The early conversation topic at King’s Tree was of the planting of trees and their protection from rabbits (?) by plastic tubes which scatter the hillsides in the Dark Peak. However, once the saplings are robust enough, the tubes need to be removed which has been one of Russ’s volunteering jobs, not an easy task. It seems that they can be carried as four tubes in one tube and then there are the wooden stakes……………fascinating. We were also joined by Pete G fresh from his V75 victory at the JK Orienteering championships in Sheffield. Such are his talents that he’d been gardening just before joining the Slow Warts and arrived with pre-dirtied knees, such attention to detailed preparation is essential for any athlete!
Anyway, to get to our main raison d’etre, fell running, Andy had planned a couple of routes one of which included an ascent or descent of the daunting Mosley Bank. Our previous experience of which had left a significant scar in the minds of a few Slow Warts. In a remarkable act of generosity, Andy changed the route to a mainly non=Harmerian one, a tour of Bull Stones, Margery Hill and High Stones with a final descent from Cold Side to a slippery river crossing (more about that later).
Whilst providing eight Slow Warts with a gentle warm up for our ascent of Bull Stones, the track to Slippery Stones is not exactly inspiring. We nevertheless survived it to start the climb up a grassy zig-zag path up to Little Moor, probably runnable in our youth but not this time. Our crossing to Bull Stones was mixed lawn-like grass and some deep heather, all worth it for a fine view over the Derwent Valley. This great viewpoint and our need for a recovery pause after the climb allowed us to attempt to identify and misidentify the surrounding hills, High Stones, Berristers Tor, Back Tor and others we weren’t sure of. Enough of this, thought Andy who set off quickly on the fast and now surprisingly dry path towards Cut Gate and Margery Hill. We were even warned of small patches of bog normally ignored in winter conditions.
There was a sprint from Margery Hill (OS height 546m) to High Stones (OS height 548m or Harvey 551m) by the young Slow Warts. This left the old Slow Warts gasping, possibly because High Stones is just about the highest point in South Yorkshire, though there’s not much in it. The descent to Cold Side Edge was laid out clearly for us to dash down (some of us) on a path and quad track. Whether this could be considered DPFR’s “notoriously hard core” or not (according to Sunday at Bill’s Mother’s April 25), it was sufficient to tear Russ’s soles from his shoes.
A preliminary practice excursion into heather and bilberry brought us to the lofty Cold Side Crags overlooking the Derwent, a spectacular position. We should go there more often, though it is a very steep hill side which, this time, we descended with care through the bilberry and rocks. To rinse off the memory of all the non-Harmerian terrain we’d encountered, Andy slid into the waters of the Derwent for a cleansing semi-submersion.
What a night! Splendid light, great climbs, views and descents and good chat in the YBI, including a detailed assessment of routes taken on last week’s Cakes of Bread Race.
Thanks to all.
Graham
