Curbar Edge, Derbyshire

The Peak District has a wonderful horseshoe edge of Gritstone that includes a superb stretch around Derbyshire. Here you see the magnificent rocky faces of Curber edge and Frogatt edge. Despite being the practicing ground for climbers, both have easy access from car parks making it easy for all ages to enjoy the breathtaking views. There's also loads of scope for us photographers.

From the A623 at Baslow head towards Calver and turn right up Curber lane through Curber and you can park at the top of the hill in a public car park. There's a small charge to park and even an ice cream van. From here the public footpath takes you straight onto Curber edge no climb and a steady path across to Frogatt edge. Like most spots the paths get boggy in winter so be prepared with waterproof footwear.

It also gets really windy on this edge so wrap up in all but the summer months.

You can walk right to the edge and look over some areas are quite high so those with a phobia keep clear. Some of the best views are taken in from these spots, but again watch the wind. The gritstone has been eroded on the sides by wind and produces some superb edges and graphic photo opportunities while the top surfaces have holes eroded by the elements, which again offer scope for interesting compositions. Reeds outline peat bogs, which can look great when shot in the mist on black & white. There's little colour here most of the year, so the atmospheric potential of black & white is ideal. Autumn's good for recording the browns of the dead ferns and outcrops of heather provide fluorescent purples in late summer.

From the edge you can see the wood below. This is named Bee wood and has a dense collection of rotting silver birch. If you have good stability make your way down to this from the edge. Alternatively head back to the main road, turn right and head downhill until you come to a path that takes you along the edge of the wood. You can venture in to the thickets for the undisturbed shots of hanging bracket fungi, decaying vegetation and collections of gritstone crags. These are ideal for more graphic black & white imagery but you may need a tripod because the light's not good as it's so dense.

If you spend enough time here you'll find cast offs of millstones that were carved from the gritstone. Shoot from a low angle to get these in shot with a background of the rocky edge. Also take a telephoto lens for close ups of the climbers as they scale the faces.

A shot of a climber silhouetted against the sky is also possible when he's lowering
rope down to the climbers below.

Curbar Edge, Derbyshire Images

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