As the restrictions now allow it, I’ve agreed to drop the step son off by Ladybower so he can meet a few friends and go for a walk to celebrate his birthday. First time he’s been out since late last year and he’s going a bit stir crazy. Thought id take Mrs blackflag for a stroll for a few hours and then we can bring him back.

But its going to be heaving isnt it? I mean utterly rammed with people doing the same as us (i know, i know, glass houses and all that). Urgh!!! If it wasn’t for him id avoid it like the plague.

I’m now scouring maps trying to find somewhere not too far from Ladybower where parking the car is going to be even vaguely possible. Fat chance!

Yeah it will be miserable. Get there early. Like before 8. I would aim for the Yorkshire bridge pub. As you drive from ladybower to bamford on the right. Take the right turn after the pub. Drop down the hill and park at the bottom. Try to park facing back up the hill as when you get back you won’t be able to turn round and the road to thornhill will have cars parked all along one side if 2 weeks ago is anything to go by.

Where are you coming from?

Yeah it will be miserable. Get there early. Like before 8.

I’d go earlier than that this weekend tbh.

Though I’d also just not go to that area at all and head somewhere quieter… and I only live just over the hill. There’s plenty of places away from the main honeypots that will be quiet(er).

it’s pretty busy already, rode form home last night in the quieter western side of the peak (chinley churn / south head / kinder flanks) a it was as busy a a normal weekend with good weather on a Tuesday night. bank holiday weekend with predicted good weather and lock down easing, will be crazy busy. as above, getting a parking space past early morning could be challenging – id’ try Castleton though and see if the overflow fields are open, get there before the crowd who potter around the village (10am?) and you could be ok

Agree it will be hellishly busy, probably with loads of people people who call it the Peaks 😉 .

I love the peak, but havent been able to travel the relatively short distance to go there within the rules…. (ish, lets not start an argument here…)

With a perfect storm of BH weekend, nice weather, clocks changing, people allowed to be seen outside with others, but not being able to go away proper, it’ll be rammed.

I expect no parking, the countryside littered with discarded rubbish and little space and distancing between people…. it’ll be like the apocalypse or a zombie scene from walking dead heading over wyn hill 😉

I’ll be thinking about what more obscure corner with no obvious attractions I can go to.
That or hoping for it to rain all BH, then I can go, and lots of the normals wont 🙂

The weather says it’s getting cold with winters showers so should ok.

It will be horrendous, and Ladybower is probably one of the worst areas to go that I can think of. Go sonewhere else. Anywhere else. The moors around Abney are usually not too bad in that area maybe?

I was out yesterday briefly and it was so busy. The moor above Gardoms was set alight, but sounds like fire brigade managed to put it out.

Urban DH through Meadowhall anyone 😉

The saving grace is that

1) Pretty much everyone has already been ignoring the restrictions and heading there anyway. How many more people can there be in the country?

2) The weather is not actually supposed to be that good.

Nevertheless I’ll be steering clear.

1) Pretty much everyone has already been ignoring the restrictions and heading there anyway. How many more people can there be in the country?

I’d say that was a classic case of tempting fate.

A better option might be to go on a litter picking hike on Monday evening once all the hoardes have gone home…

Where are you coming from? We used to head out Bradfield and Dale Dike way on bank holidays and silly Saturdays. Some ace walks, up onto the moors and into the Peak without having to do battle with Ladybower (my old commute, I used to dread it…)

The weather says it’s getting cold with winters showers so should ok.

The Peak District doesn’t work that way (I used to live on the edge of it). The days after a sunny spell are the worst. It’s as if sat at home/work in the sunshine gets people who wouldn’t normally do so planning to head out into the countryside, they don’t actually look at the weather forecast after that… they just crack on with the plan.

Urgh. Its doing my head in. Well im tied to at least driving past ladybower area as thats where his friends are meeting, but i might just slow down to 5mph and push him out of the car. We can then keep going and find somewhere a bit quieter….

I would imagine anywhere with any green space will be absolutely chocker.

The local council round here in East Lancs have been putting social media ads out requesting the population of Greater Manchester not to descend on us, en masse.

I expect it’ll be ignored. And to be honest, I totally get why. I can’t imagine what its been like to have spent the last 12 months in a built-up area with no access to green space. I really appreciate how lucky we are having miles of moorland to go walking and riding in. A lot of people are less fortunate and are gagging to get out.

I’m not even contemplating taking the mountain bike out this weekend as the trails will be heaving with large groups of walkers. As it is I’ve been doing it early morning and at weekends I’ve resorted to the road bike only, or taking the mountain bike to really out of the way trails

2 of us turned on to one of the main bridleways last Saturday afternoon and it literally looked like Market Street in Manchester City Centre on a Saturday, pre-covid. We turned around and ended up taking a detour on the road. It was absolutely rammed! And thats before restrictions were officially lifted

The area around Abney is a good shout IMO. However, the road through Abney is currently closed.

Could park on the old road from Grindleford to Eyam and go from there. Or maybe somewhere near the top of Sir William Hill road.

Sheffield was absolutely rammed everywhere yesterday. We had to go to a hospital appointment and it took 40 minutes to drive 3.5 miles. All the parks and open spaces were packed.

We’ve just been out and about and it’s ramping up already. It’s gonna be a hectic weekend.

Sadly we haven’t bothered with the Peak in ages. The whole place is a car park.

i live in north sheffield, 3 miles from the peak national park and haven’t been there since before christmas. Combination of covid restrictions and how busy it has been. Now i am allowed to head over there, i dont want to. I think i’ve become institutionalised to riding in wharncliffe.

