I parked just up the hill from Curbar village and soon found myself on Baslow Edge where there was an amazing view of Curbar Edge and Froggatt Edge to the north.  I think you just might be able to make out my car on the road below.  There were a few folk climbing here on Baslow Edge, but I didn’t bring my climbing gear since I was planning a relatively long walk and didn’t want to spend too much time climbing and not make it back to collect the kids in time.

I soon came to Eagle Rock and I wished that I had brought my climbing shoes since this stone just calls out to be climbed.  Legend, according to the author of the route instructions I was following, claims that this rock was a favorite of ancient witches of the area and that local lads used to climb it before becoming betrothed.

There are some interesting monuments to the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson along the cliff edges as well as a decent view of the Chatsworth estate, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.  I have a vague plan to go visit there sometime.  There is apparently a farmyard and adventure playground that might add appeal to the younger set who have perhaps become a bit jaded about seeing more enormous stately homes.

I also came across a fold of highland cattle.  For some reason, a group of highland cattle are not referred to as a “herd” but as a “fold”.  Anyway, these beautiful animals are well adapted to harsh conditions and low quality pasture and have been transplanted far and wide from their native Scottish Highlands.  I love the color of their shaggy coats.

I came upon more rock faces that I could only look at whistfully since by this point I was running short of time.

I did complete the walk and get back in time to pick up the kids and even had a couple of minutes to kick back in the sun and take these pictures from our garden:

Spring is coming!

The weather was cold and promised to be wet, so we went prepared for anything.  River was is high form, as you can see!

The views of Dovedale are spectacular, though sometimes I feel like I take the rolling hills and ancient stone walls for granted.  It was a particularly gray day, but it was still beautiful.

This old tractor caught my eye.  River and Sage had a discussion about how they wished they lived on a farm.  I think they’d probably do well in such an environment.

River also got a new hat recently, thanks to her aunt’s prodigious talent.  I love the colors and I think it really suits her.

Eventually, we came upon Pilsbury Grange, a 300 year old house once part of the Chatsworth estate and now available for hire.  Actually, this is basically all there is to the village of Pilsbury.  You could easily miss it if a passing sheep caught your eye for a second.

We crossed the River Dove on this bridge and began the return journey back to Hartington.

We caught a few moments of sunshine and collected some of the wool it illuminated on the wire fence.

The footpath returns across some pasture and over some stone walls.  I particularly liked this embedded stairway.

It was good that we had prepared for inclimate weather, because we experienced some ferocious flurries on the walk back.  The wind was so strong that the snow, at one point, was literally blowing up the hill.

We were glad to get back to Hartington and the warmth of the local tea shop where we rejuvenated with a cream tea.  The kids had pudding with custard. Quintessentially English, if I do say so myself.

Quite a few of us scrambled up the crack and made it atop this boulder.

I came back later with my rock climbing boots and found a few other routes.

We also went for a hike up Boulder Pass into the McDowell Mountains.  The pass is the last dip on the left in the range over Dana’s shoulder.

We stopped for lunch along the way and River found a choice spot to eat and relax for a few minutes.

There are plenty of cacti such as this prickly pear and  I think everyone had an encounter of some kind with these thorns.

The really unique thing about Boulder Pass is that water draining from the surrounding mountains has eroded passages underneath the boulders in the stream bed.  It is possible to ascend the pass by climbing under the rocks.

Unfortunately, I was too busy scrambling around myself and helping the kids that I couldn’t keep the camera accessible.  Everyone did some remarkable climbing!

We made it to the top of the pass after some considerable effort.  The kids all had a blast and loved climbing around on the rocks.  We also explored a cave that has been furnished with a wood stove, table, and other accoutrements converting it into a relatively comfortable campsite.  The view over the valley from the pass is quite remarkable.

As you can see from our visit to the Grand Canyon, the weather was not as warm as it sometimes can be in Arizona. We did, however, get a few nice days when it was sunny and warm.

Our friends and old neighbors from England are now living in Los Angeles and managed to make a trip over to Scottsdale for the weekend. We enjoyed seeing them! We played in the pool at their hotel and went for a hike on the nearby Pinnacle Peak.

On this adventure, the girls’ coyotes had super powers and were occupied with mountain rescue of other injured animals.

The view from Pinnacle Peak is quite nice.  To the west, you can almost make out the Sackett residence behind this pile of rocks.  Just over the ridge, the land drops down into the Rio Verde river valley.  The seemingly endless  Scottsdale has temporarily halted it’s creeping sprawl here and there are many nice trails to explore the desert.  I went running along these trails every day and enjoyed the crisp air and beautiful landscape.

The effects of glaciation are apparent in the sculpted glens, but even more striking to me is the influence of what I’ve decided to call mono-ungulate rumination.  This little tree germinated on top of the rock, high enough to be out of reach of the pervasive Ovis aries.  I suppose the exposed rock emphasizes the starkness of the mountains.

The quality of the light was incredible, something I don’t recall ever seeing anywhere else in the world.

We spent the night on the Isle of Skye, arriving just in time to shelter from the approaching storm at a lovely hotel.  Molly described the tempest as “chucking it sideways”.  The next day, when it was merely “spitting it sideways”, we hiked a relatively sheltered forest trail near Portree.  The bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye is visible in the picture below.

From Skye, we made our way to Fort William and spent a night in a hostel in Glen Nevis, just under the shoulder of Ben Nevis.  Ben Nevis is the highest peak in Britain; the elevation at the summit is 4406 feet.  I had thought of hiking that route, but we decided it was a bit too long and the peak was shrouded in cloud anyway.  We settled on a route through the Glen Nevis gorge to Steall Falls.  The signs at the trailhead were a bit disconcerting, but we decided to go ahead anyway.  Somehow it seems very British: “You might die here, but at least make sure you have good shoes on!”

