Creswell Crags

Sal had been visiting her parents in South Yorkshire and being the kind person I am, I said I'd pop down and pick her up and we'd explore another one of her favourite beauty spots. This time it was Creswell Crags on the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire border and what a gem it turned out to be.

We meet up in the Red Lion at Todwick where she excitedly showed me her new collection of vintage cameras which had been rescued from her mum's loft and also the old family clippings her Grandmother had collected over the years. She intends using these for a blog and also for evidence to research her family tree. Her enthusiasm was so infectious, it got me hooked on the idea of doing mine.

So we had a drink, the sat nav was set and for once it took us to our destination problem free.

Archaeological and environmental evidence excavated from the Creswell Caves show how the area witnessed dramatic changes in climate at the edge of the northern ice sheets and was populated by Ice Age animals such as hyenas, mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, and migrating herds of reindeer, horse and bison.

Significantly the caves provided shelter for nomadic human groups through a crucial period of human evolution between 55,000 and 10,000 years ago. Stone, bone and ivory tools from the caves reveal Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupation, in addition to portable and recently discovered 13000 year old engraved rock art figures of deer, birds, bison, and horse. This evidence connects the Ice Age human cultures at Creswell Crags

The crags are situated in a wooded vale and surround a man-made lake. All the caves have bars across their entrances, presumably for health and safety reasons and probably to stop vandalism as well. There are guided tours but I should imagine they are only done in season or by pre-booking as there didn't seem to be anything happening whilst we were there.

 Sal described them as "caves for posh cavemen" and I could see why. because each cave was set aside from the next just like our modern day detached residencies. All the trees were in their warm autumn colours but its was just a shame there was no sunshine to lift those colours that's all.

 We did a circular walk of the site which was very impressive even though a lot of the Crags are hidden behing trees and undergrowth these days. All the caves had names, one being Robin Hood's cave. Well we are in Nottinghanshire after all! They like banging on about him coming from these parts but as all us Yorkshire folk know, he was infact a true Yorkshireman and came from Loxley near Sheffield.
                  
We then called into the Visitors Centre for a coffee and a tat shop explore before setting off for the Dukeries Garden Centre Complex which Sal's mum assured us was just at the far end of the car-park, through a small wood, across the road and straight in front. That's the last time I will take directions from her!

There was a carpark, there was a road, there was a small wood and there was a bridleway on the other side of it but it didn't lead directly to The Dukeries. We ended up wearlily walking in a massive circle before finally finding the Garden Centre. If only we had walked a couple of hundred yards up the road then it would have been directly infront of us.

I think we were both a bit too tired to really enjoy looking round the centre and also we were getting pressed for time as it was starting to get a bit dark. Anyway we eventually got back to the car and set off back to the Red Lion to have something to eat and heading back home up the M1.

Sal had a chicken burger and I tried the piri piri chicken which was served on a sizzling platter. Dont ask me why but I decided to touch the platter and for my stupidity  I recieved at least second degree burns on my finger. Of course Sal offered all the compassion and sympathy that I would expect from her with such words as "spanner" "nob" and "top hat" being thrown my way.

In the ten or so miles between Creswell Crags and the pub, I did manage to get horrendously lost even though I had the sat nav on. When it said "take the next right turn" I did. What it really meant was "take the next right turn after this right next turn"!! Following numerous right and left turns on dark county lanes we ended up on the main road which goes past the end of her mum's street so we were back on track.

After the meal, we reluctantly we set off back up the M1 for West Yorkshire. In recent weeks, Sal has taken me to three of her favoutite local spots which she used to visit in here childhood. I've really enjoyed all three and I'm getting to really like The People's Republic of South Yorkshire.

Enjoy the photographs.

What the area would have looked like.

Information board

 

Entrance area to the Crags

Sal pointing the way :o)

Lake and Crags

Lake and Crags

Young  Swans on the Lake

Autumn colours around the Lake

Sal exploring

Sal smiling

One of the crags.

