Country diary: The place where three become one

Three Shires Head, Peak District: Red kite, peregrine and buzzard, playing together in the sky above - it's a joyous sightThis is an intriguing landscape, not just because it's a rare point of union for three counties: Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. As much as it's a real place, it exists as a powerful meme on social media, and come the bank holiday, the double stream through arched bridges, with its modest white-water fall of about 3 metres, is thronged with people.I'm not sure exactly why they come or what exists between the ears of some of those motivated to visit. Recently I was stopped by a carful of five arriving from Cambridge, who asked for directions. When I told them that they would have to park half a mile away and walk, they drove off, never to return. However, I then went on to have an experience at Three Shires Head that suggested there is something magical at play here. Continue reading...