Hike

In love ♥️ with the Peak District.
An adventure with the Peak District Hiking Buddies.
Today's adventure started at car park at 1840s Torside reservoir. The largest man made lake in Longdendale in North Derbyshire. The hike as always started "up hill" through glorious fairy 🧚‍♀️ woodland but a more adventurous grade 2/3 scramble running from Torside reservoir up to Bleaklow Head was in store for us. Highly rated by hikers for its rocky riverbeds and terrain variety. Lots a mini waterfalls and pools but not the kind you would want to take a dip in unless you wanted your skin stained brown.
A bit scary in places and a mantra of "three points of contact at all tine " came to mind.
Finally at the top of Bleaklow, a high, rugged and peaty moorland plateau rising to 633m (2,077ft) at its highest point. The weather was amazing with a welcoming cool breeze, brilliant sunshine and clear views and apparently we could see as far as Blackpool Tower. Bleaklow Head is notorious for its challenging navigation, boggy terrain and the wreckage of the November 1948 U.S Airforce B-29 Superfortress, which on this occasion we did not see.
After having a spot of well earned lunch it was time to make our way back. The trail down was a little easier than than the scramble up still needed a bit of concentration though with loose rocks and slippery sandy stones to navigate. The views of rolling hills and the valley below with winding rocky river were stunning. In the distance a cuckoo could be heard and flying around were a few very big bumble bees 🐝 . Arriving at the bottom safe and sound we were greeted by an purple avenue of Pontic Rhododendrons. Then a gentle hike back to the car park on the Woodhead railway line that once connected Manchester to Sheffield. Today, its route through the Peak District's Longdendale valley has be repurposed into a 6.5 mile traffic free Longdendale trail.
A fabulous day hiking in the Peaks ♥️♥️♥️