On The Edge - 29 August 2009

The August Bank Holiday is the perfect time to return to the Peak District, and hope the heather was still flowering. After doing two circular tours of this wonderful area, we can happily report that the heather was looking at its best.

We started the day (after an early start from London, to beat the traffic) in Bakewell, home of the famous Bakewell Pudding, then onto Over Haddon, where we did a short but excellent walk along the River Lathkill, in the Lathkill Dale. The river has eleven weirs in short succession at this point, left over from its mining past, but currently used as hatcheries.

We next explored Ashford In The Water, a typically picturesque Peak town, on past Monsal Head to Castleton. The road into Castleton is stunning, but it was not until we got past Hathersage, that we found a significant amount of heather.

North of Hathersage, we did a pleasant walk along Stanage Edge, one of the many stunning outcrops of rock, that are the hallmark of the Peak District. The Edge is obviously a popular destination for rock climbers, but we were able to walk from the foot to the top of the Edge the easy way, on an easy gradient path.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on a circular route over Snake Pass, and other Dark Peak moors, back around to Hathersage again. The heather was at its peak, and we managed a short walk over the heather clad hills to an isolated pair of rock outcrops, before enjoying a delicious dinner at the Millstone Restaurant.