BEST Gran Canaria pictures.

The latest (and best) pictures of Gran Canaria are here;

 http://biggersteps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/gran-canaria-part-six-roque.html 

Les

WOT! No walks?????

For anyone wondering why there's not been a walk published for a couple of weeks, I'm just busy doing the Gran Canaria pics. If you'd like to look at them, click here; 

http://biggersteps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/gran-canaria-2012-day-one.html

 I will be back to posting on here as soon as I can, meanwhile, enjoy GC. At the end of the above post, click on 'Newer post' to see the next part. Les

Roque Nublo

Gran Canaria

Barber Booth, Edale, Grindsbrook, Kinder Scout, Woolpacks, Pym's Chair, Noe Stool,Jacob's Ladder.

Tuesday dawned with nice weather, and our first day off for - Oooooo - THREE DAYS ;-) We'd just got back from ten days in Gran Canaria, so to go from this;

To walking in snow was a bit of a shock to the system! However, we'd not done any 'serious' walking for two or three weeks, so Sue suggested a pull up onto Kinder Scout. This meant a climb of almost 2,000 feet, even on a nice day like today, at this time of the year, Kinder could be very 'UN-Kind-er', weather and temperature-wise. Although it was set fair all day, we took no chances and wore warm clothes. This stunning view of the Winnats pass greeted us as we made our way to the Edale valley. Not long ago, we were on the top of those cliffs in deep snow, today they looked a very different picture, benign in the sunshine.

A glance to the right saw the face of the 'shivering mountain' - Mam Tor.

Soon we arrived at Barber Booth, where there is limited free parking - some of the very little available now in the peak District. We left the car around mid-day, with clear skies and the prospect of a good walk ahead of us. This is Horsehill Tor and the walk to Edale to begin our ascent.

I am ALWAYS amazed at these walls - seems such a lot of work, and over such difficult terrain! They look lovely though. When the snow settles on one side, they look like the skeletal bones of the land. It was around here that we heard our first Curlew of the year. A beautiful, haunting call that really goes with this type of country. You can hear it here; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/audio/2008/jun/06/nature.birdsong.curlew Just click play.

A shiver ran down our spines as we saw Kinder Scout above us with a dusting of snow. Bring it on!

Looking over the Edale valley to our right was the classic view of the Great Ridge, part of the walk known as the 'Castleton Skyline'. Mam Nick is the pass through which you travel to get to the Edale valley from Winnats pass.

This walk was my introduction to walking the Peak District on an outward bound course I did at the Hollowford centre in Castleton a few years ago.

This is a really pleasant walk towards Edale, along the new official route of the Pennine Way. It used to go straight up Grindsbrook, but now they have diverted it to go up Jacobs Ladder, due to erosion problems.

It's so good to be home.

The old Nags Head - official start of the Pennine Way long distance footpath. At 280 miles or so, it's not one I've done, as it would take three weeks (unless you rush it), so that was always too long to have off work at one go. I did many other LDP's though that were only two weeks, or less. You can read about some of them here; www.walkdiaries.blogspot.com

Leaving Edale, you cross a small dip via a bridge, which looked LOVELY today in the dappled sunlight.

Sue sighs as she takes in one of her most favourite places - Grindsbrook. 

'X' marks the spot, Sue!

Off she went like a hare, up the climb to Kinder Scout. It was all I could do to keep up with her!

We gained the snow line, and felt Kinder's chill on us. Looking back saw the great ridge peeping.

As it was such a sunny day, we had started in tee shirts but, by now, we'd donned another layer as the temperature dropped.

There was some work going on to restore paths, and they were flying bags of materials over the moor to the Edale valley.

We reached the plateau and headed NW towards Jacobs ladder. On the way, we passed the Woolpacks, a collection of wind-sculpted rocks that show the erosion of time and temperature. You can make your own shapes up as we go along - a bit like looking into the flames of a fire for shapes.

This collection of rocks is called Pym's chair. I remember once, Sue and I sat against these rocks on a fairly fine afternoon, eating our lunch, when a wall of thick mist rolled across the moor and enveloped us completely. Talk about 'hound of the Baskervilles' - it was REALLY eerie!

This one is called 'Noe stool'. You can see 'Swine's back' in the distance behind, that was where we would leave the plateau.

