The Derbyshire Dales are known for being a little bit more laid back than the peak district, in some ways they are less well known about which means that secrets can be found and one of those places I rediscovered just last week is the glorious named - “Shining Cliff Woods” which has a certain magical charm just within the name, still I had arrived at the off road car parking for Shining Cliff Woods and crossed the road, in front of me a small information board about the woodlands and the main path lay ahead of me; I say the word path rather loosely as it is more of an unmarked road which all forms part of the curiosities that would eventually be ahead of me, either way for a September’s day the weather was just spectacular and the arched avenue of trees that lay ahead of me looked purely magical with the light seeping through the canopy below onto the path in front of me.
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| Portals ahead. |
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| A green corridor. |
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| What mystery around the corner. |
I carried on walking and the path I was following became more and more mystical, a path forked off to the right, but instead I was curious to carry on - that I did and to the left and the right hidden amongst the trees were the outlines of houses nestled within the woods hiding like lairs from a Bond film.
“Hidden homes like lairs from a James Bond film, for this woodland is curious I thought to myself, surrounded by the tall trees and a sense of mystery made me want to explore further”
Eventually after quite a gentle yet long gradient up the mystical path with the hidden lairs owned by people who prefer a much quieter way of life hidden amongst the calm of the surrounding woodlands I eventually found myself in a natural amphitheater with trees surrounding something that resembled a natural sculpture - the shades of green in the background left me in awe, I paused for a moment and needless to say I was pleased with the following results.
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| Amphitheatre of trees. |
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| A woodland dream ahead. |
Behind me was the more modern path that I had walked on and shortly after that had come to an abrupt end I was now on an old path - riddled with stories and curiosities along with height. Yes trees on all sides and I looked to my right hand side, it was like I was flying through the trees and the canopy of trees reaching towards the light was something to behold.
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| Flight amongst a woodland canopy. |
Along the old ancient pathway I continued to walk, I was in pure serendipity with nothing but silence, the sounds of the woodland was just music of a different kind and ahead of me a right turn that I eventually took, whilst I could have continued walking ahead, this right turn was a route that many years ago I would have been on, but there are some things as you get older that you seemingly forget. Either way I turned right and headed down another ancient pathway with curiosities and stories from times gone by. Each tree was different and each view different but what lay ahead was a location that was like no other and nothing would prepare me for what I would next come across. In the distance a break in the trees and signs of human life. What is this place? I thought to myself was it perhaps some kind of Eden amongst the woods? In front of me a bridge across a small stream, surrounded by greenery perfectly framed made for, and ideal photograph.
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| A bridge to Eden. |
This was truly Eden I had arrived in. Surrounded by the trees of Shining Cliff Woods, I had found myself at a delightful lake, man-made many years ago it was a haven, a lady stood with her golden retriever who was throwing a stick into the water and a ball, for the golden retriever to fetch as long as he swam out into the lake,
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| A warning sign. |
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| Lost in Eden. |
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| Eden brings us closer. |
then collected them before making a circuit back along the side of the lake to his owner - clearly the golden retriever was loving this and enjoying the serenity of this magical location. Although, I had clocked a waterfall, a small waterfall partly man-made to carry the water of Peatpits brook, downstream from the lake.
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| Autumn drops. |
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| Autumn calls of the waterfall. |
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| In a green dream. |
The wooden bridge over the stream/brook looked just as delightful, this time from a different angle again flanked by greenery and perfectly framed and I paused and just took everything in.
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| The frame - (Landscape). |
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| The frame - (Portrait). |
Within photography very often the best photographs are often the most simple scenes and in front of me was simplicity for need I say anymore? Still though it was time for me to move on from this little slice of Eden with the hidden lake, I continued downhill following the watercourse of Peatpits brook until another little slice of magic appeared, curious I looked back and captured the following photographs of the brook and the cascades of some more hidden waterfalls.
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| Scenes from a middle earth - (Landscape). |
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| Scenes from a middle earth - (Portrait). |
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| Downstream runs mystery. |
Stunned and amazed at this cascade of calm I walked downhill, the path in front of me becoming more and more intriguing with the shapes and shades changing all the time, was this some kind of Alice in wonderland I was walking through? No it was a woodland but one that felt as if it could have been wonderland - one which Alice would have felt comfortable in, the trees around me just looked alien in one way or another and each one different, different textures and shapes, colours as well, pure magic and pure silence was all around. Mystical and ethereal the shades and shapes of the trees just paved an interesting path downhill.
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| Into the unknown. |
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| Natural Towers. |
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| Golden route down - (Portrait). |
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| Golden route down - (Landscape). |
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| Wooden aliens - (Portrait). |
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| Wooden aliens are alive - (Landscape). |
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| Into a woodland bliss - (Portrait). |
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| Into a woodland bliss - (Landscape). |
Afterwards I ended up in a location that would be best described as slightly “dystopian and abandoned” where the woodlands had met industry and lurking amongst the abandoned buildings was a Gin Distillery (White Peak Distillery), how amazing is that! I thought to myself, their signature Gin is a nod to the woodland that I had just walked through and is available here: https://www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk/product/shining-cliff-floral-gin/
Still I had to continue the walk, and having asked someone at the distillery for directions it was now a walk through the abandoned dystopia of old industry, old wireworks forgotten made for interesting compositions and eventually I mounted the camera on my tripod and captured the following scenes of this eerie and spooky location - once it would have been alive, now forgotten but what stories did it have to tell? What was the future going to be for this place I wondered to myself?
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| Wire rush? - (Portrait). |
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| Wire rush - (Landscape). |
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| Yesterdays ghosts - (Black and White). |
Onwards and upwards I left the old abandoned pieces of dystopia, the silence was bliss yet in the air from times gone by the tones of work being carried out could still be heard within the mind, I continued walking and before long I came across an abandoned old set of cottages, ruined they were but somehow a photogenic quality provided a curiosity that I had to capture.
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| The waiting game - (Black and White). |
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| The waiting game - (Colour). |
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| Abandoned in time - (Black and white). |
For what were those cottages and why had they been abandoned? Is what I thought and perhaps a part of me was wanting to imagine what those cottages would look like if they were restored, maybe they were a project in waiting, but either way they provided a final contrast to what had been a stunning walk through Shining Cliff Woods, after I had captured the abandoned cottages it was time to walk back up a hidden incline and join the path that I had started the walk on, in the back of my mind at this stage was why is this woodland full of mystery and why did it hold both a hidden Eden and serendipity? I have no idea, but I do know that I shall be back to discover some more, especially now that it is autumn the woodland will hold even more secrets and things to discover, just in a different way. Still though I shall say thankyou to you lockdown, you have given me the ability and chance to explore the unexplored and get off the beaten track.
