This is not intended as a walk guide
Although the weather has been a bit gloomy of late, daylight hours are short, and it feels somewhat depressing to think that winter is on the way, there is still much to see outdoors in the way of flora and fauna. Also, any walk in our wonderful Peak District is likely to lift your spirits, even if the sky is cloudy and dull.
I parked up roadside at the top of Longstone Edge, extracted an excited Nellie from the back of the car and then we made our way to the junction where a very posh tarmac road headed off on the right to Bleaklow Farm. Our route from here was to follow a bridleway ahead that led down towards Blakedon Hollow. We then picked up a footpath heading west that took us clockwise around the massive lagoon area once associated with the former Cavendish Mill mineral processing plant. Over several decades, waste known as tailings was pumped here as a suspension of around 5-6 per cent solids. Over time the solids sank to the bottom with a water lagoon forming on the surface. Sadly the weather was too misty for me to see much of the holding reservoir, but most of it appeared to now be solidified mud and reed bed, perfect for migratory and resident birds but not safe for walking on, hence the abundance of Danger and Keep Out warning signs.
This area is also renowned for being a place to watch flocks of starlings murmurating. I know because I came here a few years ago and observed thousands of birds taking part in this incredible phenomenon. From now until about February is when these incredible performances can take part. However, as it was before lunchtime when Nellie and I did our walk, I didn’t fancy sitting around and waiting until dusk.
The path crossed a succession of fields and gates with a new post and wire fence to our right. Most of the fields were being grazed by cattle and sheep.
Along the way I saw some pretty little toadstools in varying shapes and colours.
Arriving at a gravelly access road we turned right and followed it down to Black Harry Gate, sited on an old coach road where various ways converge including a former packhorse route. Black Harry was an 18th century highwayman who preyed on travellers using these difficult and challenging byways. He was finally apprehended and hanged for his crime. It is said Black Harry’s body was then displayed in a gibbet at Wardlow Mires for the ravens of Ravensdale to pick clean his bones!
Nearby, a small cluster of beech trees were clinging on to their leaves like technicoloured shawls in shades of yellow, bronze and gold. I noticed every once in a while a gilded leaf would glide down to the ground, joining a carpet covering beneath that was getting deeper and deeper.
Our way from here was through a little combination of gates to follow the glorious grassy bridleway known as Taylor Lane that leads up to Bleaklow with Rough Side and Coombs Dale disappearing down to our left. This landscape is known as limestone heath where acidic and lime rich plants flourish.
There were fabulous views over towards Dark Peak Edges, albeit it a bit murky on this particular day. We were surrounded by drystone walls built from limestone, enclosing fields pock-marked with former mine workings and small pits from where walling stone would have been extracted. One local mine hereabouts that is thought to have been worked in Roman times has the wonderful name Cackle Mackle Mine.
Arriving at a rough track we turned right to walk beside the enormous open cast workings of High Rake, a vast excavated fissure that has provided limestone for all manner of uses. Now nature is slowly taking it back, offering a safe habitat for wild flowers and birds.
Our track merged with the other end of the posh tarmac road I had seen earlier. This took us back to the top of Longstone Edge along a smooth surface with easy to place steps. This allowed me to cast my eyes southward and enjoy fabulous views beyond Hassop and Great Longstone to Bakewell, lying in what looked like a sheltered bowl between hills.
FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE: I’m back on mum’s bed now that my leg is healed. It’s a high up bed so mum has built a bouncy take-off and landing pad alongside to take a bit of pressure off my joint and ligament. The lounge door was ceremoniously left open so that I could tiptoe gently up the stairs for the first time in ages and then I bounced up onto my cloud. I can’t tell you how good it is to be able to starfish again! Mum has to be careful now when she gets up in the dark for a tiddle, to make sure she doesn’t fall over the launch-pad platform, or it might be her turn to be incapacitated for a few weeks next! Nightie night, sleep tight, Nellie xxx
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