Thursday was the first time in a long while that I have managed to get out for a decent walk by myself. With my own mental health suffering as of late and Sybil recently being diagnosed with arthritis in her hips, we've been limited to short local walks and allotment duties. But having heard about the red deer lurking in the Peak District near the Longshaw Estate, I was determined to go and see them.
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| Padley Gorge |
The train to Sheffield was delayed and as a result Sybil and I ended up sandwiched between a suited businessman and an equally posh lady in a black skirt and expensive blouse. After years of taking Sybil on public transport, I've discovered that the other passengers will react to her in one of two ways: they will smile as she wags her tail and forces them to make eye contact with her, eventually resulting in them fussing her for the duration of the journey. Or they will scowl and do their best to ignore her as she inches closer and closer to them, intent on winning them over yet failing miserably. Our travelling companions on this train unfortunately fell into the latter group and pointedly brushed their clothes down as Sybil got too close to them. I would get her to sit in front of my legs only for the train to lurch sideways each time, unsettling her and making her stand up again. Our suited friends eyed her warily, frowning at the dog hairs drifting through the carriage ready to land on their designer clothes. Our discomfort finally ended as we pulled into Sheffield station where Sybil was just as keen to leave the train as I was.
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| Padley Gorge's glorious Autumn colours |
The next train in our journey was waiting for us to board and Sybil dragged me along the platform, eager to get the travelling over and get to a place she could finally be off-lead. This time, we had a block of four seats to ourselves and indeed most of the carriage, as no doubt most people were too sensible to spend such a cold day out in the hills when rain was forecast. I settled in my seat, pulling Sybil out of the way when a lady with a bike got on. This time, Sybil's magic worked and she was soon getting her much-needed attention from the woman while we chatted and soon found we had quite a lot in common. It seemed we both used walking as a type of therapy to improve our mental health. She told me how exercise and being outdoors helps to lift her mood while I mentioned how my anxiety can make it incredibly difficult to get out of the house sometimes, and how important Sybil was to me in that respect. By the time the train reached our station, Sybil was practically sitting on the woman's knee and I hastily removed my weapon of mass affection and we all left the train together, parting ways at the Grindleford Café and wishing each other luck for our respective walks.
Our route took us up through Padley Gorge, an amazingly beautiful woodland with living moss on every rock and the autumn colours offering a scene unrivalled by any television screen or mobile phone display. We've walked through this wood many times, but never at the height of this season so it was especially wonderful to see. All too soon the view opened up towards Carl Wark and Higger Tor and we headed over towards the Longshaw Estate.
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| Carl Wark and Higger Tor |
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| Longshaw pond |
It was at this point that I realised I'd forgotten something important: my camera battery. I'd charged it the night before, but in a moment of unexplainable stupidity I'd neglected to put it back in the camera. So I had a rather useless camera body now taking up space in my backpack and only my phone camera to take pictures with. I wouldn't be too upset; only, my phone camera is rubbish at taking decent photos using the zoom, and the main purpose of this walk was to see the deer which would obviously be some distance away. I consoled myself by indulging in a hot chocolate at the Longshaw tearoom before continuing the journey toward the busy A road at the beginning of White Edge Moor.
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| Everything the light touches... |
Carefully crossing the road, we joined a track that quickly became rough and uneven. It didn't faze Sybil though; she bounded along in front as easily as if she was half-mountain goat rather than half-collie. We followed the Edge to the left, enjoying the fantastic views of the Dark Peak - the green hills in the distance contrasting nicely with the bracken-clad slopes immediately below us. It wasn't long before I spotted my first deer on the horizon: an impressive-looking stag with several hinds. I was ecstatic, and happily shared my binoculars with a passing dog-walker whilst Sybil attempted to play nicely with his spaniel. I decided to carry on to the trig point after another group of hikers told me there were more deer further along the Edge; and sure enough after a decent stretch of walking, more stags appeared to my left, even closer this time. I tried my best to get a photo of them, and managed these very blurry ones after placing my phone camera up to my binoculars and using the extra "zoom" the best I could.
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| First stag |
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| A young stag with his own little harem |
Eating my lunch whilst sitting so close to these majestic beasts was easily one of the highlights of my life. I finished my sandwiches just as the weather started closing in, so with my hood firmly up and hands in pockets, I whistled to Sybil and we started back the way we had come.
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| At the trig point |
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| Companion Stones |
Walking back was a difficult slog in the wind and rain, especially with this being my first challenging hike in a long time. Running only on banana sandwiches, it was a relief to finally reach the tearoom again and I treated myself to another hot chocolate, mainly to warm my hands up, and a flapjack which of course I shared with my loyal walking companion. Although not so loyal on the way back through Padley Gorge, where she decided she would join two gentlemen in front rather than stick to the snail's pace I was setting.
Thankfully the train journey home was uneventful, as we missed the main rush hour and worn-out Sybil was more interested in curling up under my seat than seeking out new friends. A hot bath and warm food were calling me, along with my friend Adam when I managed to get signal on my phone. "Do you fancy coming to a bonfire tonight?"
Oh deer.
