Derwent from the Edge

Pictures taken on the 30th of April

This is .. 3 months' overdue.. but since i'm too lazy to edit pictures
I just never quite got around to editing the noise out from the low light shots
.
.
.

When Jas managed to sign up for the walk, she asked me
if I knew if it was a strenuous hike meant for experienced walkers
-_-
I didn't; my only criteria were that it must be scenic
and not be something I could do by myself .. like a circuit around the village pubs

the first thing we passed by was the remnants of the drowned village of Derwent

A suckling lamb and his(?) mummy
isn't it the sweetest sight?
my heart melted into a.. pulp when i saw this

there were 20 of us led by 3 rangers
I absolutely love that red jumper which is part of the rangers' uniform..
but it'd take me 18 months and a humongous amount of effort to get one

It being a thursday, most of them were retirees who live around the area
save for a man in his forties
Jas and I brought the average age down by quite a lot
-_-
everyone thought we were students
(eyesight really deteriorates with age!!)

I was going to go in my trek shoes
but as they predicted rain for the whole day, I had to get walking boots
.. the evening before I went on the hike
(not the smartest thing because it was a 6 hour hike)
everyone noticed my brand new boots too
O_o

and as I discovered, everyone else also brought along waterproof pants etc
I just didn't put that much thought into it .. .. except food..
i brought a lot of food.. hahaha
sushi, pancakes, chocolate biscuits etc etc

The route was quite similar to this one but longer (10 miles/16km)

Our first climb uphill; 400 meters up

after that first climb, we crossed a little gate, and came to a resting hut
the engravings on it were commissioned by the National Trust
and they depict the history of the place.. and the fauna in the area
how it was first managed by monks and then slowly became private land

being on top of that hill, the magical scenery, the fresh air, and the sense of isolation
.. was overwhelming
i just felt so alive .. yet there was a deep inner calm
of course, after the last job, I'm always elated when there is no mobile reception
(it's sad but i used to look forward to the hours i spent on airplanes!)

this set of stones (Salt Cellar i think) immediately brought to my mind the "Fire King" scene from Ice Age
(Yes, i love cartoons ..so sue me)
I was extremely disappointed that Jas didn't catch on when i told her
sighhhh...

Trekking across the moors

up over the fence, and there's another hill

The Howden moors are also where the red grouse calls..
people pay up to a thousand pounds for the right to shoot grouse
which is a delicacy, apparently..
I didn't manage to get pictures of the grouse..
but it was fascinating to watch them take short flights in the moors
i wonder how they taste... ;P

our tea break @ The Wheel Stones also known as Coach & Horses
because .. from certain angles, it looks like a coach being drawn by 2 horses
Jas and i were so hungry that we started devouring our lunch
while everyone was just drinking tea..
;P

There are many such structures up there.. created by wind erosion
and i love the names they've been given; Salt Cellar, Coach & Horses, Lost Lad

the last climb down back into the valley

It was so slippery that my phobia resurfaced again
and i was walking sideways most of the time
i'd rather climb up than walk down a slope...

the last mile.. down the side of Lady Bower's and across the field

I loved the hike.. and the people
the rangers were ever so patient, pointing out everything and explaining to us
I learnt so much from them

we made friends with ladies from Manchester who hate Man-U
and told me Manchester isn't all about Old Trafford and football

and I met this affable retiree who was telling us how he chose industry over acaedemia
He's a chemist with patents under his name
I want to be like him when I grow up ..
:P

The whole group was also extremely tolerant with me brandishing my camera
and running up and down the group because I wanted specific pictures
I think i got more exercise out of it than anyone else!!

Here's Sue eating an icecream at the end of our hike!
I was always picking on her because her pink windbreaker stands out so well
and she was really sweet about it

I've been invited by the rangers to go back in August
when the hather is in bloom
especially since i've now got myself a pair of broken in hiking boots

Looking at these pictures again, I have a strong urge to camp out in the moors
to capture spectacular sunsets over the wheel stones
(or just to soak it all in even without my camera)
but the urbanite in me is still too chicken..

one day...
i'm sure the blood of two geologists will triumph
and i'll have the guts to navigate with a compass by myself
one day soon, hopefully
;)