Exploring Sunny Derbyshire

Sat. 20th July 2013
    We've now been motorhoming for around 10 years  and I can say without doubt that it's been the sunniest, warmest 12 days  since we started. Along with most areas of the UK it's been a joy to set off every day without coats or clobber that are an inconvenience that slows you down in more normal conditions.
       The areas of Derbyshire (both the White Peak and the Dark Peak) are only around 60 miles from home and it's an area we're not that familiar with, but what a beautiful area it is for walking,cycling and of coarse finding our wild orchids.

Here is just a cameo of some of the areas that we explored both on foot and by bike.

The White Peak an area of limestone hills valleys and pastures

                           Four Nights at Blackwell Hall Farm

Cycling on the Monsal Trail, an old railway track, 9 miles of easy cycling and walking

                    Millers Dale station before the closure in 1967

The station today

Monsal Dale view from the viaduct near Monsal Head

The viaduct from the river

                   A walk through Chee Dale on two separate days

The clear waters of the limestone dales rivers with both Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout

Bakewell

Monster Trout at Bakewell

The bridge at Ashford in the Water 

Just a few of the thousands of Orchids that grow on or around the Monsal trail

Fragrant Orchids

Bee Orchids

Common Spotted Orchids

A walk along the Cromford Canal south of Matlock Bath

Cromford Wharf

The Heights of Abraham above Matlock Bath , here we found many Twayblade Orchids

                                               Twayblade

                                              Matlock Bath
Twelve miles away.... the Dark Peak an area of Sandstone and Millstone Grit  an area lacking the flora of the White Peak but more dramatic and wilder. 

                                      Castleton

        Lose Hill above Castleton the start of the ridge walk over Mam Tor

                        Backtor Nook with Edale to the right

                               The popular summit of Mam Tor

                                 Mam Tor triangulation point

                                    The ridge from Lord's Seat

                 The railway line between Manchester and Sheffield

Ashort return back into Limestone down Winnats pass down into Castleton at the end of the walk

     Edale a lovely valley and the start of the Pennine Way

                      The welcome shade on a very hot day

                   One of the many attractive cottages in the dale

                  The official starting point of the Pennine Way

    The train back to the village of Hope this shortened the walk by 5 miles

The final 9 miles walk along Stanage Edge on another sweltering hot day

                   Cotton Grass on the boggy moor behind the edge

Some of the many Mill Stones abandoned on the Moor

Finally the welcome shade down this old lane leading down into the valley near Bamford

Orchids all around us

Sunday 7th July 2013

The orchid season around our local patch as just about peaked up here in Lancashire and it's another excellent year but about 3 weeks later than normal owing to the late spring. First a few shots of my back garden from an angle I've never viewed it from before. I've been removing the lower branches of a tree that outgrown it's position before it's felled later in the summer.

Over the years orchids have colonized the garden and on this years count there's about 100 scattered around the garden they're mostly Common Spotted but a couple of Marsh Orchids (hybrids) have appeared next to the pond.

                                      Marsh Orchid (hybrid?)

                                   Common Spotted Orchids  

Up in the Fields near to our house a good show of Marsh Orchids and common Spotted Orchids and many  hybrids.

   

On the local industrial estate Bee Orchids are growing on the lawned areas surrounding the units where the grass hasn't been mowed.

                     

Finally an unusual orchid has appeared on the local nature reserve and the jury are still out trying to identify it.

Walking in the Lakes

Friday 5th July 2013
           We've just returned from our beautiful Lake District having spent 8 day walking with our friends John & Lindy who live in London . Every year or so we meet up and walk with them in this lovely part of England. We met them on a walking holiday in Italy in June 2001 . Over the years they've climbed all the summits known as the Wainwrights I think there's 214 of these tops so it's quite an achievement. With their knowledge of the area we explored some of the areas that I'm not that familiar with. The highest summit we climbed was St Sunday Crag but most of the summits and ridges were in the middle range around 2000ft- 2200ft in some of the lesser known areas of this beautiful area of England.
            Here are just a few shots taken over the holiday that I think portrays this lovely area.

First the St Sunday Crag walk.

                     John & Lindy with Ullswater in the background

                                               Gavel Pike

                                    Summit of St Sunday Crag

                                   Descending to Grisedale Tarn

The stream running out of Grisedale Tarn, in the shallows dozen of minnows were shoaling in full breeding colours.

       Starry Saxifrage( Arctic-Alpine) growing in the mineral rich stream

                                    The Vale of Newlands

                                    The walk on to Alkin Knot

                         The beautiful ridge walk along Ard Crags

                          Looking across to Sail and Crag hill

                              Down the ridge from Knott Rigg

                   Uldale Fells and the Trusmadoor dry valley

                                  Heading to Great Sca Fell

                                  Looking back to Over Water

                                    Back of Skiddaw country

                            Best Cotton Grass for many years

                                        Skiddaw House (YHA)

                             Cumbria Way..... wild country

                            High Moss on the Outerside Ridge

                                                Outerside

                                  Butterwort (insect eating plant)

                                   Sun dew (insect eating plant)

           Sundew and cotton Grass at low Moss near to Causey Pike

                    Walking off Barrow with Skiddaw in the distance