Lovers Leap.

Drive into Buxton on the A6 from the south, and you'll be driving through Ashwood Dale, that part of the road surrounded by limestone cliffs. As you near town you might notice a cleft in the rock walls on your left, with a path leading into it beside a small river. I've looked at this cleft for years, wondering where that path leads and whats up there. A look at the relevant OS map (how we love maps!) tells me that there's a waterfall up there, called Lovers Leap. Consulting a local history book reveals that Lovers Leap was a popular attraction back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the only photograph was from that period. So today, after work, I decided to go exploring.

There's only one form of transport for this kind of work, so onto the fatbike and out of town, taking a farm track that dropped me onto the A6. I cycled back towards town, not liking the traffic much to be honest, until I came to my destination. As there was a path I swung off the road to join it, passing a somewhat knackered snowboard. The path soon fizzled out...

If I wanted to continue it would have to be on foot, and the feet would have to get wet. So, leaving the bike propped up against the cliff I set off, not worrying too much about the bike being left unattended, this was a Friday afternoon and folk would be more interested in getting home that looking for unguarded bicycles in obscure chasms.

After the first dunking you tend not to worry about the water. Instead one tends to worry about the slippery rocks under it. I very carefully teetered upstream, not wanting to slip over or hurt my already dodgy ankle, past a collection of lorry tyres and up along the river bed, not able to see where the riverbed led me as it wound its way up through the cleft.

At one point it narrowed and got choked by boulders and logs, easily clambered over.

Then the walls fell away and the ground widened out, and I could see the source of the water.

Which wasn't the waterfall that I had expected, but a mere pipe in the ground. Above the pipe I could see the fence and some of the huts belonging to a caravan site.

Exploration over, I returned the way I came.

In all honesty I don't believe that anyone has been up there for a long time, apart from a local group cleaning up after fly tippers. Back on the bike I headed home, to drink tea and dry my shoes. An enjoyable afternoons diversion, and I'm glad that I wore shorts...

Paul.