Kinder Downfall

KINDER DOWNFALL 17th AUGUST 2013

We try to get a Kinder walk in once a year and today with the car going to the garage at Hayfield it was this years turn for a walk up into the hills.

                              

We had planned to catch the bus up to the top of Chunal and take the easy route over to the down fall but a late start meant the bus left us behind so Williams Clough it was to be.

Not our favourite route but thankfully the stream was pretty low and we made a fairly swift ascent

 The heather is just coming into flower at this time of year, but our thoughts are focused on 'my thats a steep climb a head'.

 As we climbed the wind became stronger and it wasn't long before Lee put his jumper on, the wind is warm and unfortunately very humid not the best conditions to be climbing.

 

Finally we reach the top of William's Clough and joined the Pennine Way, we look towards the final ascent, the only down side was the wind! that was now blowing a gale.

 

We watched a fell runner run
 up the hill, but for us this last
steep climb doesn't  gets any
 easier and progress is slow.

Finally we reach the top and something tells us we're not the first to pass this way!

We battled against the wind as we headed towards the downfall, unsteady on our feet at times.


We decided to take shelter behind a large rock, here we ate a swift lunch before donning our waterproof jackets and heading out into the wind again.

 At the downfall the wind, now being funneled by the valley below was the strongest wind we have ever experienced, although there wasn't much water flowing over the downfall the uplift was still impressive.

   

A little damp from all the spray we quickly crossed the river before pausing a while to admire the view.

                        Kinder Downfall uplift.

We leave the downfall behind and continue along the Pennine way towards the trig at Kinder Low.

We pass this large rock balanced on only three points, amazing how it must of sat here like this for millions of years.

The landscape changes to a barren waste land at the trig
 not the most inviting of places, but
  from here you get the first glimpse of the Edale valley.



Due to a shower this isn't the best picture of the Edale Valley! thankfully the shower was brief and we didn't get wet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    From Kinder Low we started our descent back to Hayfield passing the Edale Cross (a protected medieval monument) on the way.

After the rugged terrain of Kinder it was nice to be walking on pasture fields but our feet still ached.

We walked 11.4 miles in 6 hours not bad for us considering the wind conditions.

WEEKEND TRIP TO YORK

WEEKEND TRIP TO YORK - 25th - 26th APRIL 2013

We caught the 8.30am train from New Mills Central to Manchester Piccadilly here we would catch the 9.10am train to Scarborough.

Lee tried out the dramatic feature on his new Olympus camera and captured the views from platform 13.

 Half past ten saw us arrive in York and another dramatic picture this time taking in the view of York Station and Wheel.

We had decided to walk around the City Walls and pick up a few Geocaches along the way.

A detour from the walls to pick up more Geocaches near the Castle Museum.

All Saints Church one of many Churches within the City Walls and the East Gate Tower.

Following a spot of lunch we headed back to the City Walls on a quest to find Dick Turpins Grave.

Back to the City Walls and a spot more Geocaching and sight seeing.

 

The City Walls were originally built as defences and date back to Roman Times.

Continuing are journey around the City Walls Lee snapped some more dramatic view shots.

Finally we arrived at The Minster.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Next place of interest was the Guy Fawkes Inn built on the spot where the notorious plotter was born.

Stonegate was our next port of call.

 

It didn't take long to locate the Stonegate Devil that  just happens to be a Earth cache too.

Our final port of call on Friday was The Shambles.

Complete with overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. Shambles is an obsolete term for an open-air slaughter house and meat market,1872 there were twenty-five butchers' shops in the street but now there are none.







Finally we headed to The Premier Inn on South Blossom Street and found a spacious clean room that we would recommend to any visitor to York.

 

Sunday after a fantastic buffet style breakfast at The Premier Inn we headed for St Mary's Abbey.


Stone coffins, now a garden feature.





The dark cloud an indication that the weather was about to turn inclement.

More dramatic effect pictures.

 



Being members of the National Trust our next port of call was 'The Treasurer's House', nestled behind The Minster it was once the home of 'The Minster's Treasurer'.

Dramatic view of The Minster from The Treasurer's House.

After a spot of shopping we explored some of the small alleyways.

The Barley Hall, sadly no time to explore on this visit.

Late afternoon pub lunch served on a breadboard!   

Sadly it was all too soon to head back to the train station to catch the train home but we look forward to returning soon.