A walk from Edale in Derbyshire.

I had a brilliant day out yesterday. It was a hellish drive through gridlocked Sheffield to get to the start. I almost gave up and went back home. Glad I didn't. 

I met up with a Walking Forum buddy at Edale in Derbyshire. He is an experience navigator and map reader, so I thought I might learn something from him. Although I can walk from one side of the country to the other using maps, I am not an expert at associating what I see on the ground to what is on the map. My walking is usually at a fast pace, with the intention of clocking up the miles. Yesterday it made a nice change to stop and study the map and have things pointed out to me. 

The church at Edale. 

Edale is the start of the Pennine Way, a long distance trail to Scotland. A good place to meet up with friends is the pub.

route2rock (user name) led the way. Down the steps, over the wooden bridge, and up the steps.

Then we took a track through fields alongside a wood, and started the climb up Grindsbrook Clough. Stop for a pic halfway up.

Doggy is enjoying the walk. Ruby is a recently adopted rescue dog. She is absolutely delightful.

Onward and upward, stunning views, but oh so windy.

Scrambling over rocks at this point as we neared the top. We came down the path on the right, scrambled over the water, and went off along the path on the left.

It was very rocky along this stretch.

 Amazing rock formations carved out by the wind and rain over the centuries.

Just look at that fabulous view, photo's don't do it justice. The wind was so strong it nearly blew me over.

The sun is going down over there.

I love to see the green fields mapped out below, with a sprinkling of golden brown trees that looked like feather dusters.

One last pic before we head off back.

Oh boy, did my legs work hard with all that elevation. Up and down rocky slopes, scrambling up a steep grassy bank to the top, but hey, what a great feeling at the end, and no aches this morning. Only six miles covered, but a walk to lift the spirit.

The traffic going home was just as bad. Sheffield not quite as gridlocked as earlier except for long queues on The Parkway. Then long queues on the M18 motorway. Just had to sit in it and crawl along.

Now I need to put the map reading skills I learnt into practice. Thanks to my buddy for showing me how to get more from a walk.  ilona