In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:
> I couldn't agree more. In fact, I can't actually think of the last time I ran on pavement in the Peak?!
There are a couple of bits I pass over fairly regularly, around the back of Redmires Res, along the ridge from Alport Castles back towards the A57 and up on Derwent Edge for example. They're ace.
It's not compulsory to use them though, if it's dry or you really want to squelch through the bog there's nothing stopping you stepping off to one side and going parallel to the path a meter or two away. As long as the desire to wade through the goop remains a fairly um.. niche interest, the paths will still work to reduce erosion and make the walk/run/ride more pleasant for everyone else.
Oh, incidentally - I was up on Win Hill yesterday and there was a helicopter flying laps to fetch a lot of heavy looking white bags from the top of the hill down into the Hope valley. What was going on there, anyone know?