A walk from Combs

I wanted to get out for a walk today, whilst the sun was shining, but wasn't feeling my best after a hospital visit yesterday in which I had to have unpleasant things done to me! I didn't head out until the afternoon and a no-indecision-allowed route had been picked from a walk book, a route I hadn't walked before, above Combs.

Starting from the village, I saw my first snowdrops of the year.

This was a slow and steady sort of walk, I wasn't quite up to full strength so ambled through the countryside and slowly uphill.

The first stretch of the route goes through a couple of farms in Allstone Lee.

After crossing a stream, I began a long and quite steep ascent up towards Combs Moss, a grouse moor.

That's the edge of the moor in the distance below.

Looking back towards Combs and Chapel-en-le-Frith, with Kinder in the distance.

The view back towards Chapel and Kinder as I neared the top of the hill...

and below with Combs reservoir to the left...

I made a panorama out of four photos of the view...

Then carried on for the final bit of the uphill stretch. In the first part of the walk I'd seen ravens, grouse and pipit and been surrounded by birdsong, including a couple of song thrushes down by the farms.

On reaching a lane, I turned right, passing the outdoor pursuits centre and made my way down a track
and then along a lane for a little way...

I saw a weasel as I wandered down the lane which was a bonus!  I left the lane and headed across fields, beneath a stony ridge, back towards Combs.

Below is Combs Edge, the edge of the grouse moor and the fields I'd walked up earlier.

The final stretch took me down a track and then I followed a lane back to the village.

This was just a short walk at 4.5 miles but that was plenty for me today whilst in a little pain and feeling sorry for myself!