These Boots Were made For Walking: Cave Dale and Winnats Pass

Heading up the road from Market Place in Castleton brings you to a gap in the rocks marking the entrance to Cave Dale, part of the Limestone Way which leads all the way to Rochester in Staffordshire.

Although once thought to have been a collapsed cave system it's also possible that cave Dale is the result of glacial meltwater from the Ice Age. Whatever the cause it makes for a spectacular view.

Atop the hill on the right are the remains of Peveril Castle, built by Henry II to oversee the Royal Forest of the Peak.

Taking a right turn through a gate at the top of the Dale leads past Rowter Farm with Mam Tor directly ahead.  Just over the road after the farm there is a small bowl in the land leading to the entrance of Windy Knoll Cave, once an Ice Age den of brown bears, wolves and hyenas who would prey on mammoths and woolly rhinoceros.

After a spot of lunch in the quarry at Windy Knoll my intention was to go up Mam Tor but black clouds gathering from the North were heading my way so I turned down the road to Winnats Pass. As I reached the top of a path taking me above Winnats the heavens opened so I made my way back to the road down to Speedwell Cavern the took a path off to the right which brought me back into Castleton passing Peak Cavern on the way.

Arriving in Castleton a little soggy I sought shelter in The George. A couple of pints and a good feed later I was dried out and ready for home.

These Boots Were Made For Walking: Slippery Stones

The breathtaking Derwent Valley is undoubtedly my number one 'go to' place for a quick escape from the city. Although less than fifteen miles from my doorstep the run out there on the bike takes me via the country lanes through Bradfield, Strines, and Ladybower to the start of Snake Pass before turning off.

After riding all the way to the top of the valley I can park up at the furthest point accessible by motor vehicle and walk through the woods to the wild swimming hole of Slippery Stones. The water here is brown in colour and has a 'fizzy' appearance and many reckon it's like swimming in coke.

This is a fantastic spot for swimming, chilling out, exploring the woods or heading out further on the moorland. The best time for getting out here is on a weekday since the road to the top is closed on weekends and there are far less people about.

Something To Smile About 2016

Something To Smile About began last year as a one day festival and has expanded this year to a larger venue over three days at Hatfield Outdoor Activity Centre on the outskirts of Doncaster. The campsite is spacious, on flat land among lots of trees with decent facilities and plenty of parking space very close by.

A bargain of a weekend at £40 for tickets and reasonable prices for food and drink although you are welcome to bring your own if you need to watch the pennies. Bars provided by Abbeydale Brewery and The Meadevil Bar and good grub courtesy of Nan's Kitchen.


Although mostly folk based the music over the weekend included rock, blues, punk, reggae and ska. Great performances from all artists with particularly good sets from Brad Dear, Ferocious Dog, Funke and the Two-Tone Baby, The Majestic, Parsons Lot, Willie and the Bandits, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican and Taxi For Bob.

Additional late night acoustic jam sessions fired up after the main stage with The Leylines, Brad Dear and Phat Bollard along with members of various other bands making this one of the most enjoyable parts of the festival.

A huge thanks to Pete, Becky and all involved. A great weekend and we'll be back next year.

Optical Delusions #3

Back in the days of using film for photography I worked almost exclusively in black and white. Since converting to digital I've been neglecting monochrome for far too long. A good understanding of basic photographic disciplines yields an image that will often have a much higher impact than its colour counterpart.

Busker in Dublin by the statue of Molly Malone.

Enjoyed a few beers and a band with this happy chap at one of the NABD rallies.

Wast Water en route to Wasdale Head, Cumbria.

Johnny Rotter of the Sex Pistols Experience.

These Boots Were Made For Walking: Hallam Moors and Redmires

Continuing my exploration of the moorland to the west of Sheffield I eventually managed to get to see two of the places I really wanted to look at, the Head Stone and Oaking Clough reservoir. To get to the gate that gives access to the short ascent to the moorland I followed the path through Fox Hagg from Redmires Road, past the car park and picnic area at Rivelin reservoir then up the wide path between the resevoir and Wyming Brook.

A narrow path leads off the main track and after a short climb through the trees leads to a kissing gate then up to the rock formation that marks the start of a plateau strewn with grit stone rocks. The views from up here on a clear day are pretty stunning and you can spend quite a while taking it all in. I also spotted a good location for a bit of wild camping but that's for another time.

Easily accessible via a short detour from the path is the large block of grit stone known as the Head Stone. This outstanding feature of the moor rises from a sea of boulders and is so named due to the facial features that can be seen from the right angle.

From the Head Stone I retraced my steps back to the main path then headed up the moor, through a gap in the wall to a bridge crossing a man made conduit. At this point I took a turn to the right, over a stile to follow the conduit to Oaking Clough Reservoir with its derelict water works cabin. It's a detour of about a mile but well worth it and a great place to stop for a break.

Retracing my steps once again I made my way back to the bridge and over to Redmires past Hill 60, the training ground of the Sheffield Pals. The Sheffield Pals Battalion was made up of 100% volunteers from Sheffield and were one of the first battalions "over the top" at the Battle of the Somme. 

A very easy, if a little muddy, stroll around the three Redmires Resevoirs brought me to Soughley Lane. From there I followed the Redmires conduit, dropping off the gritted path to walk through the woods, emerging at the playing fields behind the Sportsman pub and a short walk to the bus terminus.

Therapy? with support from The Membranes @ The Plug

Last week Therapy? made a welcome return to Sheffield, playing The Plug with support from influential punk band The Membranes.

Although I'd seen front man John Robb with Goldblade before this is the first time I've seen the charismatic bass player / lead singer with the re-formed Membranes. Although a fairly short set they did a great job of engaging the audience and warming up want had been a pretty chilly room. Very much liking what I heard I made a mental note to check out their back catalogue as well as the new album 'Dark Matter / Dark Energy'.

This tour sees Therapy? playing their third major album 'Infernal Love' in it's entirety. Originally released almost 21 years ago, Infernal Love took a disturbing look at religion, sex and death. This along with Andy Cairns struggling with his own inner demons at the time makes for an album that goes to some very dark places.

After a quick break Therapy? returned to the stage to play a few tracks from the latest album 'Disquiet' before launching into a bunch of long standing Therapy? classics from Nurse, Troublegum and their early E.P.'s, time for yours truly to go get sweaty in the mosh pit.

As always a fantastic, intense performance. I've been following these guys for over twenty years and they never fail to deliver.

Optical Delusions #2

I fell in love with the Peak District around the same time I first started riding motorbikes. I learned how to handle a bike on the twisty single tracks and came to value the importance of a good set of brakes when surprised by the odd cow / sheep / tractor around the bends. I never get tired of camping, walking and riding out here all year round.

It's no surprise that when I got into photography that the Peaks became a natural choice for capturing some great landscape images. These are some of my favourites from last year.

One of the best views in the Peaks. Monsale Dale and Headstone viaduct.

The River Wye at Bakewell 

Getting a little off the beaten track in Derwent Valley.

Derwent Valley again on a Winters morning.