Wednesday 16 May 2012

Peaks Tweetup III - 4 AUGUST 2012




Ladybower Reservoir, Alport Castles walk, 9.0 miles

Here we go again! PeaksTweetup III time. Back to Ladybower I reckon. Nice and central, lots of pubs etc. Let me know if you're interested in meeting up for a walk and a pub lunch in the Peak District in August, when hopefully the rain will have buggered off.

Howsabout either 4 August? Let me kn... damnit, I'm stuck in jumbo vision *fiddles with knobs and dials*... ah, there we go. Phew, back to normal size. Anyway, as I was saying, if you're interested in coming along please let me know.

The plan is to set off at 8:45am (ish) and do a 7-miler around Ladybower, leaving plenty of time for a pub lunch afterwards. The route is something like this (PeaksTweetup I is ghosted on the right hand side for comparison)...


After *ahem* somewhat underegging the ascent pudding last time in my pre-walk notes, I've included an altitude comparison graph so you can judge for yourselves. GREEN is 2010, RED is 2011 with its steep start, and BLUE is the propsed 2012 walk...


See, that's not so bad is it? It *does* go upwards (as these things tend to), but it's a more gradual ascent, followed by a gentle amble along the tops, finishing off with an easy stroll beside the reservoir. Then it's off to the pub for some grub and a beverage. Anyone not fancying the walk is welcome to simply meet us at the pub afterwards (you lazy buggers ;)

The start point is the first (I think!) parking bay on the left hand side after you turn off the A57 into Ladybower. There are other parking bays on both sides of the road a little further along within strolling distance if that one is full, but it shouldn't be at that time in the morning. Here's the start point in pretty pictures...


OK, think that about covers it. Send me a tweet if you're interested.

Thanks

Rich
@captain_doodle


Saturday 25 June 2011

PeaksTweetup II – 25 June 2011

Ladybower Reservoir, Win Hill walk, 7.3 miles
On a cool and drizzly Saturday in 'summer', ten Twittererers (well, OK, eight plus two non-tweeters) set off on Peaks adventure no.2, this time taking on Win Hill via Parkin Clough. I've checked back in my preamble and I definitely described the ascent up Parkin Clough as "...like a cross between Kilimanjaro and Mount Doom. Only the hardiest souls will be able to traverse its rugged stony steps, so be prepared for a tough slog at the start, especially if inclement weather has reduced it to a treacherous quagmire". Or something like that ;)
Atop Win Hill


After the steep start, and a rest/photo stop on Win Hill, it was a pleasant yomp across fields and down through a forest, finishing with a stroll alongside the reservoir (with annoying light drizzle accompanying us) back to the start point. Joining me, @captain_doodle, were @stinkweazl, @wombat37, @DomBurf, @vickyperry, @justinreid, @frak, @TizBanana and non-tweeters Silvano and Maier. At the end of the walk, awaiting us in the pub with her feet up ;) was the lovely @AmMarvellousMe. Heavy overnight rain made for a bit of a slog, and took out @frak at one point, his fight with a boggy patch earning him a big fat muddy arse, but it was another fun day out in the Peaks, this time with added slap-up pub meal afterwards :P

 The route

Ups and downs



Monday 20 June 2011

PeaksTweetup II – final details

It's almost time for PeaksTweetup II! Right then, it'll go down something like this...


9.00am start 
Make sure you set your alarm clocks! We'll aim to get going as near to 9am as possible so we can get back for lunch this time! Walk should take around 3hr15, allowing for the odd stop.




Location
The satnav location, as near as damnit, is S33 0BY. There are parking bays on the road near The Yorkshire Bridge Inn, or Lydgate Lane seems a popular parking spot if they're all occupied (see earlier blog post, 10 April, for maps and details). We'll meet up near the parking bays outside The Yorkshire Bridge Inn (near the wall where the parked car is in the pic, below). That one's a disabled parking bay, I think, but there's one behind that, and one out of shot to the left of the pub.





Footwear/clothing 
Trainery-style walking boots'll be fine as there's nowt too hard-going, but bring whatever footwear you like (apart from stilettos). It's a steep start but after that it's plain sailing. Weather's tantalisingly inconclusive at the moment, so bring a wet weather jacket/waterproof trousers etc if I were you.

Grub 
We'll more than likely head to The Traveller's Rest afterwards, as they're probably more geared up to be able to take a bigger bunch of people. Will phone them to see if a big group's going to be OK. Bring some water for the walk, and sweeties/crisps/choc or something, if you like, to keep you going. Don't spoil your appetite though ;)

Trekkers
Line-up so far is...

@captain_doodle
@shelley279
@wombat37
@greythorne
@AmMarvellousMe
@vickyperry
@justinreid
@DomBurf
@frak
@TizBanana
@zebreeney (tbc)
@little_mavis (tbc)
@MatronMim (tbc)

And non-tweeters Silvano and Maier.

