Author on Mam Tor just after the snow flurry. It took her 15mins to train a crow to use a camera...
Ok, so I know some people will be outraged by this, but...... I haven't spent much time in the Peak District. Within easy reach, location is no excuse, it's just that I get pulled to the other National Parks such as the Lake District, Snowdonia and the Yorkshire Dales (plus Scotland when I have the time). So, when a days climbing and abseiling in the Peaks came about I thought why not take this opportunity to have a look around...and yes, though it was a popular route that I took, I can assure you...I will be back for more! So, here goes... :)
Friday 13th April 2012: Climbing & Bridge abseil (good job I am not superstitious!) Night camped at Waterside Farm Campsite, Edale
Saturday 14th April 2012:
I love this time of year! After an overnight stay at the quiet Waterside Campsite, Edale surrounded by frolicking, bleating lambs, and amusing cockerels and hens (plus the camp’s wildcat), I awoke to blue skies though a tad chilly. After a leisurely brew and breakfast I packed up and drove into Edale to park up near the train station before setting off toward Mam Tor and the Hollins Cross ridge. The easy to follow bridal path led me through Hardenclough Farm and met up with the mountain bike trail over a steady ascent to Hollins Cross. The weather still remained clear though toward the Horizon it was clouding. The trail up was quiet apart from the odd mountain biker but as soon as I got to Hollins Cross there were a lot of people on the ridge leading to both Ward’s Piece to the East & also toward Mam Tor.
Passing by Back Tor I continued up to Ward’s Piece (476m) where I saw a weather front coming in from the North. A quick brew and I was off backtracking the route to Hollins Cross and continuing on up toward Mam Tor (517m) passing numerous families, groups and couples along the way....some wearing appropriate kit, others wearing some outright amusing gear (If this had been a 3000ft+ peak I would have been a tad concerned - think flip-flops up Snowdon) as well as a fair few fell runners and mountain bikers (popular trail for a busy weekend). Keeping my eye on the incoming weather front I was aware that Mam Tor trig point was going to provide one of those photos where it could have been taken on any peak, anywhere in the UK (y’know, person stood by trig point, looking a tad ‘wet & wild’ with a nondescript grey backdrop) and I was right. By the time I got to the summit of Mam Tor the wind had picked up & the clouds had left the peaks of Crookstone Out Moor and had descended on Mam Tor bringing a snow flurry. Having spent ten mins teaching a crow to use the camera (well, let’s not tell tales...it was actually a fell runner) I got the photo as described previously and headed back down to Hollins Cross where the sun had come out again. After stopping for a quick lunch whilst watching Mountain bikers carry their bikes up the trail, and laughed (to myself obviously...wouldn’t want to offend) when some novices tried to bike down the now wet & muddy fairly steep incline, I headed off down toward Edale, this time taking the route which leads through PeterBarn, across the River Noe meeting up with the road that leads into Edale.
Once back in Edale at around 2pm it was brew time at the Penny Pot Cafe next to the station where the wood burner was working it’s warm wonders whilst I placed myself on the very cosy sofa to finish off the book ‘The Climb’ which I had been reading for the past week (For ref, it is Anatoli Boukreev’s account of the 1996 Everest Disaster and provides much food for thought compared to other’s accounts – if you have read Jon Krakauer’s ‘Into Thin Air’ and had made your mind up about the events etc, it is a definite must read....just saying). At this point the sun was out again, leading to a truly four Seasons in one day popular walk providing nice views without having to gain too much height, or by too much of a strenuous/technical walk, in the Peak District.
For more photos of this adventure see Gallery page:
For more photos of this adventure see Gallery page:
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