A few of us met for a pre-walk coffee at the ‘Café on the Green’ in Baslow and then, after indulging in a round of elbow bumping (as per WHO advice) and imbibing our caffeine fix, we joined the rest of the gathering and set off up Bar Road. There were thirteen of us plus our usual canine companion and we made short work of the climb up to Raddowhole Plantation and then down to cross Bar Brook and the Sheffield Road. The birch woodland below Gardom’s Edge was full of birdsong and looked beautiful in the emerging sunlight, pale bark contrasted against the emerald, mossy ground. More coffee was taken by the ‘Three Men of Gardom’s’, one of several Bronze Age and Neolithic features which are to be found in the woodland behind the edge. It must have been a very different landscape and climate to support a community here all those years ago. We made our way towards Birchen Edge passing an ancient enclosure wall, the outline of a round house and a remarkable ‘cup and ring’ stone with mysterious circular patterns engraved in its surface – in fact this is a very realistic fibre-glass replica placed here in the late ’90s when the original was buried to protect it from rapid erosion. We followed the track down to the Robin Hood Inn, crossed the busy A619 and set off along the top of Chatsworth Edge. By now there was a chilly breeze blowing and we chose to eat our lunch in a sheltered dell behind Dobb Edge. Here three of our number (plus canine) elected to take a shorter route back while the rest of us walked on to the Hunting Tower. A steep descent down gritstone steps brought us to Chatsworth House and the pleasant stroll back to Baslow village. An almost mud free 7.4 miles.
Cheers
Steve W