Mud Mud Glorious Mud (Thursday 14th Jan walk report)

Well it wasn’t all like that ,but there was quite a bit of wallowing in it after we crossed the river by Bamford Mill ( appropriately enough following our descent of the track to the Mill called “The Hollow”).
There were 10 members plus a new face,Marianne ,an old friend of Vanda’s. We set out from Ladybower and completed the initial traverse of Bamford Edge with the usual great views of Ladybower, Stanage & Bamford village.
As Bamford Clough remains closed we took the alternative path to Bamford village and so to Bamford Mill down “The Hollow”. On reaching the weir we found the dam overflow was spewing water in an alarming torrent. With some trepidation we edged our way down the side before crossing the main torrent and so onto the stepping stones which were well clear of the stream.
Over the bridge the wallowing began .Initially through flooded fields and then on the shoulder of Win Hill itself.
Finally through the mud we headed up the last section of the ridge on snow covered heather and bright sunshine, but with a strong wind with a few degrees of wind chill.
Tackling the summit from the west we enjoyed glorious all round views with Kinder & Mam Tor in a mantle of snow.
The descent to Ladybower followed with more boggy sections in the wood, followed by the walk over the dam wall and so back to the cars.
Basically a good day out with lovely views and a welcome taste of winter.
Mike