Froggatt Edge......finally!

There are a series of edges, all following a similar geological path to the east of the village of Hathersage in Derbyshire. The edges are in the Dark Peak section of the Peak District and include Stanage Edge, Millstone Edge and Froggatt Edge. These three edges have been popular for many years, for more than one reason. Firstly, they were quarried for their grit stone to make millstones. The more recent is as a place for rock climbers. These edges see a lot of climbers, I myself having climbed at Stanage on numerous occasions, albeit many years ago. I've previously walked both Stanage and Millstone Edges, but not Froggatt Edge. I cured that shortfall at the weekend.

 

 

 

My day started quite early, at the northern end of Froggatt Edge, in the National Trust car park in Hay Wood. I headed south across the A625 and onto the path that leads to the edge.

 

 

There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, although deeper the higher up you went

 

 

 

Visibility wasn't great, although it was adequate from a navigational standpoint. As far as photographs went, it was a bit limiting. Although as far as the temperature went, not far above zero degrees, it was a good level for me to walk comfortably in.

 

 

The walk along the edge is fairly clear as far as paths go, and to be honest, reaching the other end doesn't take long, around 90 minutes or so. From the far end of the edge I continued on past Baslow Edge. I then turned west down below Baslow Edge where the villages of Curbar and Calver were in view and started to follow the Bridleway north.

 

 

 

 

This Bridleway continues in a generally northerly direction along the front of Baslow and then Froggatt Edges. But I have to warn you. A roughly half mile section of this path is a mud bowl. The recent snow and the properties of the soil here probably caused it, but the going was very slow.

 

 

 

There were signs that the weather here had been particularly rough on the surrounding woodland with many trees down or broken.

 

 

 

 

It also looks as though these woods have more than the usual occupants. I guess that since the trees nearby have had so much damage this lean-to must be quite recent.

 

 

 

Once I got out of the mud bowl and worked my way back up towards Froggatt Edges northern end the path became a more interesting prospect.

 

 

 

At the top of the path you are faced with part of the cliffs of Froggatt Edge. On the ground was a Grindstone that appeared as though hewn from the rock where it stood.

 

 

 

Lighting and the time of year meant that colour was a rare commodity when photographing the rocks. So for that purpose, and because I wanted to experiment, I have converted the photographs into black and white, with a few contrast tweaks.

 

 

 

I stopped off in this area for half an hour or so, a great opportunity to test a new piece of gear. A review will follow this blog. I also got the chance to watch the next generation of Andy Caves and Chris Bonningtons practise their free climbing skills for a while before moving on.

Back up on the tops the snow was well on it's way to thawing, although there was some that stubbornly remained higher up on the way back to the car park.

 

 

 

I'll be returning here in the summer. There are some points of interest I want to see, and the views should be spectacular minus the mist.