23 October 2024

Energising

Yesterday, I needed to get out for a walk. I drove fifteen minutes west and parked Clint on Ringinglow Road in the lee of Higger Tor. From that one vehicle parking space I took the picture shown above. You can see the spire of Hathersage Church as you look beyond it to The Hope Valley.
I was on the edge of Hathersage Moor where I followed the path to Over Owler Tor - an outcrop of the base rock which is millstone grit. There I sneakily snapped the picture shown above of a couple sitting on top of the tor. Perhaps he is asking her to marry him.
There are two or three curious rock formations at Over Owler Tor like the one shown above. Beyond it you can see Higger Tor - a rocky plateau that was once used as a hill fort in the mists of time and long before Romans occupied our land. The swathes of bracken you can see are now brown for the winter but a vibrant green in the late spring and summer.
An iron grey cloud rose in the west as I headed along another moorland path towards the big sheepfold on the edge of the moor. I saw four deer grazing amidst the bracken. They looked at me warily but were too far away to photograph successfully.
My camera zoomed across to Overstones Farm below Stanage Edge. I have taken many pictures of that scenic farm from different viewpoints, in different seasons and in different light and weather conditions.

The walk was over in less than two hours but it was energising to get out there under the sky in that October light amongst the bracken and the rocks where many have gone before...

52 comments:

  1. Glorious photos!

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  2. For future photography of marriage proposals I recommend you get a bit closer :)
    I guess you have to make the most of walking before the winter sets in?

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    1. We can go walking throughout the winter but the days are much shorter.

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  3. I love that countryside and those stone outcroppings and the farm. Gorgeous,

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    1. We are lucky to have this on our doorstep.

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  4. I know exactly what you mean about needing a walk, and it being energising. Those moorland paths are great - I doubt I'll ever walk them myself, but I'd love to.

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    1. I would love to walk with you on some of those moorland paths but you would be ahead of me yelling, "Hurry up Neil!"

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  5. It's a comfort to know all this exists. There's so much building going on all around us at the moment that it's easy to think that there is no country side left.
    I wish I could go out walking but my body disagrees.
    You have a real talent for photography.

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    1. I forget Christina, have you got some physical condition that restricts your walking?

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    2. Unfortunately i have degenerative disc disease. Lower discs, sacral and lumbar, are affected. There's many more awful diseases that i could suffer from. I used to have my own horse and ride miles every day. I mustn't complain. Lifes still good!. Xx

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    3. Sorry about that Christina but I applaud your upbeat attitude.

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  6. A delightful walk with lovely sights. I did a fair bit of walking myself, but in the city with it's concrete and glass and people everywere.

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    1. Could you get a bus or train out of Adelaide and walk in more rural areas?

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    2. We don't have paths crisscrossing farmlands as you do, it's all privately owned properties mostly and I don't fancy getting lost. I could bus to smaller towns and walk around those, but the travel time means leaving the cat alone too long and she gets anxious.

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  7. I'm especially impressed by the first photo.

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  8. It looks like perfect conditions for an autumn walk.

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  9. The tors are very similar to the Cornish ones, undercut by glaciers of time I suppose. I have a very touching photo of the marriage proposal my romantic grandson made to his love. And apparently he went down on one knee.

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  10. How autumnal everywhere looks - but a perfect day for a walk in glorious countryside.
    You old romantic! The cinic in me thinks that the man may not be proposing, but telling the girl he can't see her again, his wife is beginning to suspect!

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    1. SHE: Ah well, never mind - I can always get another bloke online. I'll get a ginger one next.

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  11. It looks beautiful countryside. A bracing walk will do you the power of good, but make sure your phone is charged in case you need it.

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    1. What phone? I don't have one.

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    2. Given your high blood pressure it would be prudent to have one with you in case you feel ill while out walking and need to contact someone. I know you are anti smartphones but I thought you did have a basic mobile phone.

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    3. I have never been prudent Addy. I thought that only Chancellors of the Exchequer could be prudent.

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  12. You live in a truly beautiful place, Neil.

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    1. And that wild countryside is so close to us.

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  13. Wonderful views. It never ceases to amaze me that there's still so much countryside in Britain in spite of it being so densely populated! (I watch a lot of the British TV show 'Escape to the Country'...)

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    1. I sometimes watch that programme here and you are right there is indeed a lot of countryside between the towns and villages.

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  14. Those photos are beautiful. You truly live in a very picturesque place. And just a 15 minute drive away!

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  15. I have rarely walked in your area so have enjoyed your photos over the (many) years. Quite different really from all my walks in Wales and the Lake District. The scale is totally different to Scotland.

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    1. There are two Peak Districts - The Dark Peak and The White Peak - so different.

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  16. They look like an established couple. I bet he was asking if she had remembered to bring the snacks.

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    1. One thing is for sure - they would not have been talking about Harris v Trump!

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  17. You live in a most beautiful place.

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    1. It is nice to be so close to pretty wild country.

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  18. Thank you for taking us along, a wonderful walk.

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    1. You might have saved me a couple of sandwiches David!

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  19. Looks like an amazing walk! I always like your pictures of the countryside in this Stanage Edge area. Is there an Under Owler Tor?

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    1. No but there is an Owler Tor in the valley.

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  20. Wow! That's a glorious view, Neil! I love the giant stones poking out of the ground. I think that hike might be too hilly for me. Looks like you had a wonderful day!

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    1. I think you would be okay Ellen - stopping for a rest whenever you wanted.

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  21. Ohmygosh...that beautiful countryside. I'd want to hike all day long. You're fortunate that it's so close to you.

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    1. I have walked every path in that vicinity more than once.

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  22. To me the names are interesting. I always wonder about the origin of the names. There are so many words like tor that I have no idea what it means. I'm setting you up for another post!

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    1. "Tor"...The word "tor" is a noun that comes from the Old English word torr and the Middle English word tor. It was first used before the 12th century and means a high, craggy hill. The word is thought to come from the Old Welsh word twr or tẁrr, which means a cluster or heap.

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  23. The Mists of Time could be the title of one of your future poems! Thanks for the lovely walk!

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  24. Stunning scenery. I bet it's bracing when the wind blows, and bleak on a cold, dull winter day. It's good to see the changing of the seasons, though.

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