Alport Castles
Well here we are again another walk and another report. However the twist with this one was between us not a working camera. The phantom battery discharger had struck. Or did we just forgot to set the auto-power off feature. I'm guilty of the later for sure. So how come we have photos, well one of use reworked the route the following week.
We arrive good and earlier and parked at Fairholmes car park without any issues (unlike the return visit then I arrive late and it took 40 minutes to find somewhere to park near the route.)
We left the car park along the reservoir side path. The is a problem with this path you cannot see the footpath signs on the road but thankfully our route rejoined the road where we needed to take the next path.
Those of you who attended the Summer Picnic Walk will remember this ascent as it was from here we started. Thankfully the newly laid shale had bedded down and was a whole lot easier to walk up.In no time we reached the ridge and followed the path westward. When we came the crossroads with the path the hags farm, a crossroads we where going to see quite a few times this walk, we carried of and the turned up towards a ladder stile.
On the re-walk there was a rainbow but first time round the weather was overcast. Fro the stile the walk lead us through a what earlier in the year would have been a peat bog but thankfully for dry September was only slightly squashy until we came the laid path that lead us to the edge and Alport Castles.
Alport Castles is basically what was left after a landslip. The peat around the edge slipped away and the grit stone outcrop is all that's left but is very spectacular. Words don't do it justice. On the re-walk the wind was blowing in to the face of the ridge so finding the best lunch stop was interesting, a lot easier first time round.
From lunch we retraced our steps
to the descent of the ridge. Steep in placed leading to Alport farm and the a long track down to A57 and Alport bridge. The route crossed the bridge on other side of the river was easier walking. Some wanted to test their boots across the ford but soon changed there minds when the farmer's Landy went through so the footbridge was the wisest option.The view from the Roman road looking across the river and the up to Alport Castles, in the distance, is inspiring and after a short time the route turned back to and crossed the river by a footbridge to climbing back up the final ascent of the day!!
The climb up to Lockerbrook Farm / Activity Centre did not seam to follow the route. I gave up counting the left bends until finally finding the one that matched the route description. Upon which we came to the Hagg Farm crossroads for the second and final time and followed the path to the Lockerbrook Activity Centre and a return Fairholmes car park not to far away, or so we thought.
As we past the sign to Fairholmes car park we found a Forestry commission notice advising felling was taking place ahead, “sorry for any inconvenience” but no information as to where the felling was taking place or and restriction that is way have caused.
So we came to the path leading down to Fairholmes car park, the final descent and a short walk back to the car park only to find the path closed for felling.
A quick consultation of the map showed another path to Fairholmes car park but it meant retracing our route back to the crossroads yet a gain (third time lucky?). This alternative path was also closed so after further map consultation the only alternative was to retrace the start of the route back to Fairholmes car park.
All in all a great walk.
