A rare outing for me snowshoes.

 Yesterday there was too much snow for the fatbike, so today I decided that snowshoes might be a better option. I was also spurred on by my friend Debbie telling me that she went out in hers on Friday.

The plan was simple, walk up to Lightwood and onto Combs Moss, turn towards Dove, walk awhile, turn back, carry on to Corbar Cross then thru the woods and home. And that is just what I did.

Deep soft snow made the going pretty hard, and even with tails attached I sank in the deeper softer stuff. So on the whole I followed the tracks of the many walkers who'd been up before me. Still, I did appreciate the extra grip that snowshoes give (especially when walking down through the woods) although getting over stiles with them attached is a bugger!

Onto the photos;

Paul.

A short walk on Kinder.

When the weather turns cold my thoughts often turn away from cycling and towards walking boots and hills. So, with sleet forecast, off I went to Edale this morning accompanied by the dogs (Dani being busy on a course). Within 20 minutes of setting off the rain came in hard, so as soon as I reached shelter out came the waterproof trousers (I already had my waterproof jacket on). Wrapped in Gore-Tex I set off towards Grinds Brook Clough, following a group of hardy female fell runners and a couple of lads walking (one in shorts!). Seeing those runners made me wish for better fitness, a few years ago I used to run the route that I intended to walk today. As much as I enjoy walking in the hills, running feels so much 'freer'.
The weather soon improved, although the waterproofs stayed on, and I enjoyed the walk along Grinds Brook, soon passing the two lads. As I reached the steepest part of the path the weather turned again, this time to sleet.

Dogs and sleet, Grinds Brook Clough.

At the top of the clough the weather cleared up briefly, although it was still rather windy, so east I turned and followed the edge of the plateau, past Upper and Nether Tors.

Weathered gritstone.

Even sopping wet and muddy he's a handsome boy!

Nether Tor.

I carried on, through patches of stinging hail, sleet and the lightest snow, to Golden Clough, where I turned down towards The Nab. I took the lower path, which starts out steep with loose rock then turns to steep slippery peat, next time I'll take the higher route. On reaching The Nab its easy going back to Edale. I got back the the car park just as heavy sleet started to fall, which turned to snow just after my return to Buxton.

Paul.

Across Combs Moss to Allstone Lee.

Today I decided to do a bit more exploring on Combs Moss and head over towards Allstone Lee for a spot of bouldering. So with my rock shoes, chalk bag and a copy of local bouldering guide High Over Buxton in my bag I headed across town to Lightwood, getting onto Combs Moss at Flint Clough. I followed the dry stone wall along Black Edge for just over a kilometre before turning NW across the moor following another wall.

Looking along the wall towards Allstone Lee.

Once I reached the opposite side of the plateau I followed the edge north looking for a particular block among the crags which is mentioned in my bouldering guide.

Looking towards Allstone Lee.

Finding the right block amongst the rocks proved somewhat difficult, so instead I found a part of the crag that I liked and made up my own, admittedly very easy (I'm a rubbish climber), routes, and, just for fun, named them;

'My Toes Hurt'

'Heathery Block'

'Out Of Practice'

 Climbing around on rock miles from anywhere on my own might seem a trifle risky (I did stay well within my comfort zone), but I think that the most danger came from walking around in smooth soled climbing shoes on grass!
When I did find the part of the crag mentioned in the book it turned out to be about 12' high, well above what I would climb without a rope;

The block metioned in 'High Over Buxton'.

Looking SE.

On the way back I decided to test my navigation and follow a bearing in a straight line across the moors back to the start point 1.5 kilometres away. This meant following the compass across featureless moorland (when I could see usefull targets in the distance I deliberately ignored them), not an easy task as I was well away from any paths and the ground conditions were difficult in places, I managed to get both legs soaked on seperate occasions stepping into hidden streams. I was about 75 metres off target(!), veering too far right, but at least I know what I need to work on!

Featureless moorland, a test of navigation skills.

However, the weather was superb;

The view towards Combs, the reservoir can just be seen.

Paul.

A stroll along Black Edge.

Every time I've driven along the A6 between Buxton and Dove Holes I've looked over towards Black Edge, which is on the edge of Combs Moss, and wanted to go for a wander up there. Today I did.

After getting home from work (double time on Sundays) I filled a travel mug with tea, grabbed a map, put leads on the dogs and headed across Buxton to Lightwood Woods where I often walk the dogs. I followed a path up towards Flint Clough then at SK054 755 headed NE following a dry stone wall up onto Black Edge;

Looking NE along Black Edge.

A nice easy path follows the wall along the edge of moorland, from which can be seen the A6, Dove Holes and Peak Forest quarries. Looking SW the Cat & Fiddle can be seen on the horizon. Two TV masts provide good navigational aids (I did get the compass out just for a bit of practice, its worth refreshing these skills from time to time I think), at least in clear weather. The moors are designated Access Land, no footpaths are marked on the map so today was about getting up there and seeing what was on the ground.

Heading towards a trig point (SK062 770) the dogs found a small pond to swim in;

Small Dog taking a dip.

And here's the trig point;

Trig point on Black Edge.

I stopped at Hob Tor (SK063 778), drank my tea looking over Dove Holes, then turned around and retraced my steps back towards Buxton.

Small Dog enjoying the view at Hob Tor.

The sun was out the whole time which was a suprise as I expected drizzle at the very least. I didn't see a soul after leaving Lightwood, the path seems little used, the only tracks seen were from a solitary fell runner and a mountain bike.

Today was about exploring, seeing what the terrain was like and checking out paths for future walking. The moor itself is a plateau, and I'd like to spend more time in the area as I think in the right conditions (heavy snowfall and only light wind) it would be a superb place for snowshoeing.

Paul.