Day 41: Thorpe to Taddington (15.1 miles)

With the alarm going at 7am we were down for breakfast as soon as it started at 8am. Don’t ask me why it took until 10 to start walking but I clearly went into relax mode!

Dovedale is gorgeous. This morning has to be one of my best. I felt relaxed, buoyed up by seeing the girls and now Martin and, with a combination of exercises and Martin’s massage gun my glute was feeling much less tight and ready to go.

I had to steady Martin to a slower pace so I could warm up but the natural beauty around us did more for that than I could.  A heron peacefully fishing was undeterred by us stopping to watch. And then a pair of dippers, obscured by flood debris became bold, continued to feed and swim while we watched fascinated by their movements. By this time we had left the beauty of the stepping stones behind and joined a National Trust ranger as she walked the path picking up litter left behind over the bank holiday.

She told us of the story of “Lover’s Leap”, a woman on hearing that her lover was dead flung herself off the high rock, only to be caught by her petticoats by the undergrowth and rescued. She then discovered that in fact her lover was still alive. A fortunate twist of fate.

As we continued we saw another dipper, preening himself in readiness for a photo shoot … we couldn’t believe how bold he was, even as a couple with two Labradors walked past. It was also good to see a pair of grey wagtails, similarly emboldened, continuing to hunt up and downstream.

The path contoured along the valley and suddenly two large caves appeared on our right - the Dove holes. And I was surprised to see a dipper fly out - it seemed too far above the stream for it to have chosen to nest here.

We arrived at Milldale - and importantly Rosy’s Cafe where we picked up coffees and cake. This was a place where it felt time had stood still - a milestone lay on the steam as well as evidence of a weir. Shortly after Martin turned back and I continued my walk, aiming this time to finish a bit further at the A6 allowing me to get to Edale and the start of the Pennine Way the following day.

I was thrilled at the junction to Biggin Dale to spot a pair of peregrine falcons nesting on the cliffs above and spectacularly taking food one to another mid-flight. A stunning sight. I heard an owl further up the valley - most likely a little owl as it was during the day. Almost a purr as well as a meow, followed by a  spotted woodpecker drumming in the background.

Continuing along the Dale, there were lots of wood anemones, cowslips and celandine on the grassy slopes. It reminded me to look out for orchids - we had seen some lower down in Dovedale but I didn’t see any further.

The next task was joining the Tissington Trail which contrasted greatly with what had become a very rocky path along Biggin Dale. What I had noticed was how distinctive as glacial U valleys these upper dales had become compared to the gorge lower down.

But the afternoon became more straightforward following the gradually inclined old railway and then lanes all going through wide vistas of the upper limestone country of Staffordshire and then Derbyshire.

I was pleased to extend the walk to the A6 making tomorrow’s destination to Edale more feasible given that Martin was to take me back to his mother’s tonight. I met a cyclist who was on his 5th day going from Bournemouth to Manchester and just looking for a wild camp spot. We compared notes before I continued down to the welcome sight of Martin coming to meet me. An excellent day - and feeling much more confident that physically I was on the mend.