Also, the amount of rubbish left in Endcliffe park is disgusting. Just what has happened to people. Have normal decent people lost their minds?

And all of this is going to provide a convenient excuse for lockdown 3(?) 4(?)….

Have normal decent people lost their minds?

The normal decent people are all being cautious and staying at home. Its the nobheads that are out and about chucking litter about. Iwas out on Holcombe Hill early the other morning on the bike and the tower was strewn with the detritus from the evening before. Cans, bottles and disposable barbies.

I won’t be going anywhere near the place this weekend. I know full-well what it’ll be like

It’s like the population are hell bent on destroying anywhere even remotely pleasant to be. My whole facebook feed has been images of parks left under a sea of rubbish. I shall be staying home for a bit longer I think.

i live in north sheffield, 3 miles from the peak national park and haven’t been there since before christmas. Combination of covid restrictions and how busy it has been. Now i am allowed to head over there, i dont want to

Yep similar here … Live close to the edge of the Peak District and tbh Hope Valley and surrounding area is that last place I would think of going at the moment – never mind on an Easter BH weekend:

– It will be Sooo Busy
– The locals already hate you … they really do!
– There will be loads of litter
– Increased numbers will lead to confrontation between different user groups about who has the more right to be there and who impacts the trails etc the most (although precious few will see the irony in chewing up the soft-grass verges as everyone fights for the limited parking spaces)
– Social Distancing will be non-existant
– The countryside will be covered in soiled tissues as people take toilet breaks ‘au naturel’ to avoid queuing for the already limited facilities

Abney is almost certainly the best shout. But don’t tell too many people. The walk down Bretton Clough is normally pretty quiet even on really busy days, people just don’t seem to know it’s there.

– The locals already hate you … they really do!

If I still lived in Hathersage this would be me. A good friend still lives in Bamford and is losing his mind over people abandoning cars, having BBQ’s and shitting in plain sight of their front door.

I’m feart of going to the lakes also, it’s only a few miles down the road but I suspect it will be hideous for the foreseeable.

If I still lived in Hathersage this would be me

Had a bit of an argument with a old friend recently who moved from Grindleford to Castleton a few years ago and now has an absolute pathological hatred of cyclists because ‘there are so many of them riding around’ …

I did point out that if he had moved to Castleton for some peace and quiet in a remote rural village then he’s moved to completely the wrong place … there are other places that tick that box.

However the complete lack of thought and consideration that many people have shown recently for many ‘public spaces’ is really sad (it’s not just limited to the Peak District). The littering, shitting, burning and cavalier* parking is not acceptable …

*other Vauxhall models are available

Completely agree @Digby, Hathersage was wonderful place to live but you had to be prepared for what comes with it. Weekends and Bank Holidays, don’t go out in your car and expect to find your space free until after 6pm (I had to park on the road where I lived). It was actually really nice having the village busy in the day but then come evening it be really (really) quiet so could happily for for a late run or bike and see no one.

I sense the difference this time round, as much quoted, is both the volume of people is greater than ever before but also visitors who would never have previously considered going out there. Don’t take that as some kind of snobbishness as it’s not, everyone has equal right to our open spaces and countryside, it is the pressure it brings and the education that should come with it which is often absent.

I’ve just been for a a walk along what is normally a quiet costal path, it was busy very busy. I wish you the best of luck in hot spots like that, maybe the crap weather will keep a few away.

If you must go just remember to be suitably attired

Rivington was busier than usual yesterday eve, with everyone in a good mood and not too much litter.

Some groups had clearly not been up there before or for ages, and it was really nice to see them enjoying the sunshine and outdoors.

I think I’m getting more pissed off with the internet negativity about the general public going for a walk than I am with the crowds and inevitable litter.

I plan on doing some outdoors stuff this weekend, but will be sticking to the less obvious parking spots and avoiding driving through honey-pot towns. So Glenridding is probably out.

The normal decent people are all being cautious and staying at home. Its the nobheads that are out and about chucking litter about

Very much this. Theres a lot of nobheads, but they are a minority.

Well it was cracking today and not too busy. But I agree, it will probably be extremely busy this weekend. And every weekend until pre pandemic normality is restored.

Sunny spring ride

One of my all time fave photo spots that – looks smashing!

Well it was cracking today and not too busy. But I agree, it will probably be extremely busy this weekend. And every weekend until pre pandemic normality is restoredthe next lockdown.

FTFY

– Social Distancing will be non-existant

And yet last year the rates kept on falling when everyone was outside like now with nothing else to do and the same outcries of “whaaaa its too busy how can anyone social distance we’re all doomed the infection will spread to everyone on those beaches” it wasn’t till we all hunkered back inside that it went up, up and away.

Littering Aholes is a different issue.

Well I can confirm that it’s quiet as anything here just now. Sat half way down Jagger’s Clough tucking into my second ham, egg and runner bean sandwich ( yep, I have no idea why either. They were sat there in the fridge)

Can see one group on Whinhill who seem to be a bit stationary. Not sure if they’re lost, got a mechanical or also tucking into some tasty legumes.

Int 4G great….

@thegeneralist you should really do a book of your eating exploits in the great outdoors!!

Runner?… Beans?…
In a sandwich?

Me and the missus are going for a walk Easter Monday, the forecast is saying not much above freezing. Should thin out the tesco bag for life picnicers somewhat.

Woolpacks

Somewhere in here is here is a tent ( not Mine)

@thegeneralist – Nice, i go walking up there a fair bit, never thought of taking my bike. Which way do you head across / around kinder?