Friday, March 18, 2016

Peak District – Three Shire Heads & Shutlingsloe

In this video I parked at the Cat & Fiddle Inn and then headed over the moors towards Danebower and the old Colliery Chimney. After skipping over the very wet and boggy ground while following the river down stream I arrived at the border between Staffordshire, Cheshire and my beloved Derbyshire. Three Shire Heads is a fantastic spot and it is here that those 3 counties converge as the names suggests, It’s well worth a visit and is the perfect place to stop for lunch or even just a breather. There was already another photographer there so I chatted to him while shooting a few time lapses of the waterfalls.

Danebower Colliery Chimney

Danebower Colliery Chimney

Three Shire Heads

Three Shire Heads

Three Shire Heads

Three Shire Heads

After relaxing a the waterfalls for around 30 minutes and soaking up some sun I ventured in to Cheshire and then up and over the hill towards Shutlingsloe. I was very pleased to hear one of the most distinctive sounds of the warmer Peak District months, the call of the Curlew which is a ground nesting bird that heads back here after winter. That sound can only mean one thing, spring is here and I can stop packing my down jacket when camping :-)

Have a listen to the sound of the Curlew

three-shire-heads-shutlingsloe-4

St Saviour's Church, Wildboarclough

St Saviour’s Church, Wildboarclough

After climbing up and over the moors I dropped down to very picturesque Wildboarclough. The sun was well and truly out to play and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was nice and peaceful as I walked down past St Saviour’s Church towards the bridge of Clough Brook. I turned left and then sharp right up Banktop Road to begin the climb up towards Shutlingsloe.

Shutlingsloe

Shutlingsloe

Shutlingsloe Summit

Shutlingsloe Summit

After a nice sharp and steep ascent I arrived at the summit of Shutlingsloe. It is a very satisfying trek up and the views are well worth the effort. Sadly, it was a little hazy today so I couldn’t capture the vistas fully in the video or in the images.

Shutlingsloe Summit

Shutlingsloe Summit

After a short lunch break near the trig pillar I headed back down hill once more and continued along Banktop Road where I’d branched off earlier. The path weaves along the hill and then down to the river before you have to venture through Clough House Farm, I waved hello to the rather vocal dogs who were guarding the farm yard and made my way over the road to begin walking up Cumberland Brook.

Cumberland Brook at Wildboarclough

Cumberland Brook at Wildboarclough

I felt like I was in my element today, the sun was shining, the air was fresh, I was walking in the hills and all of a sudden I was walking through a pine forest. I was enjoying the day so much I decided to record an AudioBoom which you can listen to below.

After another nice climb out of the valley I was back on the path that I’d walked along earlier that day up near Whetstone Ridge, it was then only a short wander back to the car at the Cat & Fiddle Inn. If you would like to follow the route you can do so by downloading my GPX Track via this link at the ViewRanger Website.

The Cat and Fiddle Inn is the second-highest inn or public house in England (the Tan Hill Inn being the highest)

The Cat and Fiddle Inn is the second-highest inn or public house in England (the Tan Hill Inn being the highest)

Three Shire Heads & Axe Edge Moor Wild Camp – https://youtu.be/V0mfvorrj1k
Shining Tor & Goyt Valley Walk – https://youtu.be/19vkwrI2jik
Download GPX Route File – http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/gpx/2489691
Subscribe to my channel – http://bit.ly/YouTubeDeanRead

All music by Dean Read. Footage shot with a Canon EOS 7D DSLR with a Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens, a RODE VideoMic Go Microphone with a RODE Dead Cat Wind Protector and edited in iMovie.



from Dean Read dot net « Dean Read dot net http://www.deanread.net/blog/2016/03/18/peak-district-three-shire-heads-shutlingsloe/
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