Running up that hill

On Sunday I set off early in the morning to drive up to meet up with my dad, siblings and assorted offspring in Sheffield.

Normally a four hour drive, we were all meeting up this time at National Trust property Lyme Park in Derbyshire - famed most recently as the filming location for BBC Pride and Prejudice.

This time, due to rainy weather, road works and slower A roads through the countryside the drive took well over 5 hours.

A bit weary and with the rain drizzling down, we nonetheless enjoyed ranging round the house and gardens.

'Let's go visit the hunting lodge' was the final suggestion and so we headed off up the hill with a last burst of energy.

And I'm glad we did. Set up on a ridge leading from the house, a dramatic cloudy sky ahead proving a striking setting for our walk.

Intending to take pics of the view over the countryside and across to Manchester swathed in cloud and bursts of sunshine, I also took ones of the trees on the ridge and my son and his many cousins running on ahead.

This lovely silhouette was one of the outcomes.

Looking at it now, it captures something of the mystery and grandeur of the setting, and the magic of the meeting up with family in, what was for me on the day, a very remote setting.