The fantastic summer continues, as well as the lockdown, but we are on the eased measures now which means we can go slightly further afield, but for me this is a maximum of about 25 miles. I guess I am lucky that I live so close to the Peak District, in fact bits of it are even nearer than the 25 miles that I travelled. The following are snap shots (pardon the pun) of the two trips out I’ve had over this weekend. I’m really starting to feel at home in the peaks and feel there’s such a lot to discover in the coming months and years. 

Monsall Trail 

It’s fair to say that I have friends who are much more into the hiking life than me, but I have always got out and about into the countryside. In fact, it doesn’t have to be the countryside, I have always walked. Once the easing was announced its been possible for walks to be a little further afield, plus I got a call from my friend Steve who asked if I was up for a walk in the Peak District, of course I said yes straight away.

We ventured off into the Peak District and parked our cars at Millers Dale Car Park, which to my surprise is a converted old railway station. This station was a victim of the Doctor Beaching closures sometime in the late 1960’s and I think it’s fantastic that these old buildings are being used to the present day. This set the scene for the Monsall Trail, as part of the walk follows the route of the old railway lines, which I really like.

The first part of the walk is actually following the River Wye, and you thread your way down to the banks of the river. This is a rough track with lots of little ups and downs but is an enjoyable walk, with lots of trees, plants and bridges that you’d expect walking along a riverbank. The trees and foliage provided a little shelter, but the waters reflected the sun rays, and I get some lovely colours reflected in the crystal clear water.

A little distance further along the river flows through a more obvious valley, and we came across a number of climbers taking advantage of the good weather, and excellent rock climbing that the valley has to offer. This is not for me, but it is a very popular sport.

There is lots to see on this walk and in keeping with the railway theme, sections of the walk take you through the old railway tunnels that were cut to allow the trains to get through despite the peaks. It’s great to see that the tunnels are now used for exercise purposes with lots of cyclists, walkers and runners going past us as we walked. 

Once out of the Wye valley the walk takes you through some of the rolling countryside and I was amazed at the variety of terrain we pasted through on this walk. We eventually circled back to Millers Dale car park, and to our relief the café was open but for take away only, so a socially distanced ice cream was welcome after the walk.   

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Owler Tor

I have been doing a fair bit of research about the Peak District, both Hiking and Photography. YouTube is a great research resource, a few “clicks” and searches allowed me to identify a number of places across the Peaks that are great for both hiking and photography. The important thing for me at this stage is that these are near places where I can park my car. My research list had a location that I had noted was called “Surprise View”, so off I went in search of the car park. Sat Nav is a great help and I got within half a mile of the car park. A sandwich and a drink later and my backpack on my back and off I went up through the gates at the back of the car park into the hills. 

I could see a short distance in front of me what looked like an outcrop of rocks, as well as sweeping views back over towards Castleton and Sheffield. As I walked up the path, I suddenly realised that I was looking over at Higger Tor, last weekends location. The “Viewranger” app was loaded on my iPhone and it told me that I was looking at Owler Tor, and just a short distance away was indeed Higger Tor. This is all part of my orientation into the locations within the Peaks. 

This area is a very popular spot and given that it’s not far from the car park means that its quite popular with families and groups of friends. I guess the pubs being closed also mean folk need places to go, and it looked like lots of them had the same idea as me. Nevertheless, the area has lots to explore and lots of opportunity to take images. The landscape here I have a feeling will be photographed on a regular basis as I get used to this area and when best to take the images, sunrise, sunset or otherwise.    

My research told me that the Peaks are covered in old Millstones, as well as trees rocky outcrops, and the incredible scenery in all directions. I will get used to what it all is over the coming weeks and months. The image here is a single mill stone but I think you’ll agree is very effective subject.

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Winnats Pass and Adjacent Hills

I’m quickly realising that lots of the routes I’ve been taking recently all have taken me through (up and down) the hugely impressive Winnats Pass. So, on my way home I thought I’d pull over and try to capture an image or two of the Pass, as well as scout the location for a walk another weekend. It was not quite as busy as when I drove through earlier in the day but the car parks where busy, but the laybys on the road above the pass was empty. It was only a short walk back to the gate just next to the cow grid, and off I went looking for a vantage point that might bag me an image or two. 

I quickly realised that the best view was on the other side of the Pass but I decided that I would leave that for another day, has I now know where to park and walk, but I did get a couple of reasonable images.

At this point I sat on a rock and I thought I was feeling a little weary, and so I decided to head back to the car. It seemed that a few people had the same idea, as a good few cars whizzed past me as I walked back up the pass. As I drove along the main road, I suddenly became aware that there was a stunning vista off to my left. A few hundred yards further down the road I found a small road that led onto a Farmers field. I pulled over and set out the tripod and took the two images you see here. I’m really not sure where they are but the light on the rocks caught my eye, and the sweeping view led me to take the second image. 

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