Calver High Rake RFM Blue Line Walking with my brother

 Calver High Rake 

RFM Blue Line 

Walking with my brother

18/10/24

Another Derbyshire walk.

The weather at the start was very foggy through Sheffield and over the tops but as I descended into Calver I broke through the fog into clear air. 

Peter had already arrived in this very pretty atmospheric village where parking was suprisingly easy. The route out was straight up the valley towards the fog.

Past the mist enrobed houses and onto a leaf strewn damp path.

Looking over towards Stoney Middleton it was difficult to see anything and though I wanted to point out the unusual church I couldn't see it.

The trees, grassy lane and foggy atmosphere is just wonderous. The black fungi called King Alfreds Cakes because it looks like burnt cake was a first for me. (I googled it at home.)

The trail followed the valley where outcrops of limestone are pretty much everywhere.

What a wonderful tree.

The stream on the left of the path was incredibly clear. The rest of the path was running water so it was like paddling through a brook. We moved out of Coombs Dale into Rough Side. (love the names)

The hill on the left seemed to have lots of signs of human activity of some kind or another. The path was still going uphill. This walk is literally 3 miles up followed by 3 miles down.

Peter pointed out that we could go up this path and over the sadlle to the lane beyond. We decided the original route was better as this was too much of a shortcut. We also had a discussion as Ellerby, the geography teacher, would have loved Peter's use of the term saddle. The 2 teachers Ellerby and Hunt (Holgate boys of a certain age will recognise them) often crop up in our observations as we remember lessons from our youth. 

The bird is a Brambling though it looks a little like a robin. There were a few of them dodging around a big stone and some bushes. This one stayed still long enough for me to just get a photo.

The quick sand was luckily fenced off. The lane opposite is Black HarryLane where we were last week. These are my favourite walk meeting points when one walk just kisses another. In this case the kissing happened at the top of Black Harry lane (If you know what I mean).

Crossing Longstone Moor we shared a field with a few black cows. 

Looking back towards Eyam we could see the mast on the top of Eyam Moor. On the right Longstone Moor is mainly fields.

We reached the turn for home just before the top of High Rake so started looking for a coffee break stop. 

Looking south from just over the top of High Rake towards Great Longstone and the hills yet to be walked.

The old quarry at High Rake is huge and very deep. The road skirts its southern edge.

Looking west towards the farm at a place called Bleaklow (not the one in the High Peak) the fog was still engulfing the hills above Calver.

At the high point of the quarry wall on the opposite side of the road at Bleaklow is this small enclosure with similar aged trees. We speculated  as to its origin but in the end just decided to admire it.

More photos of the quarry but it really is very impressive.

We passed the industrial heritage and could see Froggatt in the the valley below. The view over Peak Pasture towards Calver Peak where the aerial is was a picture of Englands green and pleasant land. Near here we waved to a pair of ladies out walking but they were going back up the hill so we did not chat. On this walk these were the only people we saw. We did not see any dog walkers so I have no doggy stories this week.

 

Very quickly we were down off the hill over the road and back at our cars at Calver. 

As we have been used to much longer walks this 6.5 mile walk seemed short and easy but ascending 1371 feet on anywalk is not to be sniffed at. Although a bit of a straight up and down walk this was still very enjoyable with lots to see and keep our interest. The bird sights included the brambles, kestrels, a huge rook flock, a suprised crow and some very high flying migrating geese as well as plenty of the every day larks, robins, blackbirds etc etc. Loved it.