The MOFAD

Minninglow Quarry, which once produced limestone. The quarry area is approximately 120 metres long, 40 metres wide and the quarry face is approximately 10 metres high. Quarrying has created a flat shelf stretching for approximately 70 metres along the length of the quarry adjacent to a siding.

Old railway track

Minninglow Lime Kiln is of special interest because it is believed to have produced lime for the construction of the Cromford and High Peak railway and embankment, which now forms part of the High Peak Trail

Today’s route

High Peak and Tissington trails - 9th August 2025. Joining up the two trails with a bit of green laning. First proper ride since October 2023.

Plum jam all the way!

No worries, I thought they’d finally fixed the “not all post appearing under a hashtag” issue, but it still persists!

Forgot to tag you, only added the hashtag to the post. bsky.app/profile/mofa...

Large festival venue

Five comedians on a stage

Rubik’s cube as a laser display

Large stage at a festival

Almost 24 hours of comedy over 3 days, my favourite band on top form, Irvine Welsh, a never ending sea of Lucy+Yak, Basildon’s finest (Alf), a live recording of one of my favourite comedy podcasts, an entire festival erupting when the Lionesses defended their European title. Latitude has been fun.

A large tent with a stage at one end, purple and pink fabric draped from the ceiling

All set up again, today at Latitude will be split between the comedy tent, the podcast tent, and then the main stage this evening. If yesterday was anything to go by, many young children will be learning new words again today…

The Session #149 – pub food Well, here we are again with The Session, this time writing about pub food. Handily this is another topic that I've written a lot about over the last 10 years. I used to regularly write about a pub of the month, and it's fairly certain that many of those pubs will feature here when I am highlighting some of the best ones, as well as some of those that could be so much more.

My latest entry for #TheSession - pub food

Bridestones Neolithic chambered long cairn, includes a chambered tomb measuring 6m x 2.7m made of large stone slabs set on edge and divided into two by a now broken cross slab. The long cairn covering the chamber was recorded in 1764 as being c.110m long x 11m wide. Sadly it was largely carted away for road making that year.

Who goes there! A giant wooden statue sitting in a giant chair.

Top of the cloud - a white trig point, blue skies and gritstone rock

Today’s route - 4.5 miles

Bosley Cloud bimble - 13th July 2025. A sunny Sunday stroll in Cheshire…

Some great ideas there, I’ll give a few of them a go!

Kingfisher statue

Polar bear statue

A round metal ball with the texture of tripe

A stained glass window against a backdrop of plants

Cotswold Sculpture Park - 4th July 2025. A lovely sunny stroll around some sculptural stuff… You can buy the polar bear for £250,000 if you have that knocking about.

The Session #148: The Ultimate Pub Quiz Round I love a pub quiz. My wife loves a pub quiz. A lot of our friends love a pub quiz. So it’s appropriate that a post saying that the next instalment of “The Session” would be on the…

So I kept my promise and managed to find some time last weekend to write something for #TheSession - it got published but I haven’t set it up to post here automatically yet.

themofad.wordpress.com/2025/06/27/t...

Pizza on a plate and a glass of beer with plants in the background

It’s a beer and pizza in the garden kind of evening.

Don’t call it a comeback However, it is one. Of sorts. It’s been over 4 years since I wrote a blog post on this site. I’ve written a lot of other stuff during that time, but that’s all been work stuff. Co…

It’s been a while…

themofad.wordpress.com/2025/06/11/d...

I’ve blown the dust off my blog with the intention of writing a post for this. And now I’m going public to give me another reason to do it!

Scafell Pike via Lingmell 2 1/2 miles

Wast Water - England’s deepest and coldest body of water.

Mountain views

Today’s route - 6.2 miles

Wainwright 197 - Lingmell. 6.2 miles and 2,700 feet of up and down. It was wet and cloudy.

Mountain views

Mountain views

Mountain views

Today’s route - 8.8 miles

Wainwrights 194, 195 and 196: Red Pike (Wasdale), Scoat Fell and Steeple. 8.8 miles and 3,300 feet of up and down. Another Lake District epic.

Lake district scenes

Lake District scenes

Lake District scenes

Today’s route, 5 miles

Today’s Wainwright - Yewbarrow. A notoriously difficult Wainwright, with crags at both ends. The weather wasn't ideal (low cloud, rain coming in and strong winds).

Beach views

Beach views

Pint of beer

Ready for a long weekend around Morecambe Bay…

Browser based Lemmings. What a time to be alive…

Gorse bush

Valley views

Valley views

Today’s route - 6.1 miles

Whiteside Pike wander - 4th May 2025. Two more of 'The Outlying Fells of Lakeland' on a cooler and breezier spring day. 6.1 miles and 1500 feet of up and down.

Longsleddale valley views

Survey column for Haweswater reservoir and aqueduct…

Stone bridge

Today’s route - 7.5 miles

Wainwrights 192 & 193 - Grey Crag & Tarn Crag. A perfect Lakeland walking day, two more ticked off. 7.5 miles and 2000 feet of up and down.

Sun setting over mountains

Sunset in Selside…

Pint of golden ale

When in the Hope Valley, cask pints of @abbeydalebeers.bsky.social Moonshine are compulsory.

Bugle - a small purple flower a bit like lavender

Peak District views

Bamford village carving featuring churches, owls, trees, bells and a Spitfire plane

Today’s route - 5.6 miles

Stanage-Bamford Circuit - 20th April 2025. Another familiar walk but taking in a couple of new paths, another lovely spring day. 5.6 miles, 1200 feet of up and down.

Sheep

Hope Pinfold, a stone structure. Pinfold is derived from the Saxon Old English pundfald meaning an enclosure & the term was used largely in the north & east of the country. These enclosures were used specifically to house stray cattle or sheep which had wandered from their owners' land or which had been found grazing on common land without common rights. These would be rounded up & kept in the pinfold until they were claimed. To retrieve the animals, a fine would have to be paid to the pinder, who was an officer of the Lord of the Manor. It was a serious offence to break your animals out of the pinfold, punishable by a further fine or imprisonment! Occasionally the pinfold might be rented as a temporary holding pen overnight by drovers on their way to market. Although they date from much earlier, it is thought that by the 16th century, almost every settlement would have had its own pinfold & pinder. Sadly, most of these have been lost over the years, but some survive almost intact whilst others have been restored.

PEAK DISTRICT & NORTHERN COUNTIES FOOTPATHS PRESERVATION SOCIETY 1932 - NO. 68 PUBLIC FOOTPATH TO LOSE HILL-MAM TOR RIDGE LEAVE NO LITTER

Today’s route - 5.6 miles

Castleton-Hope Circuit - 19th April 2025. A familiar walk but taking in a couple of new paths, and lunch at The Old Hall to take advantage of the beer festival. 5.6 miles, 600 feet of up and down.

A suit of armour

Always have to say hi to my favourite Derbyshire knight…

A bottle of Henderson’s Relish with an orange label

Time for some Hendos…

Reservoir view

A local toad

Rivelin valley

Today’s route - 4.6 miles

Rivelin Ramble - 18th April 2025. After a couple of false starts due to new height barriers, a cloudier spring walk above Rivelin Reservoir. 4.6 miles, 900 feet of up and down and finished just as the rain started.

Peak District views

NO 219 PUBLIC FOOTPATH VIA STOKE FORD TO ABNEY 1989

Peak District views

Today’s route - 5.5 miles

Below Bretton Clough - 17th April 2025. A sunny spring stroll with lots of birdsong, spring lambs and lovely views. 900 feet of up and down.

Both great, would also recommend Trebah…