Club Articles 2026 – Blue Fox Walks

For those of you new to Blue Fox reading the forthcoming stories, as they build over the year, will give you an insight into what this club is all about and what we value … I hope that it inspires you to dust down them boots and explore the great outdoors(?). In reality it will probably put you off walking for life!!!

WALK ~ “The Kingdom Of The Seven Valleys” (minus two!), PEAK DISTRICT ~ 10.01.26

I have taken more people on this one, over the years, than any other walk I can recall … now established as one of our CLASSICS. It is normally reserved for just before Christmas, for a good reason. With short daylight, the object is to descend into Valley Number Six as sunset approaches. By the time we exit it, we are in complete darkness … a great (and very necessary) opportunity to demonstrate the art of night navigation.

We start at Litton in the dimness of early morning and by the time we see this quaint Derbyshire village again, it is decked in magical Christmas lights! There is another reason for selecting this venue, it is home to the best pub on the planet … the Red Lion!

At the time of writing this, much of the country is in the grips of a sub-zero shiver bout. I would have preferred to have taken the boys more locally to teach them how to tackle winter conditions and what kit is required, but we were all desperate to get this particular one ‘bagged’.

With patches of very thick snow and perilous packed ice to negotiate, progress was slower than usual. I made the decision to cut out Valleys Number Three and Four … it proved to be a canny move.

It was still anti-meridian by the time we reached Great Longstone. We normally enjoy a ‘snifter’ in the Crispin pub, but it wasn’t open on our passing … probably just as well. Onto the main climb of the day, up onto Longstone Edge. The views were sumptuous in the bright winter sunshine, which made for an ideal and natural lunch spot.

We decided to make a further short cut to avoid a very steep and narrow descent, but didn’t escape a serious (but fun) challenge through very thick drifted snow. The long finale lay ahead … I for one, was beginning to get the ‘vapours’ … with the thought of my beloved Red Lion, it eased the mileage.

WALK ~ Chee Dale, PEAK DISTRICT ~ 31.01.26

It has been some years since we have walked this one. The conditions were more akin to March (mud) than January (frozen), possibly an indication of our heating planet(?).

The start was essentially a very long riverside stretch. The river in question, The Wye, was in an angry mood to-day and heavily swollen. The waring signs were there … there were a couple of stepping stone stretches to negotiate .. I reckon we just about got away with it! Our route ran parallel to the Monsal Trail (old railway line), so we did have its security to fall back on.

Great fun was have by the children (Jon and Mareks) negotiating one watery obstacle after another.

Lunch came courtesy of Millers Dale Railway Station (disused) and we were joined by some mid-day sunshine.

I thought the tricky part was behind us, but hadn’t bargained on our next leg, Monk’s Dale. It was a very arduous stretch, made even more difficult than I remembered it by either the ravages of a storm or extensive tree clearing due to ash disease. Either way, it seemed to take an eternity to negotiate.

Some rest bite came via the paths and open countryside around Wormhill. Following a brief reunite with Chee Dale, we made the lung-busting climb up to Blackwell and an end of walk hug with our ever-faithful transport (Jon’s car!).

Here is a picture from the same place and month 16 years ago … pre global warming(?).

WALK ~ Marsden Moor, SOUTH PENNINES ~ 14.02.26

Although I am no stranger to Marsden and its surrounding moors, I have never witnessed a day with such wonderful lighting … helped by the thick covering of snow.

This walk was produced by Mark … it was an absolute peach!

We started with a very mellow stroll alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the entrance of the world-famous Standedge Tunnel. The laughter soon abated as we made the long haul up to Pule Hill … the moors looked radiant with their white coats on. The series of telltale air shafts told us we were loosely following the line of the tunnel (or tunnels).

After exploring an abandoned quarry, we made our way across the moors. There were plenty of other walkers out to-day, enjoying the rare winter sunshine. Normally, this would have posed a problem … compact ice on the paths … we had nothing to aid us (poles or grips), but there seemed to be plenty of room to accommodate all and plenty of fresh snow to safely trudge over.

At Black Moss Reservoir, we took the opportunity to indulge in a hot drink (just hot water in my case … I forgot the teabags!) … another sublime lunch spot.

The waterfall crossing between Wassenden Moor and Black Moss made for an interesting experience … the ‘stepping stones’ were well submerged under the beck.

Just as we started, our finale was on a very well established track … all the way back to base, and of course for an obligatory pub visit.