With the good Drs Ali and Crowe opting for Huddersfield climbing wall Mr Tuckle decides to take advantage of the last of the snow before the thaw. Deciding against Black Hill I opted for a trudge up Pule Hill, a much safer bet on my own.
The lane leading up to the A62
Some interesting snow drifts have formed on the old farm track
My initials peed into the snow. Some people never grow up. I blame the parents
I don’t think anybody will know which way I came
My foot disappeared down a snow covered hole. Looking back I realised I had wandered too far right and had ended up over the gulley with a stream in the bottom. As I tried to push myself back out with my left foot it too began to slip down the bank into the gulley. Waste deep, I scrambled out. Realising that the conditions were a little too rough to be tackled alone I broke open my flask, had a coffee and made my way back down.
I put my time to good use by building a snowman which, on reflection looks a little scary. His name is Jim. Follow snowmanjim on twitter
I bade Jim the snowman farewell and set off for home
After all the trudging through deep snow it was good to be back in the village.
“Black Hill is most northerly of the three great gritstone and peat plateaux which dominate the Dark Peak region of the Peak District. Smaller in area and lower than either Kinder or Bleaklow it is nonetheless a remote and bleak place to be in bad weather” – Peak District Information
That said, we are all experienced with map and compass, we know the area very well (and how to get off in bad visibilility), were suited and booted correctly and were carrying a couple of rucksacks full of emergency equipment… Oh and Dr Crowe had his cheroots.
Ey up Sharpy, Dr Ali, The Prof and Dr Crowe
We arived in Holme – the start of our walk – slightly late due to a puncture and some misdirection by me. More snow was falling and the Prof and Sharpy were already there waiting for us. After gearing up we set off just before 9pm. With visibilility aided by the snowlight the slog up Issues Road (track) was done without head torches. The row of dead moles pinned to the barbed wire fence like washing on a line made for a slightly eerie sight. I can only assume that this is how the farmers around Holme warn off any other moles thinking of encroaching on their turf.
Things started to get interesting at the end of Issues Road where the snow deepened and the path disapeared under it. After crossing the stream we stopped to check our course but Dr Ali and Sharpy were doing a fine job of navigating and we were soon heading up the steeper section leading to the Pennine Way. With the snow ranging from ankle to almost knee deep my tired legs were soon longing for solid ground. It never came. The snow just got deeper.
Dr Ali’s excellent navigation skills found us at the large cairn which we knew was at the top of the main path before the last summit section. After several false summits we came across two small sticks pushed into the snow which Dr Crowe aptly named the slalom gate. The chaps who came up here on the New Year’s Day run recognised these as being close to the summit trig point. After 2 attempts to find the trig point from this location we decided that enough was enoough and – not wanting to create so many foot prints so as to confuse our route off – we set off back down.
I was dissapointed to have not found the trig point but soon realised we had made the right decision. The 12 inch deep footprints that we had left in the snow on our way up only 20 minutes earlier had all but disapeared. The snow, so fine and powdery that it felt more like fine sand, coupled with the strong wind and further snow fall had completely covered our tracks. Again Dr Ali, compass in hand, led us expertly and safely past the gulley and down to where we knew we were on safe ground and we soon found ourselves on the trudge down Issues Road and back to the cars completing another fine adventure.
Full credit to Dr Ali for this one. The rain started as he arrived at my door at 8.45. My lightest waterproof in the back of the car which had been taken away to be repaired, I had to brave the elements in only a windproof top – Ah well! It wouldn’t do to be getting soft now would it?
To Tunnel End and then up the relentless but enjoyable slog which is the north side of Pule Hill. The rain stopped but the going underfoot was wet and boggy. Talk was of twitter and running in the dry but it’ll never happen. Nearing the top of Sentinel – though difficult to be accurate as my head torch batteries were on the way out – we were hit by a blast of rain and wind which stayed with us until we reached the summit. Dr Ali’s trusty hip flask, furnished with a fine drop of Jura was enough to raised spirits and we set off east towards Worlow to pick up the ‘bumpy ridge’ back towards Marsden.
We stopped before the farm and decided not to wake the dog but to cut off towards Old Mount Road. Standing in the full moon it seemed like every detail was visible turning the ‘bumpy ridge’ into an eerie moonscape. We were soon back down the hill, into the village and back home having enjoyed a fine nocturnal run.
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