Goyt Valley & Shining Tor

I drove us to Errwood Reservoir and, still half asleep, drove half way up the car park to park, forgetting that we’d be coming back along the road at the bottom – doh!  Set off along the road towards Shooter’s Clough Bridge in glorious, very bright(!), sunshine.  Just past the next car park we turned up the hillside and began the steep climb up the side of the valley.  It started off steadily, became pretty damn steep up to the gate, then levelled off a bit.  Two guys came up behind us, steadily catching up, but they disappeared down into Shooter’s Clough as we climbed on up alongside the wall.  At the next junction we had fantastic views south over Shutlingsloe and we turned right, heading northwest to the very top of Shining Tor, from which there were more spectacular views.  It was also a rather busy spot, as we discovered as we sat to sit and eat our butties.  It was also darn cold!  I ended up keeping my gillet on as we headed north along the ridge, because the wind just cut through you.  It was something in the region of two miles all the way along to Pym Chair, where we stopped for another brief drink/butty stop.  We saw the lady Park Ranger yet again – she must spend every Saturday up there!!Following the road, we dropped down quite a way and took a footpath off to the right to pick up the end of Foxlow Edge, above the small ‘pepper’ pot folly.  This is “a small shrine or chapel, erected by the Grimshawe family to the memory of Miss Dolores de Ybarguen, a Spanish aristocrat who was the teacher at the estate school and governess to the Grimshaw family who died on a visit to Lourdes” (source Wikipedia).  We followed Foxlow Edge, with stunning views across the valley and up into Shooter’s Clough, although taking photos was difficult shooting straight into the sun.  I was hoping that we would drop down somewhere near the ruins of Errwood Hall, home of the Grimshaw family, who had an estate of 2000 acres, but in the end we came down on the wrong side of Shooter’s Clough stream.  By that time I’d really had enough anyway, but we had a pleasant wander back along the road to the car.