Not far from where we live is a National Trust property, the Longshaw Estate. It was originally (19th century) a shooting lodge for the Dukes of Rutland and was part of a very large estate on the SW side of Sheffield. During WWI Longshaw Lodge became a military convalescent hospital, and after that war it returned to the owners for a short while. In 1927 the Duke sold the estate and the Lodge to Sheffield, who used this part of the estate as a water collection area. Then concern was expressed about possible housing development plans on the area, and various charitable groups raised the money to buy the estate from Sheffield. This happened in 1931, and it was then handed to the National Trust. It’s only a few miles from us but for some reason we’d never visited it until the Trust upgraded the carpark in the first half of last year. Since then we’ve started visiting.
The estate is basically an expanse of Peak District moorland, with way-marked paths of various lengths. One part of it runs down to a stream – a classic babbling brook – which descends quickly over stones and rocks. In summer the banks of this are a very popular weekend family picnic spot. Then the stream descends more steeply into Padley Gorge, which ends at Grindleford station on the Hope Valley line. From there a walk takes you steeply back up onto the moors and eventually back to Longshaw Lodge, the tea room, and the car park.
We’ve now visited it a number of times – there’s one particular hour-long walk that’s just right for a cold, crisp winter morning. So here are some photos from this area, some from the higher, moorland area and some from Padley Gorge.
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