A walk over Middleton Moor, seeking inspiration.

Part of the process of creating new written work is the exploration of the surrounding countryside, often just a n my doorstep. Some places I like to revisit in different weathers. The light can change how I look at things I have viewed on many occasions, and I always find something new, something I haven’t seen before.

I have decided to take myself, my dog Charlie and my trusty phone on these excursions and document them.

On a bright spring day I set off on a walk to Middleton Moor. I have always been inspired by the scarred landscape of the moor. The broken 19th century enclosure walls show how the Moor was once divided up into manageable smaller fields, Lone Hawthorn trees rise sporadically amongst the fractured remains of the limestone boundaries.

To the right of the frame on the picture above is the crater left by a cave in at the largest Limestone mine in the UK. Middleton mine sprawls underneath the moorland with rumoured tunnels that reach out to 26 miles or so.

The generous grass pasture stretches to the horizon, during the summer months it is grazed by both cattle and sheep.

The ancient trackway that begins at Middleton engine house, part of the High Peak trail is well used and is enclosed with broken limestone walls and wooden shaft fencing. I always think how many people have travelled along this trackway and what have been their thoughts about the vistas that can be viewed along it’s way.

Here you can see a trackway leading off the main trail that leads to old lead works, many of which can be found dotted on the Moor.

I have always wanted to use this location in one of my stories or films, I have yet to do so, however the more I tread the old route the more my mind is transported into another world.

Albeit not a view from Middleton Moor this was taken in a heavily industrial area, Rantor mine and it’s surrounding works. This can be seen just off the High Peak Trail at the bottom of the incline.

One thing I realise is how I am moved by the changed historical landscape, changed by lead mining and quarrying, but also by the division of land through drystone walks and older ancient hedges. It doesn’t matter when I see these locations, whether it is during brilliant sunlight or grey skies of the winter. Each timeframe reveals another unique memory and stimulus for my working writing mind.