Easter weekend and the weather looks good, grab it while you can.
We decided to try a short hike we’ve never done before, in Buxton on the edge of the Peak District. Starting at Grin Low Park we climbed up to Solomon’s Tower and then down to Poole’s Cavern before working our way across the countryside and back round to Grin Low.
This area was used for lime pits in the 18th Century and there are still traces of the old industry that once thrived here. Apparently people used to live in the cave-like holes left in the hillside like real-life hobbits.
The Duke of Devonshire eventually landscaped the area so it wouldn’t spoil the view from Buxton, which he developing into a high-class spa town.
Solomon’s Tower was built to give work to the unemployed as one of the world’s earliest job creation schemes. Personally I’m all in favour of this idea. Think of how many castles and towers we could have if we’d kept this idea going. We’d be tripping over them. It’d be like living in Disneyland!
From the top of the tower you get great views of Mam Tor, Kinder Scout and the surrounding countryside. We found a photographer with a camera, on a tripod, trained on the tower, freezing as she waited for everyone to clear the tower for the perfect shot. I told her I’d just photoshop them out later but she was made of sterner stuff and was determined to wait. With the queue of people shuffling up the stairs, I suspect she waited a long time.
We left her with hyperthermia setting in , and headed for Poole’s cavern.
Poole’s cavern was very busy, with a mountain rescue display team strapping volunteers to stretchers and carrying them around the car park and a long line of families waiting impatiently for the tour of the caves, so we decided to leave that for another day and carried on walking. In the woods we heard screaming and soon came across ‘Go Ape’, a high rope’s course where you climb rope ladders, cross traverses, slide down zip wires, etc. We’ve done a few of these in the past but it was still fun watching people fly through the treetops below us.
Back at the car we had a picnic and soaked up some sun. The weather was sunny but there was still a bit of wind chill which kept it fresh. Overall, the walk was just enough to help us feel like we’d done something a bit adventurous and out of the ordinary, without killing us (we really need to get our fitness up), and I managed to get some nice photographs – I hope you like them?
Chris
The Adventure Within 