Win Hill and Hope Cross

We had an extra early start today setting off at 05:50 am. Four of us in my car and our destination was Win Hill looking above Ladybower Reservoir. We parked in a lay by on the Edale road north of Hope. A short walk back along the road towards Hope until we found the footpath to Edale End Farm.. From there it was a long steep slog up to the old roman road, it levelled out slightly to just a gentle incline until we reached a hundred yards or so to the summit where again it was a steep incline. All this time the mist was swirling around and we could only see about 100 yards in front of us and unfortunately the views from the top were non existent. We should have been able to see right across to Ladybower Reservoir and beyond. When we got to the top there were 3 serious photographers up there and they told me they had been there before sunrise and set off from Nottingham at 04:30am!!! We had our breakfast surrounded by sheep and hung around for a while hoping the mist would clear but it didn't.
We headed back the way we came but made a detour to see Hope Cross. The top stone with the carvings on it had been stolen a couple of years ago but was found and repositioned. From there we just headed back down the track and the car. Typically the sun started to come through but Win Hill was still shrouded.

This weeks route to Win Hill

Rob & Ike

Ike & Geoff

Rob 

Ike & Geoff  coming through the bracken

Loads of webs

Mist in the woods

We couldn't see very far

Sheep on the hill

This spider has been busy

The first glimpse of the summit

Rob & Ike 

Photographers been waiting since before sunrise for the mist to clear

Sheep after some of Ikes food.

The trig point at the top of Win Hill

That's Rob off in the distance

Us four at the trig point

We came past these bikers and one of them had some mechanical trouble.

Loads of spiders webs

These lady joggers on the old roman road.

Hope Cross

Hope Cross on the old roman road.

The sun starting to come through 

Looking towards the Kinder Scout Plateau

This walk in the mist was just under 7 miles and although disappointed there were no great views it was still enjoyable.

See you next week

A wander around Hall Dale

Only 3 of us this week, brother Rob was off chasing reptiles up north at a fair.  Ike wanted to revisit an area around Two Dales part of it we had done before. This time we were going around in the opposite direction and going through Hall Dale where we hadn't been before.
We parked on the main road and just around the corner there is an old stone trough which contains several bright orange goldfish swimming about. 
Initially it was quite a steep lane past some really big houses then it levelled off and we went into the wooded valley known as Hall Dale. Its obviously a very old wood with a fantastic mixture of tree's, including  oak, birch and ash with some yew.  At the far end of the woods we came to a small wooden bridge which crossed over the brook. My GPS told us to stay on the same side of the brook and the footpath would almost double back on itself. Well we set off and the path immediately started to climb very steeply and it was overgrown with fallen tree's. We continued and eventually the path started to zig zag and we came out of the woods onto a huge field full of sheep. We crossed the field and found the style onto the road and it was a slow walk along to a T junction where we found a place for our breakfast. After breakfast it was a trek across the moors towards some more woods. Half way across the moor we turned around and all you could see right up to the horizon was heather, now this sounds great but its like being in the middle of the sea because there were no landmarks to guide you. Its a good job i had my GPS although we were following a very narrow footpath, i recon 2 yards off this footpath and you would lose it. We skirted through the woods and got onto another road and from this point it was all downhill back into two dales and the car. We passed some guys with Quad bikes who had come up through a very rough section which was difficult even to walk down, how the hell they got up there with their machines beats me. When we got off this track and back onto the main road there appeared to be a charity bike ride with a lot of bikes and they were going uphill, not surprising but some were pushing.

This weeks route about 5 3/4 miles with ascent of over 750 feet.

The last thing you expect to see is goldfish on a main road.

Ike with his customised camera strap

It was misty at first

This has got to be the prettiest entrance to a footpath Ive seen

Lovely walk through this woodland

The mist starting to lift and the sun coming through

Ike & Geoff

Ike negotiating his way through this fallen tree

Geoff & Ike zig zagging their way up the hillside

This is a deceiving pic because it is very steep

Hundreds of sheep round this old building.

Tree house

Great views back down towards Darley Dale

Trekking across the moor

Some cotton grass still in bloom

Spiders webs

This area has just been deforested 

Quad bikes

Push bikes

Motor bikes

Looks like the white chicken is leading the escape

It doesn't look like it but this is an old Derbyshire Guide Stoop now used as a gatepost.

Hoe the hell did those quad bikes get up here..

One of the bikers on the charity bike run for Cycle Derby Sportive coming up Sydnope Hill in Two Dales.

This was a cracking walk just short of 6 miles, through wonderful woodland across the moors and down some ancient trackways. These woods will be awesome in the autumn when the leaves turn.
See you next week.