Crag detail

Late flowering flower

Welcome to Creswell Crags.

Creswell Crags

Sal posing.

Another late flower.

Autumn colours.

Autumn colours

Autumn colours and the crags.

Autumn colours by the Lake

Stream leading to the Lake

Inside the Visitors Centre

Inside the Visitors Centre.

On Fleetwith Pike with the Good Captain.

The last time me and Capt Dave were on Fleetwith Pike it was bloody miserable. The cloud was low, we could only see a few feet in front of us and there was a cold dampness in the air. I told him that day how beautiful the view over Buttermere was and that I would bring him back up in fine weather.

At least the weather was better today albeit not perfect.  We parked up in the YHA car park at the top of Honister Pass and set off up the old tramway path as far as Drum House which is where Moses Trod leads off to the left. We took the right hand fork which went over boggy grassland to the old slate mine working on Fleetwith Pike.

Buttermere and Crummock Water

The Moses Trod path got it's nickname  from a man called Moses Rigg, a Honister quarry man. He distilled whisky, conveying the illicit liquor down to Wasdale Head in loads of slate. Whether this was in pony panniers or a sledge is not known. His ‘still’ must have ranked as the highest building in England for it was located quite incredibly at the top of Gable Crag which is high up on Great Gable!

Close up of Buttermere and Crummock Water

The path winds its way through the old quarry workings with its many slag heaps and mining relics and is never difficult anywhere. At one point you get a direct view down between the crags to the Honister Pass over a 1000 feet below which is quite an airy position. Shortly after that, the path gives you it's first view over Buttermere (above). The day was overcast but there was just a bit of sunlight on Mellbreak so I stopped at took a couple of photos.

The Good Captain on the sumit

The path then makes it's way gently up to the top of the fell. The cloud was just touching the tops of the high fells but the view was still pretty spectacular. Looking North you have Buttermere, Crummock Water and the tip of Loweswater below and to the right of Buttermere are High Pike, High Stile and Red Pike.

Shaft of light on Windy Gap

Then to the west is mighty Pillar. Unfortunately the light was so bad that we couldn't make out Pillar Rock or any great detail. Then it's round to Kirk Fell and the unmistakable top of Great Gable with Haystacks in front (above). I was lucky enough to get a shaft of sunlight beaming down between the two high fells which looked just like a spotlight on a stage. I suppose that is what it really was but the stage was Nature's stage. Moments like that always have me scampering for my camera. Usually they have disappeared before I can get it out of my rucksack but today I was lucky.

Great Gable from the summit

We were joined on the summit by a family who had climbed the Fell via the ridge from Gatescarth which is much too steep and exposed for me these days; give me the gentler routes anytime. They disappeared along Fleetwith Pike on the path we came up on which was a bit of a strange way back as they would have to walk down the Honister Pass road to get back to their original starting point. They seemed young and fit enough so we left them to it.

Sunlight on Robinson and Hindscarth.

The sun then made a guest appearance on Robinson and Hindscarth which was only a fleeting one but it did stay there long enough for me to take a photo (above). You can just see Causey Pike in the gap with Skiddaw behind it.

Fleetwith Pike summit

We sat down to take in the summit view and to share a coffee plus have a quick snack before setting off back along the path we came up on. Dave always brings me a bag of Mini Chedders and shares his Mars Bar and coffee bless him. I usually just provide the navigational skills!

Honister Pass

At the old quarry works we decided to take the old, steep mine road which zig-zags back down to the pass which you can just make it out in the top left hand corner of the photo (above). For a road it is bloody steep but it gets you back down without incident. One more shot of the pass and it was back to the car.

Of course we could have done the walk via the Via Ferrata  which means 'Iron Way' in English. It is literally a series of exposed scrambles amongst the crags linked by metal ladders leading to the summit of Fleetwith Pike which starts off in the old mine workings high above the pass.
http://www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk/via_ferrata_at_honister.asp 

...........or maybe not.