Magpie Mine is a well-preserved disused lead mine, one of several such ventures working different lead veins in the same area. The earliest recorded workings there date from 1740. Right from the start, the miners had difficulty in keeping the workings free from water, but by 1824, a Newcomen-type pumping engine had been erected on the Main Shaft. This led to the production of 800 tons of…
Resting on windswept moors and in shady woodlands throughout the Peak District are more than a thousand abandoned millstones, covered with lichen and moss, weather-worn and often hidden to all that pass by. Lawrencefield is one of the places where you can find hundreds of them! These huge stone ‘wheels’ are so synonymous with the Peak District that ornamental versions grace every sign on key routes into…
I wouldn't go out of my way to see Owler Tor, but as it's between two beautiful spots - Padley Gorge and Lawrencefield - we stopped on the way back from Lawrencefield. The fog rolled in making views impossible, but adding an atmospheric feel to what was an otherwise unremarkable place. To visit, we parked in a layby on the B6521 (53°18'40.0"N 1°37'05.5"W). There are steps…
Padley Gorge is only a stone's throw from civilization, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. Walking from the moorlands into the ravine tumbles you through wizened woodlands, little changed in centuries; ferns and mushrooms flourish in the damp ground; Burbage Brook's cascades and falls providing the sound of an ancient song flowing through the depths; with the occasional millstone, abandoned long ago, reminding you of forgotten…
Stanage Edge is a gritstone escarpment, famous as a location for climbing If you wander beneath many of the Peak District's edges, you will see reminders of the area's history - large millstones abandoned on the ground. Stanage Edge is one of those places. Continue past the millstones and up to the top of Stanage Edge and you can wander along the ridge, soaking in the far-reaching…
Bleaklow is a place of remote beauty, a largely peat-covered moorland which rises almost 2,000 feet above sea level. As you can see, it was a wet foggy day when we went - the moors are largely peat-covered, which when drenched can create areas where the whole ground moves when you walk on it. A pretty cool experience! Yet for all its beauty, Bleaklow's moors betray times…
This is one walk that I can't provide an accurate map for - we did so much crossing the river and scrambling up and down gorge walls, all at points I can't locate or recommend, that it would be impossible for me even to attempt to retrace my path. It was, however, a lovely day for us! It is a beautiful walk even if you don't…
A fun day rambling and scrambling with my sister
After visiting Errwood Hall ruins, we headed down to the reservoir to enjoy the afternoon relaxing in the sun. Once the sun started to dip, we took a walk down the River Goyt that joins the reservoir. To visit, we parked at Errwood Hall car park (53°16’13.2″N 1°58’59.0″W) and walked.
Where once stood a magnificent country house, now lie some scattered remains - the building lasting less than 100 years, and the ruin is now cordoned off for repair after a spate of vandalism. You can read more about its history here. To visit, there is a dedicated car park by the reservoir (53°16'13.2"N 1°58'59.0"W) with a path leading directly to the ruins. Also nearby are…
If you're in the area visiting Lud's Church and fancy a longer walk back, why not continue along Back Forest Ridge to Hanging Stone? Not a feature I would travel to visit on its own, (there were plenty of 'oh look, another rock' jokes on this trip) but the views alone are worth the extra walk if you're in the area. The Rock is thought to…
Lud's Church is a magical little gorge, the closest I've found to a UK equivalent of California's Fern Canyon, although on a much smaller scale. The surrounding environment is very different too - instead of a sandy beach approach, a walk through moorlands leads you into Back Forest, and from here you descend into the deep green shadows that replace the bright and expansive surrounding landscape.…