the biggest buttercup field I've ever seen

Old barn

Blackbird

Ike climbing up the steep incline

Ike puffing and blowing at the top/

Great Longstone village pump.

 This walk was only about 3 1/2 miles but it had a lot packed into it with some stiff climbing at the end. The sky was rubbish for taking pics but with a half descent sky this walk would be a photographers dream.
Cheers

Longstone Moor

When we left the village of Great Longstone last week we followed some tractors out onto a single track road and passed some stunning views over the valley. We decided then to come back here and plan a walk around the hill. We got there about 07:00 had a look at the map and just went for it. This is somewhere none of us had been to so it was lets see what we can find.
There was a nice lay by to park in and we went onto a footpath then back onto the road heading down to a footpath which then took us past a slightly wooded area with lots of space between the trees.  Roaming about were some highland cattle with the odd calf. Lovely to see in natural surroundings. We came onto a small pond which was just full of newts, Rob caught one with ease just cupping his hands into the water. It was a steady climb up to what looked like a capped mine with a small cairn beside it. We carried on and found what we thought was an old trackway which you couldn't even see until you were on top of it. It was about 6 feet deep so we got down into it and had our breakfast sheltering from the wind. From there it was all downhill and after negotiating a couple of fences it was back to the car.

This weeks route around Longstone Moor

Ike's car

Ring cast into a block of stone

Highland calf

I think this is mummy watching over her youngster.

This is where the old bath tubs go to

Ike & Rob

Ike

A whole field of Gorse

Ike & Rob

Looking for newts

There's one!!!

Newt

This is a different view of the Monsal Head Hotel

Who are EWE watching

Ike

Viola

Another dew pond

The cement works over in the Hope Valley

Top of the hill at 395 metres.

Me

Is this the longest lamb in Derbyshire

Another ring cast into the stone

Breakfast

Not sure if this is an old trackway 

Checking the map

Ike pointing out Minninglow in the distance

Ike negotiating a fence

More rabbits running about

Just great views everywhere

Monsal Dale basking in the sunshine

 This was new territory for us with some magnificent views. From the top we could see 360 degrees we even spotted Crich Stand and the wind turbines at Carsington as well as Minninglow. A great little walk and we could be back next week to look at the other side.
See you next week.