Following from our walk I blogged about last year, Lola and I decided we would try and make a tradition of it. So, in July 2022 we settled on a less traumatic walk. We opted for a shorter 4 mile walk around Edale. I also set myself the challenge of shooting everything with my 55mm prime lens.

Edale train station was the starting point

We parked up at Edale train station. A great starting point with lots of options and walks. This included on up to the Peak District’s highest peak, Kinder Scout. The walk initially took us along Mary’s Lane through Edale village, past the Rambler Inn, Edale Visitor Centre up to the first photographic opportunity of the Edale Parish Church. It was the wrong time of the day and year but a potential autumn sunrise or sunset shot.

Sticking to the countryside code

We carried on up to the Old Nags Head and turned left, picking up the Pennine Way walk. The first part took us down a tree covered pathway. On display were some fantastic root formations.

When you appear from the path, you pass through a couple of gates into farmer fields. These were populated with some of our sheep friends. As such, we ensured we followed the countryside code and closed gates, keeping our distance from the sheep.

This part is a steady incline as you climb up around the base of Grindslow Knoll, but when you get to the top you are greeted with a view back down Edale Valley and across to Mam Tor. The sun was quite high, but the view and images I captured were still gorgeous.

You slowly start to descend again and we had decided to loop back to Edale by taking a left turn to continue downhill and come off the Pennine Way and cut across more fields staying on the same side as the River Noe.

After a while you cross over the railway (the first of three times) and happened into the collection of gorgeous cottages. It was like stepping back into a Miss Marple BBC Drama from the 1990s.  Something I had to explain to Lola.

It was at this point we had a decision to make. Should be carry on down the road straight back to Edale, or we could veer back onto the fields… This meant crossing the railway again.

Following the footpath signs, we meandered for short while, passing a stunning house and eventually crossing the railway line for the third and final time as we made our way back to Edale. In this instance, we were lucky enough to see a train pass underneath us.

It would have been wrong not to have enjoyed the local fayre at the Rambler Inn as well.

Another lovely day our with my eldest and even though the images were all shot handheld, with my Sony A7R mk2, and a Zeiss Sonar T* FE 55mm lens. For the most part I shot at F9, and around 1/160^th second.

Lola herself has my old Olympus PEN Digital camera and uses a 14-42 mm F3.5-5.6 lens.

We were fully prepared and had two fully charged phones on us. Despite the relative ease of the walk and lovely weather, anything can happen.

Edale, is part of the High Peak, and is part of a 50 year project set by the National Trust.