Wet walk with the Ramblers.

08/09/2018.

Raining properly this morning...I sort of like it...Pulled into the Fairholmes car park with the windscreen wipers going full pelt, what the hell is going on here, the car park is almost full, I went round in a circle for a couple of times looking for a spot to park...its 9 o clock on a wet Saturday morning and the car park is already chocka..eventually found a space and pulled in. Looks like there is some kind of event going on..people jumping around, doing stretches..fit types, rippling muscles, legs like rugby players. After a few minutes it dawned on me that there was some sort of running event on..i realised this as I watched a middle aged man dip his fingers into a pot of Vaseline before sticking his hands up his shorts and rubbing it into his thighs [ and god knows were else]… Im here to meet up with the Doncaster ramblers Saturday walking group for a classic walk up to Derwent edge, not sure where they are going to park...Before long there were a few of us assembled around the shop and toilet area waiting to be off...We waited for the walks leader, she turned up and got a ticket for her car window, couldn't believe it when she didn't know where she had parked her car five minutes earlier [ this is going to be interesting]….Only 10 of us today, but in this weather that's pretty good...We watched the runners take off..20 odd miles apparently...all was quiet now, a quick briefing and we were off..passing Derwent dam, hoods up, brollies up, heads down.

The reservoir to our left was looking very low, this rain is just what we need so we shouldn't really moan about the weather...after a mile or so our leader missed the turning up to Abbey brook, Diane a guest rambler from the Sheffield group soon realised this and pointed it out so we backtracked to the path...its a lovely path that rises gently into the hills, its a beautiful place, in fact its one of my favourite places in the whole of the Peak district...The rain eased then stopped and we decided on a quick elevenses stop

Chomping away...Bannanas, Pork pies, Cheese and coleslaw sandwiches...it didn't take long before we realised we were completely surrounded..you could feel the tension in the air...those Sheep take no prisoners...best move on..The valley narrowed and I do believe got even more beautiful, there are some lovely colours on the hills at this time of year.

We left the shelter of the valley, heading up to a little hill out on the open moors..The hill in question being Lost lad standing at 1699ft it is certainly open to the elements..well it was today..The hill is said to be named after a young shepherd who centuries ago became lost on this hill in a blizzard and died...his body was found the following spring next to a rock where he has scratched away the words "Lost lad"...chilling.!!...Theres a large cairn on top and a toposcope pointing out many of the surrounding landmarks...I like this hill...one of our group clambered up the summit cairn to straighten a pole sticking from the rocks...heres a photograph of it.

On to Back tor next for our lunch stop, huddled behind the rocks for shelter..didn't stop long...enjoyed a sarnie and a coffee but its not the same without a pub stop..a couple of pints midway sort of adds something..still never mind...we then walked along the length of Derwent edge...really wild along there today...rain slicing in from our right..really strong winds...its the sort of weather that you wouldn't send a dog out in...especially a chihuahua as it would have ended up in the next county...We passed all the highlights of the edge...The cakes of bread, Dovestones tor, The salt cellar, White tor and the Wheel stones [Coach and horses]...after which our leader decided to cut the walk a bit short to descend back to Ladybower via the Grindle barn...not a bad decision as it began to chuck it down..i think we were all soaked through..spirits were still high ...I like cats ,I like dogs....back in the valley all that was required was a right turn  to follow the road back to the car park...really enjoyed it, it takes more than a bit of rain to spoil a day.