Curbar Edge

After our healthy walking adventure the other day, Kathryn and I had arranged to have another walk today, weather permitting.  And what an absolutely glorious day, completely betraying the fact that the first day of autumn has already been and gone. 23 degrees and set to get hotter.

I picked Kathryn up at 11 and headed out into Derbyshire.   I've been along Curbar Edge many times, it's one of my favourite places to walk, but never done a proper 'round' walk there.  We usually head off around the edge until one of the girls moans that they have had enough, then retrace our footsteps.

We parked on the road just a little way down from the curbar edge car park, and headed off over the fields towards the Wellington Monument, an imposing stone cross which hovers over the edge of the moor keeping a watchful eye on the town of Baslow below.  We passed a herd of highland cattle but rather than avoid them like we did last time, decided to keep on going right through the middle of them.  They look docile enough despite having huge horns that could do a lot of damage should they decide to use them.

Once at the monument we hung a right and headed off over the fields back to the road, and over onto Curbar Edge.  There were lots of abseilers out today, many more than I've seen on a weekend.  Curbar Edge is a prime spot with it's imposing gritstone boulders for abseiling enthusiasts.

We picked our way downwards through the boulders onto lower ground and headed back towards the road.  We stopped for lunch sat on a rock in the blazing sun.   I've recently started a Weight Watchers regime so the walking has come in handy as you get extra points for every 10 minutes of exercise you do - woo hoo.  Consequently my lunch consisted of a piece of Leerdammer Light squashed between two pieces of wholemeal bread (no margarine), a banana and a small carton of pineapple juice.  It was enough though and I shall use up my extra points for a nice big tea later.

We crossed back over the road and followed the valley back along towards the Wellington Monument, although at a lower level and finally traced our tracks back to the car.  We'd covered about four and a half miles.

At the beginning of the walk we'd seen what looked like a small concrete sculpture just sat there in the middle of the field, in the middle of nowhere. As it was in the middle of the herd of highland cattle, we didn't investigate until the end of the walk when we passed it again, and thankfully the cows were elsehwere.  It turned out to be a sail, inscribed on one side with the words:

Canvas to all points

graze the azimuth

from 1709 to 2008

Quit the tide

to see you right

I have no idea what that was all about so looked it up and it appears that the stone is part of a series of Companion Stones.  There are 12 stones in total, all designed by artists and poets from the Peak District, and all situated as place markers throughout the national park.  Like the guide stoops of old that were waymarkers, these also mark the way, but rather than to a physical journey, they mark the way to an uncertain future. Sounds all a bit deep and mysterious doesn't it.  You can check out more here

I think I may have a little walking project to find the rest of the stones on subsequent walks, although, unbeknown to me, I had already encountered another of the companion stones back in January