Walk: Saturday 19th Oct

Despite the unpromising early morning weather, seven of us gathered for the start of the walk – including three of us who had been out on Thursday’s 8.5 mile jaunt over the moors above Ladybower. Gluttons for punishment, I think ;-). The rain had stopped before we made our way down into Chee Dale with the Wye running swift and deep beside us as we walked downstream, This meant that the stepping stones were a little challenging, especially for those with a shorter stride, but they were soon passed with only one pair of damp feet. This was quickly followed by an involuntary cold shower as we traversed beneath the dripping overhangs of The Cornice and on to the footbridge and steep climb up to Blackwell Hall – this was to be our only encounter with water from above as the sun shone for most of the day. At the top of the climb we stopped to survey the jumbled mounds and hollows of a Romano-British settlement – occupied for about 500 years and probably a manufacturing site for a variety of goods.
We continued uphill, crossing the busy A6 and making our way to the Neolithic chambered tomb of Five Wells. We had lunch here and enjoyed the commanding views to the north – our Stone Age forebears chose the site well. Chelmorton was next, the second highest village in England and still retaining its Anglo-Saxon/Medieval street and field layout. From there we made our way into Deep Dale and to Thirst House/Hole Cave, another Romano-British site which was probably used for metalworking.
All that remained was another steep climb out of the dale, an equally steep descent and another climb to finish. A truly ‘Grand Day Out’ with fine weather, great views and lots of chat and humour – thanks everyone. 10.5 miles, approx 1500ft of ascent.