Each year, a couple of friends come to our part of the world for a holiday. They live in Chicago, well, Valpariso to be correct. They have nothing like the Peak District around them, so they crave this holiday every day until it comes. Amazingly, Steve does everything by bus, and knows timetables inside out! Some places are harder to get to than others, so we decided to take them to the upper Derwent valley as a treat. here they are, sitting on a log, at the end of the walk.
Do they look happy? Believe me, they WERE!
As we drove towards our starting point at Ladybower Reservoir, this was the sort of view we got. How lovely to have such a good day to take Steve and Steph out.
Tranquil and calm - Ladybower at its most peaceful.
The foxglove - digitalis - one of our most beautiful, but deadly, plants. Every part of this plant is poisonous.
Nothing deadly about this little beauty though!
We parked at King's Tree, then we walked along this spur of the reservoir to join the path we would take.
The ever-present Foxglove.
We intended taking them to the upper Derwent Valley, and our favourite shooting lodge, for lunch but first they had never seen Alport castles, so a short detour was planned to include this landmark. The pull up the steep hill and over the moors was good.
Approaching the top, and the view.
It hides itself until the VERY LAST minute - then.........WHAM!
The 'Castles' (dark, in foreground) and looking down the Alport valley.
Looking up the Alport valley towards Kinder Scout.
After staying to admire the views, we dropped back down the climb to rejoin the path that goes up to the shooting cabin.
On the way, we passed through some lovely coniferous forest.
The views on the path up to the top of the moors.
We eventually got to the shooting cabin at JUST the right time - lunchtime!
We duly signed the visitors book inside the cabin.
Not exactly Chatsworth, but always a welcome sight!
It MUST be summer - Steve is taking his trouser bottoms off!
Our picnic on the cabin 'verandah'.
The moors.
We saw a clutch of young grouse.
Mum was close by, clucking away, as mums do!
The small bridge just above slippery stones, with Steve, Sue & Steph.
Steph takes our picture.
I reckon Sue was a spaniel in a former life - she just LOVES water, and can't resist it.
A cuddle at slippery stones bridge, which was taken apart, stone by stone, and rebuilt when the reservoirs were flooded.
As we approached the car, a low-flying helicopter came screaming down the valley. I just managed to catch a shot of it before it was gone!
A last view back of Howden Reservoir.
And the turrets of Howden Dam.
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