DATE 01.01.2024 | DISTANCE approx 19KM | HIGHEST POINT 340M
Posted by Matt | Filed under PEAK district
Starting a new year the best way we know how. A nice long walk in the Peaks and covering some new ground. This is a fairly varied walk with lots of features and not a lot of elevation. Definitely one i will do again, hopefully with drier conditions. Today was very much a day of dodging, dodging huge puddles and trying not to sink into very saturated ground.
today we parked up on the road just south of the chatsworth Estate near the Hellbank Plantation. A nice early start and a rather cold start to the year.
The first of many huge puddles on the paths today. Many we could dodge, some we couldn't.
Yep, it went on like this for quite a while.
Just through the gate, we took the less obvious path to the right, past a stone circle apparently, which we missed.
Somewhere to our left was a stone circle. missed it!
Not far from here was a prehistoric burial mound called Hob Hurst's House. Missed that too! Gonna have to come back then. But hey, we were clearly more focused on huge puddles dodging.
Following the path at Gibbet Moor and the flowing water.
Our shadows having fun.
I think this is all considered to be heathy Lee Brook. Getting down into here wasn't obvious and took some path searching above.
Again, another completely saturated area which took up a lot of our concentration.
Bridge washed away here so we made our way further down the brook.
signs that a saw mill wasn't much further ahead. we found an old stone bridge before though, that would take us over the brook. It's not obvious, overgrown and a little sketchy looking.
a short backtrack up the b6050 brought us to where we would have been if the first crossing was possible. we then crossed over near Robin Hood Farm and up onto Birchen Edge.
Birchen Edge
Nelson's Monument
another view from Birchen Edge
Trig point on Birchen Edge (310m)
After the trig point, we located the track leading down from Birchen Edge onto some very saturated and rugged ground. If our boots weren't already wet, they sure would be now.
After crossing Sheffield Road and joining this track, the ground would be kinder, just for a little while.
Another monument, this one being Wellington's Monument. This one is particularly nice and, on this occasion wasn't suffering from Feature Hogs (a new term that I came up with recently).
We dropped down into Baslow and then over to the Chatsworth Estate. Doesn't look it, but wow was it waterlogged!
Here is the proof. We cut through some form of animal enclosure on the estate and we sunk.
Catherine not looking impressed but finally out of the mud. Taken near Park Farm before heading out onto the moor. 
Familiar ground as we reach the Hell Bank Plantation at the end of our hike.
This site is my way of documenting the few walks that I have done so far with my camera either alone or dragging along some of my misfit friends. Within this site you will find Photos and Route maps detailing my days spent at high places. I hope this will help you in planning your own adventures. Learn more...
