I wanted to have a bit of an easier walk this time, nothing too strenuous or arduous, more of a relaxed easy and chilled out time.
So instead of heading out to my usual hilly spots I decided to go to a place that I hadn’t been to for quite some time, it was a place I was familiar with, having spent several summers in consecutive years camping in the area with my children when they were very young.
The area around Stanton Moor in Derbyshire has a great deal to offer, paths litter the area, and there are several natural features to explore as well as several stone circles. An ideal spot to have a walk, a camp, and to just relax in lovely surroundings.
I began my walk on Saturday morning in the village of Birchover, and headed downhill on a path that lead through some old woodland to the main road where I crossed over and and then headed back uphill. The path took me to the Hermits Cave area and also to Robin Hood’s Stride, both geological formations that stand proud of the surrounding landscape. After spending some time exploring both of these features, chatting to a couple of fellas I met there, a spot of lunch and a brew, I headed back out on a circular walk that brought me full circle back to the path I had started on in Birchover.
After a rather nice refreshing pint of a local brew in The Druid, I headed back uphill to where I had parked to pick up my kit so that I could head back out to find a decent spot to pitch up for the night. It was still fairly early in the afternoon, but that was ok because I wanted to have a bit of an explore of the area and go back to the Nine Ladies stone circle I have visited many times before.
As the afternoon wore on I began pitch hunting in a part of the moor I hadn’t been to before, but unfortunately had no luck, but onwards and upwards as they say. I ended up in some very old, and now overgrown quarries. The area is a labrynth of twists and turns, and sharp drops which are potentially very dangerous if you were to lose your footing. Definitely not an area to walk around in the dark for sure.
However, after some exploration I managed to find what I thought was the perfect spot in the bottom of one of these old quarries to pitch the Lanshan for the night, and settle in before it got too dark. Once pitched the first order of business is always to get a brew on the go while bedding etc gets sorted. Personally I like to get the pitch sorted and ready for sleep asap so that I can relax with a hot cuppa and take in the events of the day, and just enjoy the surroundings.
As the sun started to set hunger made it’s presence known, so I got my dinner on the go and opened the collapsible bottle of red wine I usually bring with me, and poured myself a mug of Nero D’Avola (a nice Sicilian wine) to drink as I watched the light diminish around the campsite.
This is very often my favourite time of any camp, pitching is done, camp is set up, food on the go, and a nice drink of a good red……time to relax and take it all in. Nothing to do but listen to the sounds of the night, and if possible a little bit of stargazing while tuning in to your own thoughts and reflecting on the day just gone.
Most of the time I sleep like a baby when I’m in a tent, after all these years I’m still not sure why, but this was no exception and I felt relaxed and refreshed when I woke in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It’s not unusual for me to wake long before sunrise, probably because I sleep so well, but at 4am ish I woke, took care of morning routine, and got a brew on the go. After watching the sun rise through a cloudy sky with my brew in hand, I had breakfast and then explored a few of the twisting passages between the old quarries in the dim light of dawn.
An interesting area for sure, and one I’m going back to very soon. During my exploration of the area that morning I found several spots for a pitch that are not only a bit further out of the way, but a little prettier than the one I was in as well. I think that this is now one of my favourite spots for a quick gettaway and an easy relaxed camp. An awesome place for sure.
Having geolocated the camp in my navigation apps, I packed up, made sure I had left no trace, and headed out across the moor to where I had parked, and with a great sense of peace I began the journey home, having had exactly what I had wanted from the start.
I intended to have a nice relaxing walk and camp, and that is exactly what I got.
Until next time.