Sunday 28 August 2016

The Peak District Hills :: Number One

Hello lovelies,
I'm interrupting my holiday posts today as I want to chat about walking...I do hope you don't mind.
Many of you will know it's a major hobby of mine these days. 
I love my weekly outings with my walking group ( though I have missed quiet a few of these in the school holidays) and this is the second year running that I've challenged myself to do the Walk 1000 miles challenge

Over the summer I've also challenged myself to walk everyday ( that's outdoor miles only) and it's been good fun. I have missed a few days, but really hardly any at all. 

Reading about walking you come across lots of talk about hill "bagging." A strange sort of term, but I suppose it just means that once you have walked up a certain hill it's in the bag.

In Scotland all hills over 3000 feet are called Munros and lots of serious walkers challenge themselves to climb all 282. Munro bagging is a big thing ( How do they find the time!) 


In the Lade District there are lots of different ways of classifying the peaks. For example there are 214 Wainwrights  

Getting into walking later in life I'm ashamed to say I have walked Zero Munros and Zero Wainwrights. And these places are such a long way from where I live I can't imagine being able to change that statistic very soon. And any way I find really high peaks quiet intimidating. I've been to the top of Snowdon (on a train) and it was scary.

But you lovelies know how much I love a hill. So I decided to find some hills that I can "Bag". 
The more modest hills of the Peak District seemed to fit the bill.
  

Close enough to home to travel to in a day ( well some of them) and hopefully not too frightening.

I found a great list HERE of the 27 highest peaks in the Peak District ( those over 1000 feet) .
Twenty Seven...yay. That sounds doable. Looking at the list I have walked Zero of these too.


Time to change that. At the bottom of the list ( at 1,053 feet) is Stanton Moor...ohhh a Moor, in August ( heather time) PERFECT!

And so today we found ourselves parking in pretty village of Birchover near Matlock and heading out to do THIS walk I found online.

The area has many interesting natural rock formations ( with man made climbing holes) ...


and after a steady climb we got to the very un-frightening and flat summit.


How I loved the mass of purple......


The Cork Stone........


As well as the natural rock formations there is evidence of quarrying in times past.......



Far from seeming like scars these areas were so pretty.....


Looking across the heather and Gorse......


 more deep Quarry holes.......


and bees on Heather......



Man made cliffs I presume.......



all swathed in purple.....


There were well worn paths across the moors that eventually led down into pretty Silver Birch Woodland........


I was looking forward to seeing the Bronze age stone circle in this area. It looked so pretty in pictures I had seen. As we approached I could see it was very busy though. Can you see it at the top of this image?........


 There was a group who were doing Yoga I think...fair enough. But they had draped their coats over the stones and were being watched by larger drinking campers. Quiet odd!.......


We didn't hang around.


 I loved the view across the valley here.......


If you click on this picture you should be able to read the information about the moor and see how the stone circle used to look........


Another plant, along with the Heather, I was happy to see were the bilberry bushes. They are tiny fruits but remind me of many happy childhood hours spent gathering  these for jam making........


At the tower we stopped for a drink and a small snack but I wished I had brought more food as it was lunchtime.......


Soon we were off again, peeping through the trees.........


negotiating the paths........


Staring at the view.......



We descended  from the moor and came upon a busy campsite......


It had so much going on. Archery lessons and a climbing wall were both busy with children. And happily there was a van selling hot dogs for the hungry boys, phew.......


Loved their Hydrangeas too......






Back in Birchover the sun was shining and the stone cottages looked extra pretty.....



 Thank you Stanton moor for being so beautiful and easy to "bag". Now, I wonder which hill will be next?
  I'm not setting myself any time limit on this challenge. It's mainly a way to discover some new places and varying upland landscapes.

