Author Topic: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!  (Read 7640 times)

sunnydale

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Tuesday 22nd June Warm & sunny with a gentle breeze (thank god! :D )
 
Start point.. Lay-by near Fairholmes CP (Ladybower Reservoir)
 
Route...  Lockerbrook Coppice - Lockerbrook Farm - Rowlee Pasture - Alport Castles - Ditch Clough Plantation - Howden Reservoir - King's Tree - Slippery Stones - Cut Gate End - Margery Hill - Howden Edge - Nether Hey - Hey Bank - Path alongside of Derwent Reservoir - Cuppa t at Fairholmes cafe  8)  - back to lay-by!
 
The track through Lockerbrook Coppice is fairly pleasant but as with any plantation, felling is all part of woodland management.  Not very pleasing on the eye - but it has to be done....
 
The start of the track...
 
   

 
and the messy bits you see further up...
    
 
Once out in the open again, the views opened up as we made our way to Lockerbrook Farm.....       
 
From the farm, we follwed a track for a while and then headed along the loooong moorland path towards Alport Castles, where the views stretched out before us...         
 
We could see Alport Castles in the distance.....
    
and 'The Tower', closer up......
  
and again from another angle...
   
The 'cliffs'...
          
The bird hide which has been provided for watching the Peregrine Falcons - although there were none when we were there :( ....
     
After a rest and some food, we left Alport Castles and followed this track towards Ditch Clough Plantation and Howden Reservoir...
    
From the track, we could see just a little of Howden Reservoir in the distance...
     
Heading into Ditch Clough Plantation...
     
It's a pleasant walk down through the trees - but not very photogenic....
     
At the bottom, we crossed this little stream that runs into the Howden Reservoir...
 
     
 
The West 'arm' of Howden Reservoir, lower than I've seen if for years...
       
The tarmac road alongside of the reservoir soon got boring, so a quick detour down the bank got us onto the 'beach'.  (OK, not quite....but near enough! :D )
     
Pretty soon, we came to a little inlet that we had to cross.  So what's the first thing a man does when you tell him not to go too near the edge because it's deep wet mud??? He ignores you and falls flat on his back, of course!!  Then he stands up and slips again!  I was too busy  ;D ;D  to get a photo of that, so these will have to do...
 
  
 
Getting washed....
 
 
   
 
So I took this while I was waiting...
 
   
 
Once at Kings Tree, we headed North and followed a lane towards Slippery Stones. After a while we came to a ford....
     
And then Slippery Stones...
       
After another rest and more food, we were off again and heading NE towards Cut Gate End.After crossing this little footbridge below Little Moor Top, the scenery just got better and better....
       
The bottom of Bull Clough...
 
    
 
The views back as we climbed higher towards Cut Gate End...
 
         
 
At Cut Gate End, we found a not-so-clear path along to Margery Hill - which would probably be a real bog trot during the Winter.  Trig point on Margery Hill...
   
and some of the Margery Stones...
 
 
 
To be continued..... :D                        
« Last Edit: 15:10:13, 28/06/10 by sunnydale »
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sunnydale

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #1 on: 14:57:28, 28/06/10 »
From Margery Stones, we headed South along Howden Edge...
 
            
 
We came off Howden Edge and followed a track over Nether Hay, where the views were nice, if a little hazy....
         
 
The track passes the top of Cogman Clough....
     
and then descends through Hey Bank...
      
 
Nearly at the bottom now....
 
 
    
 
Once out of Hey Bank, we crossed a bridge over the very bottom of Abbey Brook - one of many inlets into the Upper Derwent Reservoir...
 
     
 
The Howden Dam...
    
 
And the Derwent Dam could be seen ahead, as we walked South alongside of the Upper Derwent Reservoir....
     
 
And the last photo of the day - Derwent Dam East Tower.....
 
   
 
After a much needed cuppa tea at Fairholmes CP cafe, it was just a short walk back to the lay-by and the car.
 
14 miles but what a great walk with lots of variety and lovely scenery. 
I just wanna do it again!!!! :D
 
Tracey. :)     
« Last Edit: 15:16:14, 28/06/10 by sunnydale »
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Peakbagger

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #2 on: 15:43:35, 28/06/10 »
Wow! That looks like a really good walk. O0 I've been to some of the places you went to but there are some I haven't been to, yet. Really good photography too! O0
Current Munro tally: 78 out of 282 completed so far.

All 190 Welsh Nuttalls completed.

glovepuppet

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #3 on: 17:10:56, 28/06/10 »
Wow! Great report!  O0  Makes me jealous.
 
