Thursday walk 19 September 2019 report

The weather was perfect: warm, dry and sunny. There was
barely a cloud in the sky, no wind to speak of, and the air
was wonderfully clear. Eleven members set off from Barber
Booth car park, accompanied by a couple of dogs. A few
fallen leaves were the only indication that summer had been
succeeded by autumn.

After the railway bridge, we left the road heading to Chapel
Gate; the normally boggy section of this path seemed boggier
than usual. The ascent of Chapel Gate spread people out a bit
but we regrouped at the top for our coffee break, admiring
the view of Kinder to the north, while in the other direction
lay Chapel-en-le Frith and beyond. Enjoyable though it was
to linger here, munching and nattering, we eventually got
going again, taking the gradually rising path along Rushup
Edge to Lords Seat. The Tumulus marked on the map is
actually a Bronze Age burial site known as a bowl barrow. It
is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is fenced off to
protect the rare intact archaeological remains it is thought
to contain.

Descending from here we were on the narrow ridge stretching
over to Mam Tor all the way to Lose Hill, with stunning
views to either side. At Mam Nick we joined the crowds,
heading up to the top of Mam Tor and then ambling down to
Hollins Cross, and being overtaken by a party of young
heavily laden D-of-E-ers. A flock of house martins was sighted
at one point. By this time, hunger was beginning to make
itself felt and so a grassy hollow overlooking Kinder and
Edale, just below Hollins Cross, was chosen for our picnic.

It was so pleasant here, it seemed a shame to go down, but
it had to be done, and the last leg of the walk took us on
the slanting path to Greenlands Farm and finally through
fields back to Barber Booth.

The lovely weather, great views, and wonderful surroundings
must make today’s walk a strong contender for the best
Thursday walk of the year.

Andy