April 2026 Coast to Coast prep

 I've had a frustrating year so far with regardsto walking / hiking due to the tendonitis injury on my right foot. I came back from the last walk with Rowan and Ben with a sore heel and outside of foot. I mad an appointment with a doctor in Belper (NHS doc but this was paid treatment), and for the last few months I have been doing daily stretches and wearing insoles with a wedge on the outside right of my right foot. It is still painful but I have started doing some training walks to get 'match fit'. I have the option of a steroid injection, and I nee to make a decision before 5th May.

Monday 6th April Shining Cliff woods / Cromford canal

Parked at Ambergate and followed normal route anti-clockwise.

6 miles . 2 hours 40 minutes. Ascent 637ft

Friday 10th April Shipley Park 

Down Bell lane and loop back round past the visitor centre

5 miles. 1 hour 40 minutes. Ascent 321ft

Saturday 11th April Horsley Castle

Normal route - Smalley -Woodside - Horsley - Coxbench - Horsley Castle - Brackley Gate - Woodside - Smalley.

7 Miles. 2 Hours 22 minutes. Ascent 808ft.

Sunday 12th April. Shipley Park

6 miles. 2hours 12 minutes. Ascent 525 ft

Tuesday 14th April. Woodside - Shipley Park

10 Miles. 3hours 45 mins. Ascent 758 ft

Wednesday April 15. Shipley Park

With Jess.

4.5 miles. 1 hour 42 mins. Ascent 312

Thursday 16th April Shining Cliff Woods Crich

9.7 Miles. 4 Hours 12 minutes. Ascent 1478 ft.

Saturday 18th April Stainsby common - Shipley Park

6.7 miles. 2hour 26 mins. Ascent 460 ft.

Tuesday 21st April Horsley Castle - Shipley Park

10.2 Miles. 3 Hours 51 mins. Ascent 1089 ft

Friday 24th April Sawley Loop with Rowan

7.3 miles. 2 hours 32 mins. Ascent 131 ft.

28th April Chatsworth Birchen Edge Gibbet Moor

11.4 miles. 4hour 44 mins. Ascent 1506 ft.

29th April Shipley Park

8 Miles. 2 Hour 48 mins. Ascent 640 ft

Steve taken ill - having to take some days out of prep to travel to Yeovil Hospital,

Sunday 3rd May Horsley Castle - Shipley Park

8.8 miles. 3hours 33 mins. ascent 829 ft.

Monday 4th May Kedleston 

3.1 miles. 1 Hour 14 mins. Ascent 217 ft

Tuesday 5th May . steroid injection - followed by 2 zero days

May 8th Shipley Park

5 miles 315ft elevation 1 Hour 46 Minutes

May 9th Woodside - Shipley Park

8.7 Miles. 3Hours 25 Minutes 695 ft Ascent

May 12th Mam Tor - Rushup Edge - South Head - Brown Knoll - Rushup Edge

10.3 Miles.4hours 20 Mins. Ascent 1719ft

May 13th Shipley Park

4.68 Miles. 1 Hour 27 Mins Ascent 328 ft

May 14th. Sawley - Trent Lock

3 Miles . 1 Hour 4 mins Ascent 67ft

May 15th Shipley Park

3.52 Miles . 1hour 10 Mins Ascent 264 ft

May 15th Sawley  - Trent Lock - River Trent

7.7 Miles. "hour 53 Mins. Ascent 90 ft

Baslow Edge, White Edge, Froggat Edge , Curbar Edge 29/12/2025

 Last hike of the year. Anti-clockwise from the NT car park. 

Lovely crisp, dry winters day with Ben and Rowan.

Turkey sandwich and mince pie for lunch !!

Great to get out with Ben and Rowan.  About 8 miles

Matlock High Tor 11/12/2025

 I had planned to drive out to Baslow but on the spur of the moment decided to stop at Matlock /and do the section of the Derwent Valley trail along the cliffs. I did this a few years ago as part of the Rowsley to Belper leg. I parked at the pay and display next to the Derwent halfway between Matlock and Matlock Bath. 

I headed along the road back to the centre of Matlock, and then headed through tthe park following signs to Pic Tor / War Memorial. The trail from there was straightforward with a spur of the track to visit the war memorial.

Riber Castle

War Memorial with fantastic view of Matlock

I stopped at High Tor for a bite to eat and then went to have a look at the start of Giddy Edge - a narrow ledge along the cliffs with a 2 - 3 hundred foot drop. It has a hand rail but I took one look and didn't fancy it !!!. However, I am compelled to go back and attempt it.

After High Tor the track starts to descend down to the cable car terminus and the A6. It was just a short walk back to the car park from there.

A modest , but enjoyable 3 miles. I think next time I do this I'll add a loop back along the cliffs on the other side of the A6.

North Norfolk Coast 29 30 31 October 2025

 we had a couple of days stay at a nice hotel in old Hunstanton (Le Strange Arms). No actual hikes but some lovely walks along beaches and wildlife reserves.

We walked along the beaches at Hunstanton, Brancaster, and Wells by the Sea. At Titchwell there was a RSPB reserve which we visited with some brilliant hides with views across the wetlands. No pics from here - we just took the binoculars.

On the journey back we stopped at another RSPB site - Snettisham near Kings Lynn. When we got to the coast the mud flats were so expansive that we couldn't see the sea. On many of these walks we came across the Norfolk coastal path which is part of the national coastal path. I quite fancy trying this - 80+ flat miles , quite often through nature reserves.

A brilliant couple of days. We have decided to definitely visit this area again.

Monsall Head Ashford in the water 5th November 2025

 It is a few years since I have done this walk , so it was nice to get out to this part of Derbyshire again. Unfortunately, I got lost in Great Shacklow Wood. Because the floor was covered in leaves I lost the track. By the time I realised this I checked the map and found I was higher up the hill than the track. I thought if I headed downhill I would eventually meet the track. It was very steep and slippery and there was a lot of bramble to fight through. Anyway, I didn't find the track and ended up back down to the A6 where I had about half a mile of road walking before OI hit a footpath sign which got me back onto the trail on the edge of the woods.

view from bridge at Ashford on the water

Wier on the River Wye 

Lovely walk, apart from losing the trail and ending up on the A6 !!. About 6.5 miles. OS OL24.