I thought I would begin this new series with a focus on a well-loved and often photographed beauty spot in the Peak District and Derbyshire.
Padley Gorge is a short ravine in an area of thick woodland that stretches for about half a mile from Longshaw Park to Grindleford Station at Upper Padley.
The gorge is well worth a visit at any time of the year but especially in the autumn it is particularly spectacular.
The woodland is transformed into a sea of golden colour and the numerous cascades become even more attractive with the leaves that are carried downstream along the brook. It is a photographer’s dream location!
As Burbage Brook makes its way south to join the River Derwent at Grindleford it rushes through this steep-sided valley surrounded by atmospheric and indigenous oak woodland – a rare survival from ancient times.
A footpath runs alongside the stream and is one of the classic small walks in the Peak District National Park. The land is owned by the National Trust along with the nearby Longshaw Estate.
The gorge can be reached either from the A625 where Stanage Edge, the moors and the Iron Age hill fort of Carl Wark stretch out into the distance, or to the south from the B6521 above Grindleford Station.
Interestingly, the name Padley may have originated from the old English words ‘paddle’ which means toad and ‘leah’ which means woodland clearing.
RECOMMENDED READING
- Peak District walk: Grindleford and Padley Gorge circular
- Exploring the Peak District village of Grindleford
- A photographic tour of the Eastern Peak
Padley Gorge
Taken near the top of the gorge, the shot below brings to life the wonderful autumn colours of this wonderful place.
On a glorious autumn day, I arrived at the gorge before sunrise with the aim of capturing the sun low in the sky as it rose through the woodland.
As evidenced in this image, the woodland floor was covered in a blanket of golden leaves whilst the trees still retained a good amount of colour.
There are two paths that run alongside Burbage Brook, the path pictured here is on the east bank.
Mushrooms
As I walked along the east path a group of wild mushrooms nestled into a tree caught my eye. As I set my tripod up in a very low position the sun was also positioned perfectly and created what is commonly known as a starburst effect into the lens.
The Burbage Brook, near the top of the gorge, as it flows south towards Grindleford en-route to the River Derwent.
The footbridge near the top of the gorge is perhaps one of the most photographed and well-trodden in the Peak District. This charming little arch has seen countless visitors to the gorge safely over Burbage Brook.
When I posted this shot on the Derbyshire Life-run Facebook group, Derbyshire and Peak District Walks, a lady on that group explained how her partner had been involved in the construction of the bridge.
One of the many small cascades along the gorge.
A shot of the footbridge and the start of the gorge taken in the snow during winter.
A sign of what is to come as we move through the seasons.
An abandoned Millstone, the symbol of the Peak District National Park, a little way down on the east footpath.
There are estimated to be around 1,500 millstones abandoned millstones in the park and in many cases they make interesting foreground features for a photograph.
