Derwent moors

24/09/17.

As I am working nights this week I found myself lucky enough to have a few free hours [ me time]. The best thing to do with "me time"is to go for a walk. We chose a lovely little short but scenic circuit from Cutthroat bridge in Derbyshire...This is the starting point for many a fine walk. A rather macabre title for a bridge, it is said to be named after an incident in 1635 when a traveller/ merchant was found here with his throat cut from ear to ear. He would have been travelling on an old pony route through the high ground between Sheffield and Manchester. All his goods and money was gone/stolen but amazingly he was still alive and was taken to nearby Bamford hall, where he died a few days later.

Weather wise it was turning into a beautiful day, early autumn tints of gold begin to take over as the bracken was on the turn up on the moors...This has always been a special time of year for me. We crossed the stream and set off in the direction of Moscar. Todays walk was taken from a little book called Short walks in the Peak District. Some nice little walks in this book, I hope to be making my way through them during the coming months.

At Moscar the route turned westward across the moors following an  ancient path towards Derwent edge. before crossing the moorland I popped over to have a word with a lovely friendly horse..he told me he was having a great day in his field with his friends the sheep.

Crossing the moor we came across this ancient standing stone/Menhir..it stands in a lonely spot looking out towards Stanage edge. Cant find out much about it, probably a guide stone across the moors. I read somewhere that it was once knocked over years ago by an irate landowner who dislike people crossing the moor.

Before long we found ourselves at the Moscar/Derwent/Derent edge crossroads...This is a popular place for walkers and rightly so. Everyone that walks in the Peak district finds themselves drawn here again and again. To our right lay the massive gritstone outcrop of the wheel stones sometimes called the coach and horses..Our route turned left towards Whinstone lee tor.

I like Whinstone lee tor...I always have, I consider it to have one of the finest views in the whole peak. A hazy view today. Heres the view looking down to Ashopton viaduct with Win hill in the background.

Downhill from here towards Ladybower where we skirted around the side of the hill, passing above the Ladybower inn...Nearly back to the car now, although we still had the beautiful Ladybower wood nature reserve to walk through. It is one of the few remaining examples of ancient sessile oak woodlands in the Peak district. A real joy today, woodland at its very best.