It's been a good few weeks since I last saw my good mate Darrell, so as Donna was working today we arranged to meet up and spend a few hours out in the Peak District. As Darrell hadn't been up Win Hill before I decided to take him on a 10 mile route that I had been on before with Mel and her mum.
We met up in Heatherdene car-park a little after 8:30am, and after Darrell had taken a quick look at my new car, we headed off. As we walked over the dam wall at the bottom of Ladybower Reservoir the effects of the warm and dry summer were all too plain to see. The water was well below normal levels, and in fact the large 'plugholes' that act as overflows for the reservoir were laid bare in front of us. The last time I was here the water was gushing over the tops.
The first 4 miles of the route took us along the edge of the reservoir, until we reached the small bridge that heads over towards the A57, where we then took the climb uphill. This section is quite rocky, but a clear path, and goes on for about a quarter of a mile.
As you reach the top of the heavily wooded area you come out onto the open moor where you pick up the old Roman Road before taking a left in the direction of Win Hill. This section of a couple of miles or so see's you making a constant but steady incline with awesome views over both Hope Valley and Edale. And on a clear day like today these views were extra special.
There's a short but relatively steep incline as you rise to the summit of the hill, with it's rocky and rather busy peak. We stopped here for lunch and just took in the great views, which now included the reservoir. Now just for the steep drop back down, and it is steep. There's a reason why I rarely come up this side of the hill.
So 3.5hrs after setting off we were back at the cars, now just the 1hr+ drive back home for me.
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