original Seven Wonders but failed
miserably to trace the elusive
Ebbing and Flowing Well.
Two: I nearly killed the
redoubtable Joe Brown when I
peeled off while attempting a new
route on the intimidating limestone
of Thor’s Cave – one of the author’s
new Wonders – above the Manifold.
That duo fits neatly into the
first of four themes of Guild vice-
president Roly Smith’s historically
well-researched and mildly-
provocative book.
It may not ebb, but Buxton St
Ann’s Well is now thronged with
visitors flowing to fill huge plastic
containers with the free, mineral-
rich waters. That’s one of the
original Seven, which are dominated
by the timeless magnificence of
Chatsworth. Here, the multi-skilled
‘Mr Peak District’ has persuaded the
incumbent 12th Duke of Devonshire
to supply his Foreword.
future) you must surely buy, keep
and treasure this inspirational and
(dare I say) wonderful addition to
Peakland literature.
Tom Waghorn
...(an) inspirational and
(dare I say) wonderful
addition to Peakland
literature
Thor’s Cave joins Dovedale,
Kinder Downfall and Woolpacks
and the mysterious, verdant Lud’s
Church near The Roaches, in
his ‘magnificent seven’ Natural
Wonders of today. It there had been
a reserve competition, I would have
suggested the curious gritstone
Trinnacle Rocks at Ravenstones
above Greenfield.
Few will argue, however, with
the author’s choice of the Seven
Man-made Wonders, which include
Peveril Castle, Haddon Hall and the
Derwent Dams. The Millennium
Walkway at New Mills might find
challengers in Buxton’s revamped
Great Stables Dome or the spa
town’s art nouveau Opera House.
Chapter Four – the Seven
Wildlife Wonders – features the
unique Derbyshire feather moss,
thriving under a trickling waterfall
in Cressbrook Dale, and the rare
leek-coloured hawkweed beside the
Monsal Trail.
The book is beautifully designed
with stunning photographs by the
talented Chris Gilbert of a frozen
Downfall and Chatsworth and
Haddon, to name just two.
To enjoy the Fab Four lists
(and the author’s glimpse into the
stravaiging spirit must surely have
been influenced by his enforced
childhood wartime travels round
the Far East and Africa.
East of West, West of East
Hamish Brown
Sandstone Press, £9.99 (pb)
T
his is a fascinating memoir
from the distinguished
Scottish walker, climber
and author Hamish Brown’s
early childhood, before and after the
fall of Singapore, where his father
had been a banker.
Remarkably, when the Second
World War broke out in 1939, their
parents decided that young Hamish
and his brother Ian should come
out to Japan, where their father was
then working, for safety and away
from the possible bombing of their
homeland in Scotland.
But the most gripping passages
relate to the Japanese invasion of
Singapore, where the family had
eventually settled, and their escape
from the war to South Africa. It was
here and in the Atlas Mountains
of Morocco in the north which,
despite his subsequent worldwide
wanderings, Hamish admits, “stole
his heart away.”
At one time, Brown gave his
profession on his passport as a
“gangrel” – or a wanderer. This
book suggests that his latter-day
Walking in Cumbria’s Eden
Valley by Vivienne Crow
(Cicerone, £12.95) has also been
published in a new and revised
edition.
Next time
Photography for Writers
In the second part of his ongoing
series, Ronald Turnbull casts a
5500K light on the subject of white
balance, what it is, and the effect
that altering it can have on your
photos.
Does your mountain
measure up?
After a new mountain has been
discovered in the Lake District,
John Nuttall wonders how Miller
Moss in the northern fells could
have been overlooked until now.
winter 2018 | Outdoor focus 7