I've not been up that way for a while - the last time being roughly the second half of your route on a glorious, crisp, sunny winter's day in December 2008.
 
Classic.  :)

carolina2k9

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #4 on: 20:32:14, 28/06/10 »
great report sunnydale, and lots ov lovely photos, i love it round ladybower and derwent dam. O0  p.s was you as knackered as i was after 14miles? ;D
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Glyders

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #5 on: 22:56:40, 28/06/10 »
Such a lovely walk Tracey.  Looks a perfect one for a sunny day O0

amnesiacjimmy

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #6 on: 23:06:54, 28/06/10 »
That looks  a corker T   O0 O0 O0 14 miles you msut have been a tad tired... great photos tho as per...I really appreciate you taking all this time to post them all, i know how long TRs take.... I might come down there for another stroll one of these days whaddya reckon?  :) What is the best ever walk you could recommend/show me?
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KentYeti

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #7 on: 10:06:09, 29/06/10 »
That looks to be truly superb walk Sunny. Captured with your usual lovely photo skills. :D
 
Is there a slightly shorter Yeti version of that walk?  :)
 
But it needs to include the mud. Of course!  :o
If you've ever followed my paw prints up a snowy mountain you will know Yetis are real, and not just for Christmas.

sunnydale

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #8 on: 17:36:47, 29/06/10 »
Thanks all for the nice comments.  Makes posting the report worthwhile! O0
 
Mike - I too had done parts of the above route - but not all in one walk!  I loved the varied terrain/scenery, although the cracking weather helped with the latter!
Maybe you, me and Caroline could do it together sometime??......and anyone else who fancies it, of course! 8)
 
Caroline - I honestly felt good for another 4-5 miles, so was a little disappointed when it was all over! :o :D
 
Dave - Tiz a bit hard to think of the best walk I could recommend/take you on, as I have quite a few 'favourites'.......but if you could spare a couple of days in the Peaks, I'm sure I could come up with some great walks for you to choose from! O0
 
Bryan - I'm sure I could come up with a shorter version, ready for when you next come to the Peaks!. 8) 
 
T. :)
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KentYeti

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #9 on: 17:53:47, 29/06/10 »
Thanks all for the nice comments.  Makes posting the report worthwhile! O0 

............ Bryan - I'm sure I could come up with a shorter version, ready for when you next come to the Peaks!. 8) 
 
T. :)

  :D   :D   :D 
If you've ever followed my paw prints up a snowy mountain you will know Yetis are real, and not just for Christmas.

Dazza

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #10 on: 20:33:09, 29/06/10 »
A great report again with some great photographs.

All the reports of Alport are different so I think I'll add mine to the mix at some stage. I do wish I'd been quicker on the drawer with the camera though, we had a very surprise visitor.
Dazza
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These boots were made for walking so that's just what I'll do. After I've re-proofed them of course...

nod2

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #11 on: 20:44:02, 30/06/10 »
Hi Tracey, thanks for doing the walk again  :)  . It was really hot but well worth it.  Oh and thanks for not sending me same way as Derek  ::) .
 
By the way photos are great.

sunnydale

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #12 on: 21:00:24, 30/06/10 »
Hi Tracey, thanks for doing the walk again  :)  . It was really hot but well worth it.

Hot???  It was flippin' sweltering today climbing up to Cut Gate End!!! :o
Glad you enjoyed it though ducky! :D
 
T. :)
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mick

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #13 on: 13:46:48, 01/07/10 »
Thanks for posting Tracey,
That walk looks stunning; and even better still I looks like the type of terrain that I can walk on. O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0
 I have booked a weeks holiday down that way later on this year , I really fancy having a go at a section of the walk , or better still  splitting it into two walks if that’s possible ?.
Many thanks …Mick
 

altirando

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Re: {TR} Alport Castles - A long route and muddy boots!
« Reply #14 on: 18:56:56, 02/07/10 »
Enjoyed the pics. Thanks for the effort putting them on line Tracey. Sounds like you are getting back into full operational mode. Must stir myself to get over into the Peak District this autumn. Am I allowed to suggest that the complete Derwent reservoirs skyline makes a great day for people who like a BigBogBash, or fell runners - or a twoday backpack for wild campers. I started at the carpark below the road bridges - Heatherdene? - went up past Crookhill Farm, on to Bleaklow Stones, round the very wet valley head, back down over Margery Hill (big tussocks), past the tors and down to the Ladybower Inn. Convenient end! Must be around 28 miles. As I said,perhaps best as a two day walk!

 

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