Blue sky and countryside's photostream  

We were driving here on our way home, when I noticed how attractive the glow of the sun was on the hillside. I leaned out of the car window craning my neck in an attempt to get a shot. I've tried to lighten the photo as it was quite dark, but you can see what I was trying to do....I hope!

As we drove through the pass we could see lots of very long (~30cms) icicles dangling on the edges of the bare rocks.....it was a very cold day. Speedwell Cavern in my previous photo is only a few metres from here behind me.

We love this dramatic moody scenery and a local story says that sometimes the ghosts of a young couple can be seen on the pass. They were killed here by lead miners who robbed them in a vicious attack ,as they tried to elope against the wishes of their families in 1758. I wouldn't like to drive through here alone after dark.

Speedwell Cavern is one of the four underground show caves in Castleton all open to the public, and are very interesting to visit. This cave is an old lead mine and you pass through the narrow tunnels by boat, which used to be driven by the guide laying on their back and 'walking' on the walls. I haven't been inside for many years so the boats probably have engines now. When I first visited it as a teenager on a youth club holiday, I thought it was magnificent.

The other three caves in Castleton are Blue John Cavern, Treak Cliff Cavern and Peak Cavern.

....from the top of Mam Tor near Castleton in Derbyshire. Mam Tor is known locally as 'the shivering mountain' because it's slowly crumbling away, and as you can see the right hand side has already slipped down the hillside. The main road below was closed permanently in 1979.

I'm not brave enough to hang glide, but it must be really exhilarating. Thirty years ago we owned a microlight aircraft (with an engine + delta wing) and I had a couple of very short flights in it..... my husband loved flying it.

I see in the distance before me,
A picture worthy to behold,
Painted in colors of such beauty,
In colors yet untold..........by Claude Peter Dhuet

Apologies for not being around much this year but I'll try to catch up soon and make up for lost time.