A week ago I parked Clint in the village of Shatton near Bamford before plodding up the hillside to a telecommunications mast that overlooks The Hope Valley. It was a mile of solid uphill walking but I have found that if you breathe steadily and take shorter steps there is no need to pause on such a walk. Patiently, you just keep going.
By the time I reached the mast there was sweat on my brow. A couple were sitting on a grassy slope nearby, admiring the view. I kept going across Shatton Moor and then onward to Brough Lane. From there you get great views of Hope Cement Works (see top picture).
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| A view of Bamford in The Hope Valley |
Some people bewail the presence of this industry - considering it to be a blot on The Peak District landscape. But I recognise that the modern world needs limestone-based products and families in the nearby villages of Hope and Bradwell need work. Living, breathing national parks need to be part of the real world. It's not all about rental cottages and biscuit box lid scenery.
A posse of girls on horseback trotted along the upland track as I descended to Elmore Hill Farm where spring lambs frolicked. And then on to Upper Shatton and along the narrow lane that leads you back to Shatton. Cowslips and primroses bloomed on the grassy banking of ancient hedgerows and more lambs sheltered with ewes in the shade of a copse because it was an unseasonably warm day.
Across the ford and back into Shatton where I took a bottle of water from Clint's boot and swigged it down in one great gulp. It was like breathing air.
There are always those who complain. It becomes a pastime with them...and so many don't realise it is also a display of their ignorance.
ReplyDeleteSome people's whole reason for being seems to be to knock others. It is easy to do that when they never stick their own heads above the parapet and actually do or say something worth noticing.
DeleteToo many factories are closing and being replaced by housing estates. People need industry and jobs.
ReplyDeleteAs we step into the future, the artificial intelligence we have created is already threatening historical notions of work.
DeleteAnother nice walk!
ReplyDeleteDo you have Yeti cups in Yorkshire? They are stainless steel cups and tumblers that keep beverages hot or cold, depending on what you put in them, of course. I love mine so much. When I walk I leave my Yeti in the car with ice water in it and when I get back from my walks it waits for me, the water as cold as can be. One of the joys of my life.
Yeah. I don't lead a very exciting life.
Simple is best Mary. My son bought me a stainless steel flask for Christmas and it keeps drinking water very cold. I have never heard of Yeti cups but I will Google them.
DeleteDo you never take your water bottle along for the walk?
ReplyDeleteLike you, O.K. and I usually do not pause when we walk or hike uphill. We simply keep going at a steady pace. I had to stop last September, though, when we were climbing one of the highest peaks in the Bavarian Forest. Arriving on the top felt good, and we rewarded ourselves with the water and snacks we had brought in our rucksacks.
Yes. I do take water sometimes but this walk was only about five miles long so I knew I could wait till I got back to Clint. I am sure that the peak you climbed in Bavaria was much more of a challenge than my climb to the mast.
DeleteAs industries go, I don't think those cement works are all THAT intrusive. Not like a strip mine! You really do get amazing vistas in your part of the country.
ReplyDeleteYes. We are blessed Steve. The Hope Valley is very close to Sheffield.
DeleteAll that plodding up hill is great exercise.
ReplyDeleteThat's how one should look at it.
DeleteIm wondering how one gets under a corpse for shade....
ReplyDeleteFirst you have t flatten the corpse with a steam roller and then tie its limbs to four trees - preferably in a COPSE!
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