Above: It seems a long time since I photographed this walk. It was one of those rare days of full sun and clear skies that makes the valley such a very special place. As I write, snow has started to fall outside my window. And the forecast is for another seven...
Above: The walk starts from beside Buxton’s famous Opera House, before heading across to the ancient packhorse bridge which now spans the Goyt, and once stood in the heart of Goyt’s Bridge, before the hamlet was submerged beneath the waters of Errwood...
Above: The evocative ruins of Thursbitch, in the shadow of the ridge line between Cats Tor and Shining Tor high up to the left. The first time I tried to follow this walk my phone battery completely died, leaving me with only a vague idea of the way back. It happened...
Above: All the walks on this website are now on ViewRanger. Click here to view them. Walking apps have become increasingly popular over the last few years. Keen walkers say they’re no replacement for an OS map and compass. But until I get lost on some wind-swept...
Above: It seems a few years since the Cat & Fiddle was last cut off in a severe snow storm – which sometimes lasted for days. This postcard from Corrie’s collection, showing snow piled up against the front porch, probably dates back to...
Above: The Cat & Fiddle team pictured in what was once the lounge bar (from l to r): Owen McCullough, Lindsay Bond, Karl Bond, Tom Ottley & Gem Hope. It looks like the iconic Cat & Fiddle Inn, perched high on the moors beside the Buxton to Macclesfield...
Above: Rev Evans had to fight a battle with church authorities to extend the graveyard. But today it’s as overcrowded as the old one across the lane. I’ve visited Taxal Church quite a few times over the years, but it’s only recently that I discovered...
Above: Taxal churchyard – where Rev Sam Evans lies buried. Was he to blame? This website was hacked over a week ago. And it’s taken me this long to get things back as they were. If I could get hold of the bastard that did it… but perhaps it’s...
Above: The main photo shows Taxal Church before the new south window was installed. So it would have probably have been taken in the late 1880s. Today, the foreground is overgrown, muddy and crowded with grave stones. Under one of which lies Rev Evans (inset). An 1888...
Above: I found this photo of Rev. Evans, alongside a young boy captioned as Lomas, on the Whaley Bridge History website. It’s clear from the previous post that the ‘remarkable rector’ of Taxal Church, Rev. Samuel Evans, was not a man to back down in...
