It's a beautiful day even better than yesterday - clear blue skies and warm ........unlike yesterday.
Roger has to leave at 8.00am to get home and deal with his overgrown lawns (allegedly!).
There is talk about MPs expenses at breakfast. Steve informs those present that, allegedly, Margaret Beckett claimed expenses for dealing with a stinking manhole - at which point John K. just manages to avoid showering the table with a mouthful of muesli. John M. and Fred also leave after breakfast and there is a debate about what to do. John M. recommended the Blue John Mines before he left. Finally, Steve suggests a walk up to Mam Tor.
We drive over to Castleton where we manage to lose Alan and Pete en-route. Some time later we manage to re-group near Speedwell Cavern. Whereupon, Chris, Alan and Pete think better of a another walk and decide to go boating down a mine where Alan subsequently loses his hat (well it's better than losing your shirt).
Paul, Martin, Mike, John K. and Steve walk up to Mam Tor via Treak Cavern. From the trig. point on Mam Tor there are great views of Edale valley, along the Great Ridge to Lose Hill and Win Hill in the far distance where we walked yesterday.
From Mam Tor we wander along the Great Ridge down to Hollins Cross and from there it was a pleasant stroll in the warm sunshine down into Castleton for lunch at the Castle Inn.
A tricky decision - to go "up the front" or "up the back"
Mike wants to walk the whole length of the Great Ridge before lunch and is restrained by Paul.
John M. (in the 'Three Men in a Room') awakes with a start to find Fred wandering about the room with a pole (of the wooden sort!) but other than this there are fortunately no casualties .....from last night. The forecast is for showers this afternoon according to the MWIS. As usual there are two walking parties, the A-Team and the B-Team.
Team A members are the two Johns, Mike, Steve, Chris, Paul and Martin (a surprise promotion to the A-Team for good behaviour).
Team B are Alan, Fred, Chris, Pete and Roger.
The A Team set off early to walk to Bamford Station via the old disused railway track from Ladybower to Bamford in order to catch the 10.36am train to Edale. The A team are pictured here at Bamford Mills just before crossing the River Derwent into the village.
After a stop off at Sweaty Betty's in Edale by Martin and Paul for sandwiches we climb up to Kinder via Grindsbrook Clough and walk back by Upper Tor, Ringing Roger, Madwoman's Stones to Win Hill and eventually back down to the Yorkshire Bridge Inn.
There were great views from the summit of Win Hill Pike.
The A+ team (Mike, John K.?) phone the remains of the A team to inform them they can smell "the barmaid's apron" from Win Hill Pike and therefore can't wait for the rest of the team! They take the steep but direct descent via Parkin Clough to the YBI. Steve, Paul and Martin bringing up the A Team rear take the longer but less steeper route via The Springs and Ladybower dam.
Back at the YBI, we think the B-Team must be already have arrived, had a drink and gone for a lie down as there's no sign of them. Or are they at the Ladybower Inn? Chris phones Roger to check and discovers they're still on their way back!
We estimate the A-Team walk was about 13 miles (13.5m by Steve's GPS but his, Paul and Martin's route involved a slightly longer descent). John M. questions Steve's maths this morning - 2 miles to the station + 9 mile walk = 13.0 miles (eh!)
Eventually, the B-Team arrive having allegedly undertaken a gut(or should it be Dam) busting assault course over Win Hill Pike and around the nether regions of Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs. Barbed-wired fences, we are told, are carefully negotiated (Tip for you guys: Next time, take a few bar towels to wrap round the barbs - I carry one all the time!). Let's just say it didn't appear to have been a good teambuilding exercise and since no photographic evidence was provided by them, it is still believed that they really got the bus back to the YBI!
A-Team walk :
Martin fancies a round of Golf before getting on the train.
Mike searches the OS map in vain for the peak of Kinder Scout!
..... and wants to know how a GPS receiver knows where it is (Unfortunately, life's too short!)
(Postscript: Actually Kinder is a Marilyn but with around 144 m of relative height, Win Hill is only a few metres short. I don't think we reached to actual summit of Kinder did we Mike!)
After dinner Martin leads the community singing in the dining room with - "Job's Worth" and "Who's pigs are these ..." We are then politely asked to retire to the bar (so they can clear the tables!) and some of the other residents want to join us (surprisingly!)
Appropriately, we should be singing the Manchester Rambler ( written by Ewan McColl in memory of the mass trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932) .. but no-one can remember the words . Find them here (Paul note the bit about the grouse!). Listen to a good version by John Tamms below.
The session finishes at 1.45am and the remaining few retire to the resident's lounge (or more like the resident's landing). Luckily the bar is shut as someone attempts to buy a bottle of whisky.
The plan was to meet at 12.00pm at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn, Hope Valley for an easy gentle afternoon warm-up walk ...... led by Alan.
However, as ever keen Steve plus John K., Chris and Mike arrange a pre-lunch "pre-warm-up walk". The route is a circular walk from Upper Burbage Bridge car park (Grid Ref SK260830. or should that be BK260830?) taking the path below Burbage Rocks down to Carl Wark, up by Hathersedge Moor to Higger Tor and via Fiddler's Elbow back to the car park.
A tardy start around 11.00pm but the round is soon completed and we rush back to meet the others as they arrive at the YBI. At least some of us have earned our lunchtime pint!
We take lunch and Steve unveils his 'cunning plan' for Saturday.
Post - lunch Alan leads Chris, Steve, Peter, John K. , Mike, Martin and Paul in a walk via Ashopton to Whinstone Lee Tor.
Alan has his 'parchment' from the Lancashire Evening Post as a guide for the walk but at one point Steve trailing at the rear (and with the aid of his GPS) announces "we are miles from where we should be!"
After a slight strenuous detour up through the woods near Lodge Cote in the warm sunshine we finally reach Whinstone Lee Tor. From here it was a gentle descent down to Highshaw Clough and then head back towards Ashopton. .. and the pub!
Afternoon refreshment is taken at the Ladybower Inn where Peter takes a fancy to a Farmer's Blonde .... but at his age he can only manage a taster! Everyone else goes for the Barnsley Bitter.
John K. takes an afternoon snooze (and misses two rounds?).
Roger, John M and Fred arrive just as everyone's about to leave.
We all admire Peter's hat and he explains what DEFY stands for .. what was it again?
Earlier, Steve tries to send the Lancashire contingent to Aintree via the M57 to avoid possible congestion in Glossop!
From Mam Tor we wander along the Great Ridge down to Hollins Cross and from there it was a pleasant stroll in the warm sunshine down into Castleton for lunch at the Castle Inn.
