There are many dramatic views in the Staffordshire Moorlands, the westernmost, and often overlooked, part of the Peak District. The Hanging Stone is a gritstone outcrop near Swythamley in the Dane Valley. Back in the 1930’s Swythamley Hall had a private zoo from which 5 wallabies escaped and established a wild colony in the hills, which is still said to exist. I’ve never seen any. I set up to paint this en plein air but it was incredibly windy and the walker wouldn’t hang around for an hour, so I did a sketch and photos then painted the picture at home later.