We decided to make it our mission this year to go on weekend hikes when possible, and explore what the English countryside has to offer. With this in mind, I had a quick google to see what waterfalls might be within an hours drive away from our house. I was immediately drawn to Middle Black Clough as there wasn’t much information about it, and it said it was a little challenging to find. Challenge accepted.
The car park was a “blink and you’ll miss it” one, a quick turn off a main road through the Peak District. It was only small, so I can see it getting filled up quite quickly in the summertime. I’ve already got plans to go back and soak in the waterfalls. From the car park, you follow a path upstream, and as you are in a valley, there’s some pretty views of the rolling hills.
Keep following the path through the woods, and you’ll get to the end and see a small waterfall. This isn’t it! You’ll need to get resourceful and cross over the stream, using rocks as stepping stones to stay dry, and do a little bit of climbing over some boulders to get to Middle Black Clough.
To get the best photos from the bottom you’ll have to step on some slippery rocks, so wear shoes with good traction. I was thankful I’d worn my hiking boots instead of wellies or I’d have been right in the stream! 
What I loved about this area were the dozens of smaller waterfalls dotted around the stream. After seeing the main Middle Black Clough waterfall, we scrambled up the side of the cliff and went as far as we can go until there were no more trails. I use the term trail loosely, much of it was about a foots width through the brush, dipping close to the stream and then further away. While not the easiest hike, it was one of the most rewarding with the surprise waterfalls at every turn and the stunning views of the peaks.
One website I found that was a tremendous help was James Abbott Photography who provided the URL GPS coordinates https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4939712,-1.8292154,544m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en. His photos are much better of the waterfall than mine, I must play around with long exposure photography more often.
To achieve that pretty motion blur in running water photos, a tripod or place to rest your camera is pretty essential. I had a go with the last photo on a smaller waterfall above Middle Black Clough but it’s definitely not as clear as I took it without anything to stabilise the camera shake. Will work on this technique this summer while we are chasing waterfalls!