The recent (and ongoing) rains rushed down the mountainside.  We had to leap across this waterfall:

River was in good spirits the entire day, smiling and singing along the trail.

We eventually arrived at this beautiful meadow and caught our first glimpse of Steall Falls.

The torrent we had observed through the gorge was fed by this cataract.

I traversed the bridge to get a closer approach to the falls.  It was hard not to think of the cautionary signs at the trailhead while inching my way across.

The power of the water plunging from 120 meters was pretty amazing!

Continuing south from Fort William, we drove through the spectacular Glen Cloe.    The landscape here is simply stunning.

I’ve seen these “Blind Summit” signs before, but this one just happened to get into the frame of this picture.  It turns out that they are warning of a hill in the road that hides oncoming traffic, rather than a commentary on the perennial cloud-covered state on most of the local mountain summits.

After leaving Glen Cloe, we drove through Rannock Moor, which was much flatter but still starkly beautiful.  I’d certainly like to return to Scotland some time soon.  We are considering planning a backpacking trip next summer.

The trail led past an old alum mine and processing facility.  Alum, among other things, was an important mordant for fixing the color of dyes in clothing.  Some informative displays helped interpret the ruins of the buildings and the provided a way to imagine the historical landscape.

Sage took this amazing picture of a dead thistle.  We did have a bit of blue sky!

River tripped in a small hole at the side of the footpath.  Fortunately, she was not seriously injured.

But while she was recovering, I noticed this slimy character nearby.

We had lots of fun climbing walls and fences.

And running down hills…

We certainly enjoyed ourselves.

The view from the headland was simply stunning.

The unpredictable weather turned into a hot day and we took some time to kick back and relax.

After the knitting group, we set off for a music festival in the Peak District. As part of the celebration, there was a green parade. The kids enjoyed the festive atmosphere, marching all around the stage and through the camping area.

I was a bit disappointed with the music at the festival. England seems to be enjoying a renaissance of 80’s / punk culture. Overall, though, the festival was very nice. There was a friendly atmosphere, loads of kids, and the weather was beautiful. We enjoyed the storytelling by our friend Rachel who we’ve seen perform several times before.

Sage found a comfortable spot to listen:

You might think that three people wouldn’t be able to fit in one sleeping bag, but I hope you didn’t bet too much on it.

On Sunday, we packed up and went for a walk at Dovedale.

The kids were fascinated with these logs studded with coins. Perhaps they were left as offerings for the wood folk?

We climbed up through the archway to Reynard’s Cave.

This time I remembered to bring the headlamps and we explored the dark tunnel which was very exciting.

The trail is very popular, especially on a bank holiday weekend, and there was a queue at the stepping stones.

Despite the steady drizzle, it was an enjoyable walk and a nice way to end the weekend.

We followed the Miner’s Track from Pen-y-Pass, the pass leading out of the mountains to Llanberis. We might have gone further, but we weren’t equipped to hike in the cold, snowy, icy conditions at the peak.

We saw some mountain goats ruminating near the trail and realized how much the landscape is affected by these grazers. You can’t make out the fence in the picture below, but the brown shrubs in the middle are enclosed and thus protected. I imagine any trees that germinate here are quickly nibbled.

We also saw a mountain rescue helicopter flying overhead. River was particularly interested in the implications of this sighting, and was later happy to contribute some change towards the purchase of a Land Rover for the mountain rescue crew in the local cafe.

Here I am at Lover’s Leap! The stone steps leading up to this outcrop contained myriad crinoid fossils. Apparently, this part of Derbyshire was part of a warm, shallow sea just north of the equator about 300 million years ago. It stretches my imagination a bit to picture this place as a tropical lagoon with coral reefs, brachiopods, and crinoids.

I soon came to Reynard’s Cave, a place reportedly long used as a shelter. There is a beautiful arch just outside the entrance and the stones on the ascent have been worn so as to be polished much like an abalone shell. There are many ferns and bryophytes growing amongst the rocks, including Asplenium scolopendrium, the harts-tongue fern.

There was a small tunnel leading further back into the cave. I went a little way in using the red LED on my camera as illumination, but without a proper torch I was reluctant to go any further.

I watched a pair of goosanders (a.k.a. the common merganser, Mergus merganser) in the River Dove. They were excellent divers and it was a pleasure to watch them fishing.

Another large limestone cave eroded by glacial meltwater.

This spire is known Ilam Rock and is apparently a favorite of local rock climbers.

I began looping back to the carpark at the quaint village of Milldale.

I ate lunch in the shelter of one of these stone walls. Out of the shelter of the dale, the wind was quite fierce.

And though it was mostly sunny, a big dark cloud blew over and a flurry of precipitation somewhere between snow and hail descended.

The round trip was just over six miles. You can see

the route I took on Google Maps.  All in all, a lovely day out!

We could see some bulbs beginning to poke up through the leaf litter. We’re planning to go back in the spring sometime since it promises to be spectacular. The daffodils are starting to peek through in our garden as well. It has been a bit warmer recently, but the lack of daylight makes it very clear that it is still winter here.

This is the front of the house. We ate a nice lunch in the restaurant here. The food was tasty, but the highlight was discovering the botanically brewed Fentiman’s ginger beer. They make a dandelion burdock and lemonade that I’m also interested in trying!

Here is the hall from the top of the hill: