(Special) Sunday 16/02/14 - A View from Outside

Photo Blog Off Duty - Sunday 16 Feb 2014

A View from Outside

My on duty patrols are limited to within the Park boundary, however, Lyme Park is an amazing base for walks venturing outside the boundary. When my wife and I headed up to Lyme Park for a walk I thought I would share a few views from outside the Park to the South.

route: Within the Park - track behind the stables; alongside Hampers Wood; alongside Lantern Wood; Right along Boundary wall to high view point; exit Lyme Park at Bowstonegate Farm.

Outside the Park

route: West along the ridge path to Sponds Hill (follow Gritstone Trail signs)

Great spot for our sandwiches and flask of coffee sitting on a low wall looking South.  East Cheshire with Derbyshire to left and Staffordshire in the distance.

 Looking back to Bowstonegate Farm along the ridge track.

.... and looking the other way (into the sun)

 view West to the Cheshire Plain. Can't see on photo but Jodrell Back is central and distant vague hills to right are over the Welsh border.

 ...and looking East the Kinder Plateau is just visible at the back left of centre.

 

We're under a high altitude cross over point here with European and trans-Atlantic traffic. They look like meteor tracks today.

Manchester with Winter Hill behind.  So clear to the city that the change in colour of the Beetham Tower half way up could be clearly seen.

Apologies for the blob in the middle. Annoyingly, an internal lens on this camera became fogged with condensation in the wet weather on my last on-duty patrol and it doesn't seem to be clearing.

route: Join Bakestonedale Road; turn right and follow road for about 1.5ml;  after Old Brickworks Industrial Estate, turn right into track to Moorside Farm.

 

..just what are the Children grazing on?

route: Follow track to right of farms to Keepers Cottage; follow diagonal path left avoiding Moorside; follow obvious path., eventually descending until meeting road by Chapel; Take surfaced track immediately right to West park Gate.

 Closing in on the Park again, a different view of Paddock Cottage and The Cage

Gorgeous colours in Cluse Hey and Park Moor looking back to Bowstonegate Farm. 

The ridge where we ate our sandwiches is to the right of the Farm looking the other way.

 A Pleasant green track as we descend toward the road near West Park Gate to re-enter Lyme Park.

route: Re-enter Lyme Park via West Park Gate and return to the main Car Park along the drive.

The Main Car Park was rather different to my quiet Wednesdays. The number of visitors on this first sunny day combined with the water logged state of the grass made parking all these cars a challenge. An impressive team of Volunteers were using their radios to excellent effect to make the best out of a bad situation and, as a member of the public on this occasion, I extend my thanks to them.

I do however despair and at the inability of so many drivers to reduce damage to the grass by applying simple driving skills*. I suggest that next time a supermarket car park is snowy and quiet they should practise starting in 2nd gear on poor grip. It is also a good opportunity to deliberately feel a slide so that when you encounter one on the road you don't panic at the alien feeling. (*My Views - Nothing to do with the NT)

GPS track:  7.09 miles  11:46-15:35 (3h 50m inc' stops)