22/09/2019

A walk from Litton.

I have compiled a list of 170 tops in the Peak district that I would like to visit whilst out walking, mainly hilltops, some edges, some rocks, all of which I consider worthy candidates for exploration..Some I have visited many times, others that are new to me..I have given my self a couple of years to get around to visiting them all....The adventure started a few weeks back when Froggatt and Curbar edges were the first to fall, since then several others have followed..Higger tor, Over owler tor, Carl wark, Carhead rocks, Hordron edge, High neb, Ox stones, Burbage rocks, Hitter hill, Parkhouse hill, Chrome hill, Hollins hill, Birchin edge and Gardoms edge have taken my tally up to 16...The time has come to chip away and do a few more. The weather has been glorious the last couple of days, but unfortunately I have been tied up walking in other areas, so today is the day to knuckle down....I couldn't decide where to go, so many choices. The weather has taken a turn for the worst with rain heading our way later in the afternoon. With this I mind I chose a short walk from the lovely White peak village of Litton. The first top of the day was to be Wardlow hay cop, To get to it we would have to drop down into Cressbrook dale via Tansley dale..An easy start to the walk...However as we climbed a wall stile to leave the village into the first field of the day we were greeted with the sight of dozens of Friesians hogging the path, milling around right where we wanted to go..I cant be doing with another confrontation so we changed our route a bit..No big deal...We followed the lane away from the village..A hazy view of Wardlow hay cops pointy top greeted us.

Another path soon materialised, its a cracking path that traverses the edge of Cressbrook dale. Turning right we soon made it around to the top of Tansley dale, a quiet side dale..as we dropped down the rain started, a rogue shower..It wasn't too last long. 2 minutes later the waterproof coats came off, far too hot to walk with them on. A path snaked its way up the hillside we followed it..A dull grey morning but the views more than made up for the weather.

The view down into Cressbrook dale I consider to be one of the finest in the whole of the White peak. Pressing on we reached a gate that lead into the final field of rough pasture that would take us up to the trig pillar atop Wardlow hay cop..We detoured from the path slightly to avoid a herd of Belted Galloways as we had our dog with us, but they hardly batted an eyelid, Why cant all cattle be this docile..Before long we were stood on the 1214ft summit...Its a cracking little hill with some lovely views, maybe not today though.

We now retraced our steps down into the valley bottom, passing a group of Ramblers on the way..The group split as some were doing a shorter walk back to Litton..We followed three of them as we dropped down steeply.They were not enamoured with the steep slopes and the slippery limestone..As we passed them one fellow was cursing his Scarpa boots saying they had no grip, the worst he has ever had.. I however have been wearing Scarpas for years as I reckon they are the best that money can buy...At the valley floor we headed northwards bound for the second top of the day.

We rounded a corner and the 2nd top came into view..Peters stone, a most impressive block of Limestone..It also go's by the name of Gibbet rock..centuries ago the bodies of local criminals would have been hung up there in a iron cage as a deterrent to others..Bleached bones pecked clean by the Ravens.Crows and Jackdaws..Enough to make you shudder. The wife and dog settled down on a rock while I set forth to scale this most beautiful of tops...Now I have never been up here before and I wasn't even sure if I would be able to clamber up to the top, I found a breach in the ramparts and scrambled up...Puffing and panting I pulled myself onto the topmost rocks..To my surprise there was already somebody up there, a women with a huge pit bull terrier..She said she often comes up here to take photographs, especially at night,  took a quick snap and was off...Looking back now I would have like to have spent more time up there..Soaking up the atmosphere..Its a great place and I shall return someday...Here are a couple of photos that I took looking back at it.

We picked up a path that meanders up though outcrops of Limestone to reach the lane that we were to follow back to Litton. But first there was one more top to visit...Little Litton edge...Walking up the lane my eagle eyed wife spotted a coin on the ground..filthy dirty...I spat on it and wiped it on my shirt, turns out its a sixpence, but not just any old sixpence..its an old one, until I clean it up I cant make out how old but the head on the back isn't our present queens head..looks like Queen Victoria...I shall have to do some research.We branched off to the right to bag Litton edge...That's 19 done now..only 151 left to do....Not much of an edge but on a fine day I can imagine its quite nice up there with views out across the village

Not the best of days for taking photographs...So we finished up with a pint in the Red lion...A pint of bitter, a pint of lager and a packet of crisps £9.90...Surely they overcharged me?..The three ramblers we saw earlier were in the pub waiting for the others, so we sat and had a chat with them, Turned out that they were from Sutton in Ashfield..They said they preferred flat land around Nottinghamshire...I suppose it takes allsorts.