Captain's Log

Penistone

It seems to have been raining continuously since Christmas. I was therefore surprised to see three consecutive days of sunshine on the BBC weather app. This was not an opportunity to be missed and so I threw my gear into my backpack for a three day tour of the Peak District. Where should I go?  I decided to do the Derwent Watershed since this fit in fairly nicely into three days. I’d also start the circular route from Penistone. This would add about 10 miles to the overall mileage, but would be a nice enough walk in itself. 

It really was like a summer's day as I made my way out of Penistone. I started off wearing a fleece, but was soon down to my tee shirt. There was a nice breeze too that kept me cool. It was a prolonged climb up to Hartcliff Hill, but once on top, there was a great view westwards to where I was heading. I could just make out the distant Hordron track on the moors. I thought I could see two vehicles on it, but they were too far away to make out clearly. I hoped there wasn’t grouse shooting on the moors; that could make things a bit tricky. I descended to the busy A628 that mysteriously became free of traffic when I got there. I guess there’s always a first time for everything. I crossed the road and entered the plantation at Langsett. I was leaving civilisation behind. 

Hordron Road

There were a few walkers pottering about the trails through the woods. Sunhats and sunglasses were today’s fashion. One fellow was even braving shorts. It felt more like summer than mid-March. At least the woods were a bit cooler. I could hear a buzzard somewhere, but it successfully avoided my gaze. There were plenty of lapwings swooping and screeching over the fields. They seemed to be doing well this year. I’d seen curlews too in the fields around Penistone. I picked up the Hordron Road, which was actually a stone track. Some bits were still flooded after all the rain. Two pickups appeared and drove past me. These must have been the ones that I’d seen from Hartcliff Hill. They looked more like farmers than grouse shooters and so I was probably going to be okay. I’d not heard any shooting anyway. I descended to the Little Don River at Hordron. A dead sheep was near to the beck. That was a bit unfortunate since I needed to fill my water bottles here. I went 200m upstream and dropped down to the riverside to fill my bottles.I heaved the heavy rucksack onto my back and crossed the bridge to climb the moor up Near Cat Clough. 

Outer Edge

The path was quite boggy and so I stopped to put on my gaiters. It was a tough plod up on to the moor, but I took it steady. I could tell that I’d not carried a heavy pack for a long time. Occasionally, I’d stop and turn around to get a great view over the valley to the Royd Moor Windfarm and the high Emley Mast in the far distance. At last the path flattened out and I reached a wooden stake. This was the official start of the Derwent Watershed. All I had to do now was circumnavigate the Derwent Valley and return to this stake in a couple of day’s time.     

I headed up the broad ridge in the direction of Outer Edge. It was a very boggy start and I had to meander around the worst bits. Every so often there was a wooden stake to give an indication of the route. On my right, I could see the distinctive Crow Stones. A couple of walkers were walking around them. I continued along the path to Outer Edge. It gradually became less boggy. At last I reached the trig point. It provided a great view down into the Derwent Valley. Looking in the direction I was heading, I could see what looked like three tents on Howden Edge. This seemed odd since it was quite a remote place. I tried to zoom in with my camera, but I couldn’t make them out. I wondered if they might be stone bags as part of slabbing exercise. I wanted to camp up there and so I hoped it wouldn’t be crowded.     

About 10 minutes from the trig, I came across the memorial to the aircraft crash site of an Oxford LX518, flown by Pilot Officer Denis Kyne. The pilot was killed in the crash on the 23rd of October 1943. It is assumed Kyne got lost and was trying to fly below the clouds to relocate himself. There was hardly anything to mark the site now, except for a couple of small wooden crosses. It looked a little desperate. The track became boggy again and I had to make occasional diversions to avoid the worst. I was glad that I’d put my gaiters on. . 

Margery Hill

At last I reached the Cut Gate path. Head northeastwards on this path and it takes you to Langsett, and southwards takes you into the Derwent Valley. A couple of mountain bikers were making the traverse. I crossed the path and started heading southeastwards towards Margery Hill. The trig was a little tucked away and so I didn’t really see it until I was near the top. This is the highest point in South Yorkshire (546m). A little beyond the trig, near some large stones, there’s quite a nice area for wildcamping. I was relieved to find nobody else had pitched there. It was still early and so I brewed a coffee and ate a Firepot before pitching. The tents that I thought were pitched on Howden Edge looked more like plastic bags. They were no doubt full of wood for building mini-dams or maybe even stones for slabbing. I’d  pass them tomorrow and would find out for sure. While I was looking I noticed a figure appear on Howden Edge. He stopped halfway along and started pitching a tent. I guess I wouldn’t be totally alone tonight. 

As darkness fell, it was a spectacular view eastwards. Lights twinkled from Sheffield, to Rotherham, then to Barnsley, and progressed further north to Wakefield. It was still quite warm though. I’d brought my -9C sleeping bag with me. I might be sleeping on top of it tonight. 

It had been a great start to my 3 day Derwent Watershed Venture. The weather had been perfect and the views wonderful. It had been a bit boggy in places, but I was in the Dark Peak afterall. I just hoped the next two days were similar.