OK then, see you all there bright and early. Fingers crossed for the weather! :)

Doodle

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Pub grub

Hello PeaksTweetuperers :)


Right then, can I have a show of hands to see who's interested in coming to the pub lunch afterwards, please, as I may have to see if I can book ahead. Our options are:


a) Yorkshire Bridge Inn http://www.yorkshire-bridge.co.uk/
This one's right at the end of the walk. Ye Olde Pubbe kinda feel and serves a smashing selection of ales but may be a tad small if we've got 12-15 people coming along. Its outside bit is rather slabby and concretey as well, whereas...


b) Travellers Rest http://www.travellers-rest.net/The_Travellers_Rest/Home.html
...has a great garden type bit to hang out in if the weather's good and is generally bigger inside to accommodate a bunch of people. It's roughly a 5-minute drive from the end of the walk. Menu seems to be a bit more extensive as well.


OK, lemme know if you want to come along after the walk and what you think of the options. I'm leaning towards option b, but let me know what you think.


Thanks


Doodle

Sunday 10 April 2011

PeaksTweetup II – 25 June 2011

Ladybower Reservoir, Win Hill walk, 7.0 miles


Roll up, roll up, for PeaksTweetup II. We're going back for more! Let me know if you're interested in meeting up for a walk and a pub lunch in the Peak District in June.


Date is set for Saturday 25 June, (with a possible backup date of 2 July if it's looking like wazzing it down, monsoon-style on the 25th). I've put out the feelers already and the potential line-up so far is:


@captain_doodle
@shelley279
@wombat37
@greythorne
@AmMarvellousMe
@vickyperry
@justinreid
@DomBurf
@frak
@TizBanana
@little_mavis (tbc)
@MatronMim (tbc)
@zebreeney (tbc)


And some non-tweeters :-o
Silvano
Maier


The plan is to set off at 9:00 and do a 7-miler around Ladybower, leaving plenty of time for a pub lunch afterwards this time! I've revisited the walk recently on a recon mission and it took me 3hrs 15mins including stops. It's a steep old start up some stone steps through a dingly dell, then onwards to the summit, but that only takes 40 minutes and after that it's along the top and down through a forest, finishing with a gentle amble alongside the reservoir. Trust your uncle Doodle, it's plain sailing once you're up there, honest! and the views are spectacular from Win Hill. A much easier trek than last time, leaving us plenty of time to get back for lunch. Anyone not fancying the walk is welcome to simply meet us at the pub afterwards (you lazy buggers ;)


Here's a rough map of the route:

The route


Ups and downs


The start point is by the dam at Ladybower. There are parking bays along the A6013 or, if they are occupied, I've seen people park on Lydgate Lane (see below)


Parking


There is a pub right at the end of the walk, so it'd make sense to go the Yorkshire Bridge Inn... (www.yorkshire-bridge.co.uk). I stopped in during the stealth recon mission and had a research pint, from their fine list of quality ales...




Right then, that'll do for now. Send me a tweet if you're interested and let me know if you're available for 25 June (or 2 July as a backup) and I'll add you to the list.


Thanks


@captain_doodle

Saturday 24 July 2010

PeaksTweetup I – 24 Jul 2010

Ladybower Reservoir, Wheel Stones walk, 9.7 miles


One fine summer's day in 2010, a band of seven intrepid members of the Rebel Alliance came together to attempt a highly dangerous run on the Death Sta... erm, hang on, wrong script... let's try that again...


One fine summer's day in 2010, a band of seven intrepid Twittererers came together to go for a bit of a yomp in them thar' Peak District hills, with a hearty pub lunch planned for the end of the trek. @captain_doodle, @shelley279, @wombat37, @little_mavis, @MatronMim, @DomBurf and @vickyperry (along with @GoodBoyBen, sadly no longer with us) set out from the Fairholmes visitor centre at Ladybower Reservoir to embark on a 9.7-mile walk, taking in Derwent Edge and its many crazy rock formations. 


Meeting up
A slow amble along the side of the reservoir soon turned into a steady but lung-busting ascent until the trails opened out to reveal magnificent views of the surrounding hills. A huge bag of sweeties, courtesy of Vicky, kept us all going as I attempted to break the Wombats with my 'little walk in the hills'. (I swear I didn't remember all those 'up' bits ;) Horrendous shoe trouble meant @little_mavis struggled with blisters aplenty, and the pace slowed somewhat, meaning by the time we got to the pub they'd stopped serving food and we had to settle for a liquid lunch. Poor old @Raycast, who was going to take the sensible option and meet us at the Traveller's Rest (www.travellers-rest.net), was left sat in a car park as we were unable to get mobile signals to let him know of the delays, and he had to go before we got there. (sorry again, Ray!) Nevertheless, despite the aches and pains, everyone had a smashing time and the weather was terrific. A great bunch of people and a fab day out, despite missing out on a big ol' pie n chips at the end. Here's to Peaks Tweetup II in 2011 :)

The route

Ups and downs