Derbyshire Peak District

I don't know if I mentioned that I had joined http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/ it's a lively forum and there is always something going on most weekends. Ten of us met up yesterday morning at the church in Youlgreave, a village in the Derbyshire Peak District. The weather was mainly sunny with a light breeze.

It made a nice change not to have to find my own way, although I still carried a map because I like to keep a record of where I have been. Forgive me if this post is lacking in detail, but I rather let my concentration slip a bit as I was enjoying the company and looked on it more as a day off.
There are quite a lot of unusual shaped rocks in this area.

Everyone rushes to be the first one to the top.

Lovely views from the top of this pile of rocks.

This is the entrance to Hermits Cave, it was believed to have been inhabited around the 12th century, it's occupant carving a Christ image into the rock.

Tall rocks hidden behind the trees.

These lamas live at Barn Farm, a holiday complex for campers and caravaners.

Boys will be boys. Radder and Joe are standing on a funny shaped rock called the Cork Stone. It is a tall stone which has been shaped naturally by the weather.

One of the many stunning views looking down from Stanton Moor.

Here's one for us, girls. Now you know why I like walking. When you get eye candy like Radder, it's worth going, believe me he is a hunk :0)

Some of the boys like climbing, and here they are looking up at The Earl Grey Memorial Tower. Shall we give it a try? This memorial was built in 1832 to mark Earl Greys electoral reform bill that gave every man the right to vote.

The legend of the Nine Ladies Circle says that it was formed when nine witches were turned to stone when dancing to the music of the fiddle. Thank you to Joe for giving us printed information on these landmarks.

Nearing the end of the walk it was time for a group photo session.

And finally a pretty little cottage next to the River Lathkill in Alport. It looks a lovely place to live, but I'm not sure I could stand the noise of the water rushing past my front door every minute of every day.

This morning was a bit disappointing. After staying overnight in Hathersage Youth Hostel, I was looking forward to another day of getting high, onto the moors that is, ha ha. A drizzly misty start, and the weather forecast said it would be the same all day. Oh well, better make the most of it while I am here. I checked out of the hostel and set off. Not too bad, just a bit damp.

It got worse, the mist came down covering the tops. I did manage a couple of climbs. When I say climb, I don't mean with ropes, they are just very steep hills, I am not into mountaineering. These boulders were huge at the top of this peak.

After a couple of hours the rain was coming down heavier and I was getting fed up of plodding through mud, so I headed back to the car. I came across this strange ruin in the middle of a wood. Not sure what it might have been, but I thought it looked interesting.

I think I'll stay at home for a few days now. We've got Easter coming up, I don't like going anywhere on a bank holiday, too much traffic, too many people.