A nice stroll round NW upper Derwent, an area infrequently visited on our walks. Eleven hominids and one canine packed into 3 cars at Fairholmes and drove up to King’s Tree.. We welcomed Rick, back on his annual visit back to the UK from Hokkaido, and introduced John and Kathy (and Poppy) to the delights of the upper moors. Our walk took us in a loop up the Derwent valley to Lower Small Clough, then up and over to the Westend valley and back down to the road, with just over a mile back to the cars. On the way we passed though a nice variety of stream valley, high heather moor and lower woodland. From our coffee stop just before Lower Small Clough we observed a DoE party coming down beside the clough, but we met no-one else until back on the road. The stream valley by the shooting cabins provided a pleasant sun-trap for lunch, along with a puzzle in working out the function of the grid over the stream, and we were reluctant to leave the spot. Further on it was clear that the track up from Westend has been widened to allow service to the cabins and butts, giving a scar on otherwise lovely hillside, but at least it provided a clear route down to the Westend river and through the plantation to the road. Three stream crossings were made without mishap, and no-one minded the slightly over-long route (8.2 miles by GPS). Even the weather turned out better than forecast, with a cloudy but dry start turning to mostly sunshine as we went. Thanks to everyone for coming along.
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