A circuit of the Upper Derwent from Bamford. The outward leg is via the Bamford and Derwent Edges, the Cartledge Stones ridge path and Howden Edge to Margery Hill, and the return is via the Cut Gate track to Howden reservoir, a climb to Alport Castles and Bridge-end pasture, and finally joining the Derwent Vallery Heritage Way to Bamford Mill.
The changeable and windy weather forecast looked decidedly better to the East, and we took this opportunity for a short return to our old nearby stomping ground of the Dark Peak, which we virtually did to death years ago on day walks. Bamford Moor was only recently opened under CROW access and provided some new territory to explore, while the familiar areas refreshed old memories.
The National Park have been busy with the paving slabs since our last visit, especially on the Cartledge Stones section which was a real surprise - we remember this as a little trodden route and an unlikely candidate for attention.
11 Comments
You had better weather than I had in the lakes: rain, rain and more rain! Lovely photos, as usual.
Robin,
Just this minute left a comment on your, er, rather damp escapade in the Lakes. The MWIS forecast had most of the rain in the west but clear-top probablilities of 90%/90% for Sunday and Monday in the Peak District, so that’s where we went.
This type of fast weather stream produces great skies and clear views.
I came across your site recently when doing a search re lightweight backpacking gear, and immediately added it to my RSS feeds. I did a very similar 2 day trip to yours round the Derwent watershed one February a couple of years ago, with one particular feature in common. I was remarking to my son, as we strode head down against the sleet, how much more civil than our usual urban life it was to exchange a greeting with every walker we passed. The only walker who failed to reciprocate in this time-honoured custom had - you guessed it - a bright yellow GPS device hung around their neck!
For what it’s worth, the trip was recorded in a number of blog posts either side of this one: http://olderandgrowing.blogspot.com/2006/02/creeping-civilisation.html
Hello Geoff
An interesting report - covers an area that I know well from my days living in Sheffield.
Have heard that the authorities/landowners in the Dark Peak are strongly against wild camping. Did you see any signs of this?
Andy,
Hi there, I’ve noticed too that common pleasantries generally increase with distance from civilisation. Out in the wilds it’s very unusual for anyone to ignore a brief greeting, but close to a town or village car park where day trippers typically take a country stroll, we often get funny looks when we say hello. It must be that city mentality:- if you speak to someone you don’t know, you’re either a weirdo or after something!.
Mind you, if you’ve ever descended Snowdon via the pyg track on a fine summer day, you very quickly tire of saying hello to the hundreds (literally) of people you meet!.
Phil,
We seem to have a mental block against the Peak District, having walked almost every inch of path there repeatedly years ago, but all is forgiven when we get there and we remember how good it is.
The park authorities are indeed paranoid about irresponsible wild campers, especially those who want to play boy scouts by lighting camp fires, but we didn’t see any signs relating to it (not that we were looking for them). In fact we advise against it ourselves on the site, mainly to calm the park rangers who fear that publicity might increase the fire risk, and that may be true for a summer with any warm dry spells. These last two summers have been so wet you couldn’t start a moorland fire with a flame thrower! (well I exagerrate but the rangers have slept a bit easier in their beds for a couple of years).
Completely off topic. I know you have a pair on Montrail Cirrus boots and have been disappointed with them as they are a bit stiff. I’ve made some vertical cuts in the black plastic retaining strap around the ankle and found that it softens them considerably. So much so that I no longer suffer bruising on my left ankle on the outside. They’ll never be as soft as the Stratos, but it is worth a try.
The vertical cuts are an innovative idea, a technique I’ve used in woodwork called kerfing - I can see how that would work. What bothers me more is the stiffness of the shanked sole, but I may yet find a use for them in winter.
Geoff I glad you enjoyed the Peak District. I’m very fond of it and go there often. It is the nearest hill walking to me. I found your route interesting and will keep that in mind. Glad it got mentioned as a backpacking route as the Peaks offer some wild walking if you seek it out. It was a good write up and thanks.
Thanks Martin.
It’s our closest hilly area too, and we would be there more often if it were not so very familiar from the old days. Having done this one and seeing the old views again, I think I’ll devise a few more Peak District backpacking routes for when the weather looks better in the east.
Brought back superb memories of my youth in the Peak! I’ve long considered doing a multi-day walk following the edges and over Bleaklow and Kinder but one thing that’s put me off is how easy/hard it will be to get water. How did you fare? Did you use streams? Did you filter, treat, or not?
Chris,
Hi there.
We never treat or filter water in any way.
A glance at the map shows the abundance of stream heads on the high ground, it’s just that on the moorland pleatau they are all stained brown by the peat. Some are darker brown than others depending on the ground they originate on (relative proportions of heather and grass is a clue), but they are all brown to some extent, even the ones that look deceptively clear at first. This isn’t a problem at all, but I imagine it will test the resolve of some people when they see it in their water bottles (looking like Irn Bru) and drink it!.
On the second day we anticipated the possibility of obtaining better water in the conifer woods in the valley, and we were right: a small crystal clear runoff from the trees with no trace of brown.