We reached Jacob's ladder and started down. By now, the sun had gone and it was a bit dull. As we reached the packhorse bridge at the bottom, we could feel the temperature rising again as we lost height.

We came across a barn where 'Robin Wood' worked (nice play on a name). It was full of shavings and part-finished bowls, and smelt FANTASTICALLY of wood!

Some of the many tools he uses to sculpt and shape.

After this, a short walk brought us back to the car. We sure knew we'd been lazy for a couple of weeks, and could feel the effects of Kinder on our muscles long after we left it. It's always a 'nice' tiredness though.

A snowy Bakewell by night

We had a nice fall of snow in Bakewell last Saturday, so Sue & I took a walk around the town. It was lovely. Here are a few pictures. (Click on any picture for a larger image slideshow).

The weir at night.

 Snowy trees and lamplight in the crescent.

 In the town.

 Portland square.

 Postbox & main road.

 The old, original pudding shop.

 Untouched entrance to the churchyard.

 Bakewell church.

 Eerie glow over the graveyard.

 Monyash road, from the churchyard.

 Looking over the town from Yeld road.

 Yeld road, with an avenue of snowy trees.

Our cottages.

Castleton, Winnat's Pass, Above Winnat's, Mam Tor, Hollin's cross

 Today, it was cold - VERY cold, so we decided on a short, sharp walk. Just under six miles, but with 1,500 feet of ascent - that would keep us warm! We parked up in Castleton, got quickly suited and booted and set off, looking up at Peveril castle (which gives the town it's name) peeping down at us from it's hillside vantage point.

The river that passes through the centre of the village gives it a special 'nice' look and feel. Also, the cottages are in a really pretty stone. In this light, they don't look as good as in bright sunlight, but then - what does?

 

As we left, we were below the snow line, but the view ahead told us that would SOON change.

 I didn't hold out too many hopes, photographically speaking, for the day as it was really grey and threateningly dark all around us, but we were looking forward to the walk, whatever.

 

As expected, we soon heard the crunch of hard snow under our feet. New snow creaks (we LOVE that sound), but snow that has had a few nights on the hill to freeze, crunches.

 

Looking across to the snow-capped Lose hill from Long Cliff.

 

The road that goes up the Winnat's pass is kept meticulously clear, as it's the ONLY way up these days since the old road collapsed for the last time back in 1979, and Winnat's was elevated to it's present status. Read about it here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnats_Pass

 

There is no 'official' path up on these buttresses atop Winnat's pass, but hell - this place is just TOO awesome to NOT be walked.

 Sue CERTAINLY loves it as much as I do up here - in ANY weather!

 .....and she's not worried about heights either.

 The sheep were finding the ground slim pickings today - this is when they need the farmer to feed them.

 Lunchtime, but not time to eat - it was FAR too cold to stop and take our gloves off. We decided to just press on, take the walk while we could, and eat in the comfort and warmth of the car after the walk. The day looked a bit 'angry' and dark, but it was still great to be out.

 

We reached the slopes of Mam Tor. It's a very popular place, but today we saw only two other people on the way up. This is how 'experts' think it used to look when it was a populated hill fort.

 

You can see why ancient man liked it up here - a super view point to spot anyone approaching the fort. This is the view through 'Mam nick' towards the Kinder Scout plateau.

 

Rushup edge, almost completely shrouded in the murk.

 

The Great ridge from Mam Tor to Lose hill. We wouldn't be doing the whole thing today, but dropping off at Hollins cross.

 Hollins cross memorial cairn to Tom Hyett, erected in his memory by his walking club. It was here that we left the ridge to drop down the old coffin road to Castleton. You can read about the coffin road here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollins_Cross

 A zoomed shot of Winnat's pass from the ridge. You can clearly see the buttresses we walked over earlier.

 

At last the day cleared a little to give me a good shot of the 'shivering mountain' of Mam Tor. Limestone meets gritstone here, and they are NOT happy bedfellows - that's why the road kept collapsing (and probably will collapse again in the future).

 

A nice shot of the pass, looking extremely cold in it's mantle of frost and snow.

As we walked back into Castleton, we spotted these doves. I think he was trying it on a bit! She didn't seem interested though - probably too cold :-)