Coal Aston towards Unstone

In my ongoing quest to cover the local paths I drove to Coal Aston to help me reach further into North East Derbyshire. This is an area with many intersecting paths so the task is larger than for some pasts of 'my map'. The majority of the land is agricultural, a combination of diary farming and small arable fields. Some smaller plots are paddocks for horses, recreational riding looks to be popular around here.

Although there were a few dry weeks in late May, recently there has been a little rain so the hedgerows and field boundaries have been flourishing.

Port Patrick coastal path

This morning I went out-and-back along the Southern Upland Way and a little of the Rhins of Galloway Coast Path for 2 hours. The latter seems to be under development still and where it became unclear on the ground I headed back.

As is so often the case there was a fair amount of walking involved due to steepness and/or uneven ground. However, the coast is picturesque and there was no need to rush.

Whenever I'm in this area I think that one day I should walk the cross country Southern Upland Way but haven't committed to it fully!

Running water even in a dry spring

The hills around Sheffield are, of course, separated by numerous brooks that are well known in the area.

The Burbage bridges are popular landmarks and meeting places. After plentiful rain it can be quite a challenge to cross the stream beside the bridge, but at the moment stepping stone rocks are well exposed.

The path down Wyming Brook is fairly steep and not easy to ascend or descend. The brook tops-up Rivelin reservoir with crisp, clear water from the moors.

Intentional camera movement (ICM)

I'd read about the effects that could be made by camera movement so had a little experimentation whilst on a walk in the local woodland. My legs felt too tired for a run. These are the best.

The path is naturally ringed by trees and is enhanced by a rotation that emphasises the arches.

A simple flower picture becomes more abstract with a distinct background. Fill-in flash fixed the petals in place.

Photography while out and about

On my last few runs I've taken my LX5 camera as the images are far crisper than those from my 'mapping' iPhone SE. Some of its controls are showing signs of wear and I've been considering buying a replacement. However, despite the online hype for a plethora of cameras I haven't found one that I'd be prepared to spend on just yet. The influencer videos have encouraged me though to make an effort to find good angles to photograph rather than become trapped in GAS (although I may already have this for trail-running gear!).

My favourite route to the moors from home is via Limb Valley which starts from a semi-managed pond.

Typically the bluebells in the local woods are at their best in the first week of May. This year they arrived early but are lasting well in shaded spots.

The top of Limb Valley leads onto a very popular byway that leads into the Peak District National Park. I frequently use a section of the track, and perhaps monthly, run to its far end at Fox House.  

Houndkirk Road is littered with milestones and old gate posts. This one is on the site of the old inn. I often wish there was a cafe with toilets on the moor, although there are perfectly good pubs at each end of the byway.

The cotton grass is perfect at the moment, and with the spell of dry weather it's easy to cross directly from Oxstones to Houndkirk Road on the peat without getting wet feet.

Even in urban environments nature works hard to make an impression.

Ringing Roger

This morning I was in Edale, setting off just as the village was getting busy. I could see a stream of hikers heading up Grindsbrook Clough so decided to head east, starting with the ascent to the viewpoint of Ringing Roger.

Looping towards Lose Hill gives an excellent view of the valley which I find preferable to the Kinder plateau.

Despite making an effort, progress was relatively slow as the ascent is steep, the level paths have stones waiting to trip you up and the 'flat' route past the YHA is anything but!

North East Derbyshire

In my ongoing exercise to walk all of the rights of way on my local OS 1:25000 map, I headed to Unstone to walk in the South East corner of the map. I designed a marathon-length circular route to include a range of terrain and opportunities to take a break at a village pub or cafe.

A few kilometres at the map's edge were along the Chesterfield canal path, or Cuckoo way, which I've written about previously. Turning away from the canal I found that bridges over the river had been dismantled and so my intended path, and an alternative, were not possible.

 

This part of Derbyshire is quite different to the Peak District. Much of it is post-industrial, some agricultural and a fair proportion is suburban. The borders between the zones sometimes have surprises, for instance an area of HGV storage in a derelict farm.

Some of my route was along the Sheffield Country Walk which I'd like to complete as a single route one day. It included some very pleasant woodland that took me to the village of Ford where I was able to buy a long overdue coffee.

Every small town used to have a garage with a petrol station and the remnants of one were still in place in New Whittington.

Due to route changes on the go, I didn't quite cover the intended mileage but I was happy with 42km in 6:34hrs. Incidentally, the route included almost 900m of ascent as it literally went uphill and down dale.

  

Round the reservoirs

I've been waiting a few weeks for some pleasant weather to do a long, slow run, and today was the day! Over the winter I've looked at various long distance paths, some near home, others that would need accommodation. On the LDWA website I found Round the Reservoirs which looked perfect. It is only a 45 minute drive from home and promised to be a good days jog. I planned to travel in reverse so that I'd finish on the boring, but easy, track alongside the reservoirs.

I made a reasonably early start to benefit from the sunshine. The route passes many of the small reservoirs to the northwest of Sheffield, including Dale Dike which caused a fatal flood in the 19th century.  

Many sections of path were muddy, slippery and often including black puddles. Of course, where there is farmland, there will be ruined buildings and rusting equipment. Occasionally they can be photogenic.

After Langsett the route turned to cross Midhope Moors which gave me the last significant ascent. As a bonus, navigation was much easier than previously, I just had to follow the scar of the path across the landscape.

Although the path was easy to follow, in some areas it returned to bog, in others it was practically a river to walk in.

With 1300m of ascent across 45km I struggled to maintain my target pace of 10 minutes per km. The easy track in the Derwent valley allowed me to catch-up some time and even though my legs had run out of run, I could achieve a very brisk walk.

Ultimately, I've had a grand day out and seen some parts of Sheffield for the first time.

New shoes 2025

 My favourite Topo shoes have about 1200km wear on them and the uppers have lasted very well. Better than Altras have previously. However the soles are worn, almost smooth on the heels and little grip around the midfoot area. So I decided some new shoes were in order. I really wanted to renew the Topo but when I was looking they didn't seem to be available. Perhaps they'd managed to sell all of 2024 models and 2025 hadn't arrived? 

So, I went back to Altra's Lone Peak, this time the eighth incarnation. Supposedly the uppers have additional reinforcement so, with luck, they won't rip in normal use.

Bored of ice

The last ten days have been unusually cold. Sheffield used to get deep snow that lasted for days in the 1980s but that's been uncommon since I moved here in the early 1990s. At first the snow was pretty and it was a pleasure to be in the woods, even if the extra effort reduced how far I'd run. But, over the last few days almost all paths have become slippery with ice due to pressure from footfall and repeated thaw-freeze cycles. Twice I've been out and cut short my run due to fear of falling.

Paths on less popular routes are barely trodden but reaching them has become increasingly difficult.

The forecast for the next few days is above freezing so I hope it melts away soon...