Only 20 minutes drive from junction 29 of the M1 and an easy 2 minutes walk from the car park makes Curbar Edge a very accessible and breathtaking location to take photographs.
INFORMATION
Website: www.peakdistrict.gov.uk, www.visitpeakdistrict.com
Location: Curbar – Peak District, Derbyshire
SAT NAV: S32 3YR – Clodhall Lane, Hope Valley. This should take you near to the car park. It often gets very busy but you can also park in certain spots on the road. At busy times there is often a van selling drinks or an ice cream van, selling, well; ice creams!
Curbar Edge in the Derbyshire Peak District is a great place to take photos. Firstly it’s only a 20 minute drive from the M1 motorway and there’re great views within a 2 minute walk from the car park (Curbar Gap), so it’s a very easy and accessible place to visit.
Curbar Edge itself (which leads to Froggatt Edge) is a gritstone escarpment, with fantastic views across the Derwent valley. The views are so good so near the car park I’ll admit to not venturing many miles from it, but as one of my rules is to never walk by a shot (to get to what I think might be a better one) it means I never get very far whilst I’m there!
I’ve only been once at sunrise, but it was foggy, so I didn’t get any shots that day, but I prefer to go at sunset where, as the below shot shows (taken in May), you get amazing light.
I imagine Curbar Edge is a great place to visit every month of the year, but if you go in August the heather will be in flower for an added bonus to your shot (see main image above).
Wildlife
Another thing you’ll notice about Curbar Edge is the wildlife. You might not see it, but from your elevated position, you can hear it all around you. I almost forgot I was there to take photos on a recent visit; I was so busy counting bird calls. There was a woodpecker and cuckoo below me; above me, two swifts, flying so close I could hear the swoosh of air as they sped by and behind me, red grouse and pheasants in the heather, plus a meadow pipit performing it’s ‘parachute’ display flight. I also saw numerous crows and gulls using the updraft from the rocks to effortlessly glide by.
So there you have it, there’re plenty of reasons to visit Curbar Edge. You can use the map below to view the area.
