Report on Thursday 27th January walk

!3 of us gathered here for a second Thursday running, to further explore the delightful countryside south of Peak Forest. At the end of the short track leading to the old dam, we headed off across a number of fields of Loose Hill to then briefly join a tarmacked section of the Pennine Bridleway. The obligatory midday coffee stop was taken in sunshine on the minor road leading down to Dale Head, and we then followed a track, with beautiful green moss on its stone walls, above Peter Dale and more fields towards Hayward Farm. The only [very minor] deviation off the planned route occurred here [a definite lack of signposts didn’t help, with only the presence of stiles indicating the way]. Now confidently back on track, there was a brief lunch stop before taking the road leading down to Peter Dale and then heading north along its length, followed by Hay Dale, Dam Dale and different paths across fields and even more stiles back to Peak Forest. Did anyone count the number of stiles on this walk today? They were particularly numerous and quite challenging in their height, or with wooden bars/wire to step over, some with steps missing, others covered with mud/cow-poo. Perhaps that’s why the paths across grassy fields are not very obvious, because some walkers are avoiding this area due to all these numerous and difficult stiles, but we are a mountaineering club and we certainly rose to the challenge today! Thank you all for your company, and the support from those also clutching maps or spotting distant stiles for me, on this [as usual] un-recced walk. GPS said we walked either 7.3 or 7.4 miles.
Vanda Boyd