Once again, I went out walking with the Sutton in Ashfield Rambling Club on one of their excellent fortnightly walks.
The weather forecasts were pretty awful, so we all looked forward to this one with a bit of trepidation. In the event, the morning was quite pleasant. Really bad rain appeared in the afternoon though, soaking us to the skin.
I was not going to miss the first half of the walk from Hayfield across to Edale, no matter what the weather. It was very unfamiliar territory for me. Despite getting very wet, I really enjoyed the day out. For the afternoon I did my own little diversion from the itinerary, taking a different route to the rest of the group from Edale to Hope.
My only worry was that I had done a fast and furious walk to Beauvale Priory and back, only 2 days previously. I needn't have worried though - I felt really great once I got going and still ended the day with energy to spare.
We began at Hayfield, shortly after giving the coach driver a few nervous moments passing under a low bridge.
We headed past the church and over the bridge in the middle of the village, following the narrow valley up towards Kinder Reservoir. This is a view of the dam wall, with the bleak mass of Kinder Scout beyond.
We were heading south, around the south side of Kinder Scout, via Kinderlow End. This is a glimpse of the terrain to the south east of the reservoir.
From the south, we got a reasonable view of the reservoir, with Leygatehead Moor behind.
We climber higher and higher.........
.........whilst to the west there was still sunshine and a glimpse of the hills and valleys in the distance. Just right of this shot, we could make out the skyscrapers of central Manchester, but they were too distant to photograph well.
The wind was really strong by now. Up above, it was blowing the waters of the Kinder Waterfall up in the air - it looked almost like a campfire on the hillside!
.and here is our final glimpse of the Kinder Reservoir before we went around Kinderlow End
We got a distant glimpse of Hayfield a little further on.
The pass over to Edale then came into view.
.....guarded by ferocious sheep..........;)
Here is a magnified view of the thick peat that lies on the moors.
As we crossed the summit of the pass, the weather behind us was getting wet and very windy. Over the summit things were more sheltered - at least for a while. Our first glimpse of Edale soon followed. It looked very green compared to Kinder Scout and the hills around us.
We descended towards Jacob's Ladder (a steep footpath) and Edale.
Standing stones on the edge of Kinder Scout were clearly visible until the weather suddenly closed in. This one is Noe's Stool
Further east along the same ridge is Pym's Chair.
Soon Edale came into clear view. In the middle distance is Mam Tor
This was a steep side valley, with Horsehead Tor on the left, just before we reached Upper Booth.
Looking back, the weather was really looking very threatening.
The side valley around Edale village was quite sheltered though. This led me into a false sense of optimism as I headed off on my own towards Mam Tor after a brief lunch break.
Looking ahead I could see that the higher ground around Mam Tor was being drenched with sheet after sheet of very heavy rain, blowing in from the west. How different to when I ascended this hill in May, in bright, warm sunshine.
At the top it was so wet and windy I could hardly hold the camera steady. This is the top of Mam Tor.
I only saw 6 people along the top. As I followed the ridge eastwards, the wind and rain was coming from behind, so it helped me along. Castleton is down there somewhere on the middle right of the shot.
By coincidence, I arrived at Hollins Cross just as the first of the main group got there, well ahead of the rest. They were taking the direct route up to Hollins Cross from Edale and then down the other side of the ridge to Hope via Castleton. I carried straight on along the ridge. Looking ahead, I could make out Black Tor and Lose Hill.
My original hope had been to climb Lose Hill and see the fantastic panorama it offers of the valleys and hills around. It was not to be though. It really was just too windy and wet to make the climb worthwhile. I would have seen very little from the summit. I simply followed the footpath past the south side of the hill and down to Hope village.
I got there well before anyone from the main group. The first arrived about 20 minutes after me - though I suspect their route was slower than mine. I added a couple of layers of clothing under my jacket to try and keep warm, whilst I waited for them and the coach that was to take us home.
By the time the coach arrived, the area was bathed in sunshine, which lasted all the way home!
Despite the bad weather, I was really glad I did the walk. It was worth it, just for the morning session alone.
Many thanks again to the Sutton in Ashfield Rambling Club for an excellent walk!
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