Jacquie x

21 comments:

  1. This sounds and looks wonderful! There is so much pretty countryside an in England with uncountable walks in it. And aw I love those out-of-a-fairytale villages! Looking forward to discovering more here on your blog!
    Marian

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  2. This sounds and looks wonderful! There is so much pretty countryside an in England with uncountable walks in it. And aw I love those out-of-a-fairytale villages! Looking forward to discovering more here on your blog!
    Marian

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  3. What a beautiful place! Lovely purple flowers. I wish I could grow blue hydrangeas but friends told me that the soil here doesn't make them turn blue. You got a great place there for walking adventures.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your lovely walk, Jacquie! I enjoyed it and catching up on your last few posts. I loved seeing your mom's beautiful seascape and your sweet sheepy you crocheted. The last week in July I camped by the Pacific Ocean at Cape Lookout, Oregon, and yesterday I was excited to attend a beginner's watercolor workshop, and I hope to crochet some Lucy sheep, someday. Wishing you and yours happy days! xx

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  5. Jacquie, do carry on with your "bagging" and please do continue to keep your camera at the ready. The photographs you take are so pretty! xo

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  6. So very interesting, the information on 'bagging'. I wish I could get up off my keister and start walking. Where I live it's not doable w/o driving quite a distance each day. You make it seem like such a pleasurable thing to do instead of the chore it can become when done for 'health'.

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  7. Hello Jackie,

    What a wonderful post!
    We (DH and 13 year old DD) completed the Coast to Coast earlier this month and it was wonderful. I was sorry we missed the heather in full bloom but thanks to you, I get to see it!
    Being afraid of heights, there were times I really got scared on some peaks in the Lake District but it was my favorite part.
    Thank you for sharing your wonderful walks with us.
    You have been an inspiration for me!

    xx

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    1. Well Done Alexandra! I'd love to do the Coast to Coast one day. Thanks for your kind comment.
      Jacquie xx

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  8. A beautiful walk, especially at this time of year. We've just got back from North Wales and the heather was gorgeous all over the mountains. We climbed Snowdon, but sadly no views at all from the top, just rain and wind. The rest of Wales was sunny though! CJ xx

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  9. How I would LoVe to live in a hilly area and just set out each day with my walking boots on and my little dog and just walk for miles! I live in Lincolnshire... 'nuff said!! My adventures took me to Steep Hill in Lincoln last week and after walking on the flat fens for years, it was quite a feat I can tell you!! :) Beautiful captures Jacquie and well done xx

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  10. Very nice! I would have been like.. hey, I want to see the rocks.. not your coats! (Also..in your first paragraph you have 100 miles instead of 1000!)

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  11. Very pretty pictures. I dream of going to the Lake District someday. It seems so cottage-y and quaint. I've started bike riding (58 years) and love it. And starting next spring, I hope to add walking to it!

    Cindy Bee

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    1. PS. It looks more like you are "hiking" rather than walking!

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  12. Your beautiful pictures and description makes me feel like I'm walking along with you, thank you. The purple heather is joyous and the bilberries brought back many happy memories of collecting them on the Yorkshire moors. "Bagging" is a great term and I look forward to you bagging a few more!

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  13. What a wonderful goal! I'm sure you'll fulfill it. It's all so very lovely, especially the heather and far reaching views! Thanks as always for sharing. x

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  14. 'Bagging' hills seems to be a very worthwhile project; good luck! I confess that I think that group making it hard for anyone else to share the stone circle was incredibly selfish. Great tour. Thought for the week: it can't be more than a few hours to the Lake District - in Spring, book into a B&B and bag a Wainwright!

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    1. Thanks Mike, I hope to do just that for my birthday next year.
      Jacquie x

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  15. The Peak District is so lovely and not too far from my neck of the woods! I'd love to climb a Cuiilin Hill someday, but the beautiful Peaks are probably more in my league!

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  16. Those 27 hills sound like a perfect challenge! I've walked many of them myself!

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  17. Oh WOW,I always love you photographs,I really must try and "Remember" to take my camera with me when I take the dogs out.What a Stunning place and such an interesting post to read.Thank you.I LOVE walking too,I fee free and invigorated even in the rain,which I quite like actually.Huggles xx

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  18. Oops typing tooooo fast again lol.Sorry about mistakes.x

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