Herb Riddle's photos

A trip to this iconic viaduct carrying the Monsal trail leads us down to the beautiful River Wye. Having walked beneath the viaduct we are traveling to the right of this scene before traversing the hill on the right to the top. The PiP (adjacent photo) shows the viaduct from the other side. Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

Taken alongside the River Wye. The Monsal Trail runs along the old railway lines, now long-since defunct.

After recently being reminded of this area I thought it was time to show this. A 2010 adventure for us exploring Gordale Scar in the Yorkshire Dales near Malham. We were supposed to climb up with the river here, like these intrepid walkers but after heavy rains we declined and got no further than this. "Gordale Scar is a limestone ravine 1 mile north-east of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. It contains two waterfalls and has overhanging limestone cliffs over 330 feet high. The gorge could have been formed by water from melting glaciers or a cavern collapse. Wikipedia" Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

Waking and riding down from Mam Tor trig point. Have a good weekend.

I am in the inside of the tunnel here at the Monsal head Viaduct end. At 487 metres long (1579ft) it can seem quite long and until recently, a very dark if not scary experience to walk through. Until Beecham’s butchering of our railway systems in the 1950’s this used to run Midland railway trains from Buxton to Bakewell. Now it is used by walkers and cyclist on this much loved Monsal Trail. It is lit up during the day but the lights are turned off after dark. See PiPs Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

Seen at the edge of the tiny hamlet of Miller’s Dale on the River Wye in Derbyshire. “Corn mills once operated in profusion along the banks of the Wye, powered by the water from the river. There has probably been a mill at Millers Dale for over 900 years. Domesday Book indicates that a mill existed in this part of the valley at that time. “ HWW, enjoy the day

We are looking down into the Monsal Dale valley in the Derbyshire Peak District onto the impressive Headstone Viaduct. In the valley bottom runs the very nice River Wye and to the right is the village of Cressbrook with Water-Cum-Jolly Dale just a little further. Its-time for us to stride down the narrow path and steps to the wooden footbridge across the river near the buildings on our right before taking the opposite bank of the river, back under the viaduct, along the grassy bank past an impressive weir and second footbridge before traversing uphill back to here and a little further to our car. Phew! The Grade II listed viaduct built in 1863 is 91m long, 21m high with five 15m span arches and was built by the Midland Railway. It is now home to the Monsal Trail for walking and bicycles. There is also quite an impressive tunnel just out of sight: the Headstone tunnel is 487m long through which the trail runs. ~ Another phone panorama! Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

The last of my series from the Derbyshire town of Buxton here. An almost winter view of the Pavilion itself used as an exhibition centre with cafe’s, craft shops and a nice botanical garden too. Far too cold to take an ice cream here and sit outside but busy enough in the summer. The bandstand is almost opposite. HBM, enjoy this Easter Monday

The date: April 5 2009, almost 25 years back to the day, at the edge of the Lancashire town of Clitheroe. A chance capture as I was taking photos of the mist and birds on the nearby River Ribble when I heard a rumble. I looked towards the cement works across the river and saw the chimney starting to topple. As the camera was in my hands and already in fast shoot mode (I was trying also to get some flying herons) I managed to catch this before it disappeared in a cloud of dust behind the buildings. It was made of concrete and 460 feet high (140m). A moment never to be relived here. BBC News: “One of the tallest industrial chimneys in Lancashire has been demolished. The chimney was part of the Hanson cement plant in Clitheroe and was connected to two kilns that were decommissioned two years ago. The fall of the chimney at the cement works, formerly called Castle Cement, was witnessed by onlookers as it dropped at 1000 BST on Sunday.” It was built in the 1960's out of reinforced concrete and was much hated by the local residents of Clitheroe because of smells and fumes (refuted). It was in fact surrounded in most parts by beautiful rural countryside. Enjoy full screen HAPPY EASTER

Having climbed to the trig point just behind me, the next step is to walk the entire top ridge to the top of the hill on the far right corner via Hollin's Cross by the plantation (small woods) you see and then the normal goal of 'Lose Hill 476m' (notes) From there the real hiker heads down to the village of 'Hope'. We on the other hand only managed to get to the flat section below here before turning back to retrace our steps as the weather was closing in fast. As can be seen, much of this path is now laid in stone to stop further erosion by the many hikers. Enjoy full screen.

