Peakwalking .. the original online guide to walking in England's Peak District

A Walk in Three Shires

I consider myself fortunate to live on the edge of the peak district but only in the last couple of years have I really begun to explore the beauty of the white peak area. I usually walk with my wife, sometimes with friends, but this last weekend (June 2006) saw me going for my first solo walk.

My wife was otherwise engaged but as the weather was glorious, I decided to head out to the hills alone. My walk took me from Wildboarclough, in the shadow of Shutlingsloe, on a steep climb up the Cumberland Brook onto the moorlands near to the Cat and Fiddle. From there I walked across the infant River Dane to 3 Shire Heads (the meeting point of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire) before making my way up and over Birchenough Hill and back down to Wildboarclough.

The weather was perfect, early June sunshine in a cloudless blue sky and the route was uncommonly quiet and people-free. The walk had everything, from fast running streams and wind-swept moorland to sheep-filled green pastures and leafy country lanes. The views from the high points were the best I’ve witnessed, I enjoyed a relaxing lunch break in the sun by Panniers Pool at 3 Shire Heads and I was cried at mercilessly by over-protective Curlews and Lapwings on the moors!

Overall, it was the finest 4 hours I’ve spent in the Peak District and I’ll hopefully remember it for many years to come. I only wish my wife had been there to share it with me. And to think I’d seriously thought about stopping at home to watch an England soccer friendly on TV!

Written by David Bird, 2006

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