Tags
butterfly, caterpillar, eyebright, harebells, heather, Hen Cloud, painted lady, Peak District, Staffordshire Moorland, walking, wild flowers, yarrow
We didn’t have much time for walking on our last full day in the Peak District as we had packing, tidying and cleaning to do as well as taking our awning down. The ideal walk had to be a short walk and one that was near at hand so we returned to Hen Cloud. It is just a few minutes drive from where we stay and once there, within quarter of an hour we can be away from the road and up high, looking down. We try to do this walk every time we visit the Peaks and when we stay there at the end of May/beginning of June we use it as an evening walk. It is great to be at the top of the hill at 9.00 pm with the sun still shining and the swallows and martins flying round us. Peregrines nest in the rock crevices of the hill and their calls mingling with the sound of the wind blowing across the tops fills me with such joy.
This time the walk was done during the afternoon in the second half of August so no nesting peregrines and not too many swallows and martins either.
This is the view from the place where we parked our car.
This last day of our holiday was warm at last and quite bright too. Before setting off on our walk I noticed these flowers by the side of the road.
Some very pink Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis agg.)
Hen Cloud
The path we choose to walk up isn’t the steepest of the paths to the top, in fact it is a nice steady ascent – just right for two middle-aged, not very fit people.
The Roaches seen from the path up Hen Cloud
Ramshaw Rocks seen from the path up Hen Cloud
We had never been to the Peaks when the Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was in bloom before. The pink-purple flowers with the bright green grass was very beautiful.
This is the path we usually take to the top. You can see Richard is quite a way ahead of me.
Ramshaw Rocks seen from the top of Hen Cloud.
Tittesworth Reservoir
View from Hen Cloud.
We saw this rather battered and faded Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui)
I saw this caterpillar making its way across a rock. I can’t identify it.
All too soon, it was time for us to return to the car.
We saw these Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) on the way.
Our last view of Hen Cloud from the road.
The following day we got up very early and drove to Sheffield to collect Elinor from Alice’s house. We only stayed for a couple of minutes and were then on the road back to our camp-site to hitch-up the caravan and then set out for home.
Thanks for visiting!
A Suffolk Lane 