The Pavilion Gardens in Buxton is very nice but it also has some attractive walks on its edges. This fence shows the view over the ‘Serpentine Walks’ and its weir along the River Wye. Sorry not to have my target sight exactly on the weir here, I made the mistake of concentrating on the bit of fence itself. Have a good weekend. Happy Easter to all my viewers.

After being reminded of this castle we visited in 2016 by our friend Roger (Grisly) I thought I would take another look through my collection to see if I had others to post. Here is one that I particularly like. Castle Stalker, standing on a small Island in Loch Laich off Loch Linnhe between Oban and Fort William in Scotland. Built around 1320 this is one of Scotland's most scenic castles and indeed historical small castles being held by both the Stewarts and the Campbells. Rogers offering: www.ipernity.com/doc/grisleyreg/52375786 Have a good day.

A rare internal fence entry this week featuring just part of the magnificent stairway in the reception area of this grand hotel. The stairs and banisters went up another two floors and I regret not getting more photographs now. Located in Buxton, the highest market town in England (over 1000 feet above sea level), the Hotel is a popular and much loved historical focal point of Buxton’s culture. Dating back to the 19th century, the Palace Hotel is rich in history and is one of the largest hotels in the Peak District.The Palace Hotel and Spa, built in 1863, became a key feature of Buxton’s skyline and consisted of 122 rooms. The building and its surroundings were very impressive, mainly due to its sheer size, stretching over more than five acres. Set in stunning landscaped gardens, the Palace Hotel featured an internationally admired ball room, luxury gardens fitted with croquet lawns, and a tennis court. The hotel also provided its guests with hot and cold water in each room, which was revolutionary and an advanced amenity during the late 18th century. After several years, the hotel became the first building in Buxton to be equipped with a telephone, a feature that was not only a luxury but rare in most hotels across Britain, and was given the number 22001. ps It is also reputed to be haunted! PiP Have a good weekend.

A steep flight of stone steps gets us up here from the west side as we look along the ridge to the east. A spot to Raleigh the troops and stop for a breather before the bigger challenge in front of us. A wide panorama via my iPhone here. Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

Another Peak District view from near Castleton. The road here runs through the narrow and steep pass. A nice hike can also be made through here. Winnats Pass is a hill pass and limestone gorge in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. The name is a corruption of 'wind gates' due to the swirling winds through the pass. It lies west of the village of Castleton, in the National Trust's High Peak Estate. HWW, enjoy the day

A glimpse of this fine ridge walk, clearly seen here. At 517 metres high there are fine views as well as good walking. An hour or so before I took this, the ridge was completely covered in cloud. The summit of Mam Tor is just behind me here. “Mam Tor is the main link between the eastern end of Rushup Edge and the western end of the Great Ridge, making this one of the most-loved ridge walks in the Peak District National Park. On a clear day, you can even see Manchester! Mam Tor is also referred to as the ‘Shivering Mountain’ because of its propensity for landslips caused by unstable lower levels of shale.” Full screen essential. Enjoy the day.

Just a week ago I posted another bandstand here from St John’s, Canada (PiP) . Here is one much closer to home but no less attractive. We are in the Victorian Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, always a great pleasure to walk through and admire. This bandstand was erected in 1997 to the memory of Don Redfern (1921-1991) - conductor, player and promoter of brass bands This years concerts: paviliongardens.co.uk/events/burbage-band “The old bandstand platform is all that is left of an ancient Celtic temple. It was described in 1755 as having an octagonal base and a faint inscription appearing as 'Aeona'. It was concluded that the temple was dedicated to either Epona (goddess of horses) or more appropriately Apona (goddess of healing waters). When Edward Milner remodelled the Pavilion Gardens in 1871 the 2,000-year-old temple was demolished and only the base now remains.” To be honest, I am not sure if we are seeing the original base too but….. HBM, enjoy the week

We are in fact not going up and along that edge, rather we are hiking in the opposite direction (to my back) up to the summit of Mam Tor. However Rushup edge looks like a great walk too but for us today, a little too steep –maybe another time. The path to the summit known as Lord’s Seat is the highest point on Rushup Edge, part of the ridge that extends to Lose Hill. The hill reaches a height of 550m and is also the highest point on the ridge as a whole. Enjoy the day.