Day 48 - Buxton to Edale

Having arrived yesterday evening, Sally was ready for the off and we were joined today by David Crabtree. He and I worked together at Kier and Mace. 
David and Ann have a place in Derbyshire so they'd driven over to join us - in bright sunshine. A relief after the weather of yesterday.

The Crescent
Over breakfast, we'd plotted a route that initially climbed out of Buxton on a busy road but we were soon free of that and through farms into open countryside.
No morning would be right without the animal interest or more correctly, interested animals
Fields of wonderful buttercups.
To break the peace, over the horizon we came upon an immense limestone quarry
 - apparently 'Tunstead Superquarry' is the largest limestone quarry in the UK. It was fascinating to watch. David and I tried to discern the various processes that were being used to convert rocks into tankers of cement and lime.
There was a steep climb away from the quarry. 
back into normal countryside and despite its size, the quarry disappeared into the contours.

They'd call this a "barn find" in the trade
 - a big Jaguar with no doubt an interesting story to tell. 
We saw a number of these guys - beetles about 20mm long looking ready for take-off. 
Any suggestions??

As we walked higher, the landscape started changing.
 
Hay Dale lies within the Derbyshire Dales National Nature reserve and is one of the calendar views of the walk.
Early flowering purple Orchid.
By early afternoon, the wind had picked up so we took shelter to enjoy our picnic lunch.
The style of styles has also changed - the steps provided by long through stones with a narrow gap in the coping stones.
Wall
Two thirds of the way along our route we went through Peak Forest and I had to work hard to lure Sally and David into the Devonshire Arms!!
Where we met Vicky and Rob. It turns out that until 2004, thy used to run Belinda's Tea rooms in Arundel. They moved from Sussex to the Alps to run a ski chalet in Chatel - in the next town to where David and Anne have an apartment. - it's a small world.

As we climbed higher, the wind strength was sufficient to take your breath away.

The descent from Mam Tor. 
When we reached Edale, we stopped off outside the cafe at the station where an inquisitive Robin found my rucksack.
Beautiful!

We finished the afternoon with a walk up to The Nags Head - officially the start of The Pennine Way. But that's for tomorrow.........


Then, we joined up with Ann who kindly gave us a lift to our hotel in Castleton and the pub for some essential rehydration. It'd been great to catch up with David and to have his company for the day.

Total distance walked so far = 623 miles
Total ascent so far 74 544 feet

If you'd like to leave a comment, correct me on any detail or just nudge, it'd be great to hear from you. If initially it comes up as Anonymous, please just add your name at the bottom so I can see who it's from.

email: david.LL.thomas@gmail.com
mob: 07850109100

If you'd like to contribute to any or all of the great charities I'm supporting, here are the relevant links.

Parkinsons UK   - My dad had Parkinsons in his latter years and the research work this charity funds and the support it provides to patients and their families is invaluable. - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-thomas215

Just Wheels UK  - this is a small charity set up to provide wheelchairs in a rural community in Tanzania. It does this through funding training, education and the local fabrication and servicing of bespoke wheelchairs. My nephew uses a wheelchair and as he grows I can see the life changing freedoms that proper wheelchairs can bring to both users and their families.- 

- RNLI   - these are the brave guys who selflessly head out to sea to help others. I volunteer at Littlehampton RNLI shop and often meet families of those who’ve had first hand experience of their loved ones being saved from the sea. Having sailed for years I can say thankfully we’ve never had to call on the RNLI's services but it’s amazing what it does to know they are there 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-thomas216

Comments

  1. Tony W.28 May 2022 at 23:28

    Great work David! And you are looking soooooo fit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David's 2022 Walk29 May 2022 at 09:56

      Hi Ruth, whatever I'm doing doesn't compare with you and Tony's meters of ascent. You do have the Alps in the back garden though!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous29 May 2022 at 08:57

    Takes me back to some wonderful hiking in the same area - I’m jealous! Could the beetle be a Maybug - otherwise unfortunately known as a cockchafer?! Found a similar beast in the house the other day…Jane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David's 2022 Walk29 May 2022 at 09:58

      Thankfully, no adverse effects noticed to date!!!

      Delete

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