Tuesday 24 June started as another sunny warm day at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). Two departures with two arrivals and one cleaner here. The morning went in chatting to guests and a few jobs in the cottages.  After an early lunch I collected Joanna and Sue (our former WI president) from Bakewell and we headed to Tissington for a WI event.  2015 sees one hundred years of the WI and one way it is commemorating this is with a baton run through all the counties arriving at the 2015 AGM.  The baton was being handed over in Tissington for the next stage and there was a cream tea planned as well as the opportunity to visit some of the small shops in the village. We enjoyed our walk in the warm sunshine and we all bought something from one of the shops. We also enjoyed our cream tea in the sun wondering where the rain had gone but on the way home it started raining and the temperature dropped quite noticeably.  The cottages had arrived by the time I got home and Chris had seen them in.  Wednesday was cooler but still dry with a sunny start.  No arrivals or departures so had planned a walk.  I have always wanted to see Alport castle, a rock formation resembling a castle from a distance, near Snake Pass, which is thought to be one of the UK’s longest landslides.  I had planned a linear walk of seven miles and we parked in the car park near the war memorial by Ladybower Reservoir and took the bridleway adjacent to the car park.  This part of the walk was the hardest as it was steep and rocky and as we got to the top of Hagg Side the path levelled out.  At the junction of paths we continued across Rowlee and Birchinlee Pastures.  Up on the plateau we had some fine views over the moorland, could make out Win and Lose Hills, Mam Tor and the Snake Pass.  We could also see the stone formations on Derwent Edge.  The path was mainly grassy but at certain stages it had been laid with slabs, luckily the ground was dry. It took about two hours with the gradual ascent to reach a point where we could see the ‘castle’.  It had clouded over by now and the breeze had picked up but we found a sheltered spot to eat lunch.  Nearby there was a hide to watch local nesting birds.  The walk back to the car was quicker due to the slow descent and took ninety minutes.  We saw a golden plover but could hear curlews and grouse.  We had a quick trip into Hathersage to do the outdoor shops before heading home.  It brightened up again in the evening which was nice. Enjoy the photos.