White Peak Walks Vol 1 Northern Dales

Guidebook of 28 walks ranging from half a mile to 10 miles in the Peak District National Park south of the Mam Tor Ridge and north of Youlgreave. The central part of Mark Richards' “trilogy” on the Peak District covers the area south of Edale. Mainly day walks, in Mark’s wonderful pictorial style.

This book is an invitation to the healthiest recreation of all – walking in the countryside. It provides the perfect alibi to escape from routine and breathe deeply of nature’s bounty; to unwind and see the beauty on its own terms. Where better than the subject area of this central Peakland guide? It comprises both gritstone moors and edges bordering the northern limestone uplands – a deeply incised dome with dry valleys and narrow wooded gorgelike dales running crystal streams.

The Northern Dales are a delightful blend of pastoral landscapes, densely patterned with lichen- covered grey drystone walls and extremely well endowed with narrow walled lanes, packhorse ways and footpaths. Some ‘thoroughfares’ are in frequent use, whilst others remain, despite the popularity of the area, seldom trodden, making this the ideal location for recreational walking. The onus is not on ‘bruising hillcraft’ but rather on the more gentle reflective pace of the observant countrygoer who prefers to be entertained by a ‘whole landscape’ experience. Here the diverse palimpsest of history feeds the imagination with relics and remains of man’s former endeavours; fulfilling his physical needs from a thin soil poorly suited to cultivation and digging yet deeper to remove wealth from its rocks. Native flora and fauna too have clung precariously to sheltering dales and limestone crevices against the tides of change that inevitably sweep across the land.

This book presents a broadly based selection of walks from which both the first time visitor may derive insights and the habitué gain new perspectives on the unique form and fabric of this, the first National Park in England, established in 1951. The White Peak, in particular, is a prime target for ‘daytrippers’ and holiday visitors alike, who teem along the highways and byways and converge upon picnic sites, almost in every season, when the weather gives the slightest encouragement.

The Pennine hills have long laid claim to the hearts of every outdoor-loving Englishman and woman! Yet it is principally where the carboniferous limestone core is exposed, as in the Yorkshire Dales and White Peak, that the landscape responds to the radiance of sunlight giving a warm glow enhanced by cloud shadow through the shifting seasons. When the High Peak moors are ruled out of bounds by summer drought or winter storm the glories of the Northern Dales of the White Peak come into their own. Indeed, with so much fascinating country to explore, isolating the most satisfactory walk to suit you personally can be a problem at any season.

The twenty-eight walks in this guide have been carefully selected to give at least a good afternoon out with thought given to sensible car parking and potential refreshment halts. Personal stamina and inclination determine whether a given walk is just right or needs to be lengthened or shortened, with the support of the O.S. Outdoor Leisure Map 'The White Peak’ as an invaluable aid. Do not overburden yourself with a big pack and wear lightweight walking boots rather than shoes. Be prepared for rain or chill winds even if at the outset this looks unlikely. Carry energy-replenishing refreshment: a fruit juice drink and a bar of chocolate will suffice admirably.