Millers Dale to Edale: LEJoG Day 30

A last day among the dry stone walled fields and dale's of Derbyshire before starting the Pennine Way.

Part of Limestone Way running between characteristic limestone, dry stone walls.

Although overcast the lower temperature today made for pleasant walking on the Limestone Way. As I crossed the plateau, on tracks bordered by walls lined with the white florets of cow parsley, green fields bounded by the dry stone walls typical of the area stretched in all directions. Classic Derbyshire walking. Also typical of the county are the dales. I was led through Monk's Dale and Hay Dale this morning, but the highlight was Cave Dale, which dropped me down on a rocky, uneven path into Castleton. The dale has steep slopes or limestone cliffs each side. A castle ruin looks down from above.

Tourists were climbing up the path towards me, parents encouraging their children to keep going and stop moaning, or else discussing the rocks and caves with to their offspring.

Cave Dale on the approach to Castleton, note the castle in the centre of the skyline.

Castleton itself was bustling with visitors, sheets describing nearby hikes in their hands, I watched them over a morning coffee and cake. In my younger days my family and I had visited many of the caves in the area, famous as a source of a mineral locally called "Blue John", which is a purply blue fluorite. The Castleton cave now seems to have been "sexed up", now called the "Devil's Arse", not a name used in my youth.

Leaving Castleton, viewing the long line of cars parked beside the road, the Castleton car parks being full, I climbed over the ridge of Mam Tor, today a popular walk. Leaving the summit to the crowds with their children, picnics and shorts I headed down the other side to Edale. In the walls the blocks of limestone had now been replaced by grit stone, which marked a change in the landscape and the end of the Dales.

Edale was a key milestone, the start of the Pennine Way, Britain's oldest National Trail. I had checked a few days ago and all the campsites in the village were full, and indeed as I past the one mainly used by walkers, a sign confirmed there was no room. However, a man by the gate said I could stay, being a single backpacker. So now I am camped near a brook, freshly showered, my washing drying on the fence behind me, my power pack charging from a plug in the laundry room. A relatively short walk today but it sets me up for following the classic daily stages of the Pennine Way.

In the evening I visited the Nags Head for something to eat. To order you had to scan a QR code, find the wifi password, create an account, work through various menus, provide your credit card details, etc.. Took me ages, and the food then took ages to arrive, if I had know what a pain it was going to be I would have had a tin of tuna at the tent, especially as the place is full of children, one or two noisy and coughing. The parents are trying hard to keep them amused.