a Peak District ramble

I took the opportunity to show a fellow photographer around our local countryside. Omega is visiting the UK from Chennai in India where he helps to run two childrens homes. He is here visting sponsors at poynton high school and contacts at the Macclesfield based charity "India Direct".  Anyway as luck would have it for me.... his occupation..... professional photographer. Well Ok the walk will do me good, but you never know I might get some photography tips along the way.

I wanted to show Omega some varying landscapes... lowland, moorland and high peaks.
The itinery: Axe Edge Moor, Chrome Hill, Parkhouse Hill, Ramshw Rocks, Cat & Fiddle, Threeshire Heads, Danebower, this was all dependand on the weather and the time.

We started off passing the Cat & Fiddle early morning, this would be our meeting place with Liz & Helen for lunch, we were heading straight for Parkhouse and Chrome hills via Axe Edge moor. Red Grouse are now setting up there winter territories and therefore are very visible and vocal. Omega was suprised to see such a stunning bird at close hand. He muttered a few disconcerting words about leaving his telephoto lense at home but was happy to take charge of mine and took some stunning shots of a this male:

What a fabulous bird! We were able to witness at close hand a very shy and secretive bird preening, something you wouldnt normally see, so to get a shot of it was just priceless.

So as they say... "onwards and upwards", well not quite, the next location is the fabulous twin peaks of Parkhouse hill and Chrome hill Nr the village of Earl Sterndale. Not particularly high but prominant and spectacular most definitely! From the dizzy heights of Axe Edge Moor you look down into a valley at the hills, Chrome hill looking from this angle like a sharks tooth, not until you get closer and from another angle does it look like a stegosaurus.

                                                       Parkhouse hill is equally impressive

having climbed these peaks on many occassions I didnt push Omeaga any further and we declined the climb!. In the partially flooded fields along the roadside were 2 Golden Plover, a dozen or so Lapwings and a single curlew.

Next stop was the nearby Ramshaw rocks situated very close to the Roaches. Great light made for some super images, Omega looked like he was on top of the world!

                                                         it really is a stunning landscape

One last place of intrest before we meet up for lunch... the beautiful Threeshire Heads (where Cheshire, Derbyshire & Staffordshire all meet). It is said that the bare-knuckle fighters used this place to stage their fights and avoided arrest by simply stepping into the next county to continue beating the living daylights out of each other!

and of course this time of year the colours look spectacular making the walk through the valley even more special. On the way back we followed the river Dane and walked back via Danebower quarry. Kestrels hunted overhead while Stonechats flitted in front of us from the heather to the drystones walls and back again.

Sorry Omega if the walk back from Threeshire heads became more of a race than a ramble... time was not on our side!
Once through the valley you reach the imposing Chimney at the now disused Danebower Quarry

looking back from the car you get this fantastic panoramic view of the Danebower valley looking towards the Threeshires and Cut-thorn hill.

Lunch at the Cat & Fiddle was only spoilt by the predicted heavy downpours that cancelled the afternoons activities.

Omega I hope you enjoyed our fantastic landscape on your whistle stop tour of the high edge.