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Meet report:
Ten of us met in Over Haddon for a 7.5 mile walk above and then through Lathkill Dale. Walking westwards along the lane out of the village we admired a landscape which, minus the drystone walls and scattered farmsteads, is very similar to that which was experienced by the earliest humans to reach this area at the end of the Ice Age some 12 000 years ago. As the ice retreated, these Mesolithic hunter gatherers were able to follow and hunt migrating herds of reindeer, aurochs and wild horses and would have encountered mammoths, woolly rhinos and hyenas along the way. It was hard to imagine all this as we passed placid herds of grazing cows but a chilly wind helped to put us in the picture!
We passed the jumbled remains of Ringham Low, once a five-chambered burial mound from the Neolithic period, and then made our way down through Ricklow Dale and its quarry to the shelter of Lathkill Dale. We visited the sites of Mesolithic rock shelters at Lathkill Head Cave and Cales Dale before moving into the woodland of the lower valley. Here the focus switched to the 18th & 19th century remnants of the lead mining industry and water-powered corn mills. We explored the ruins of Bateman’s House and Mandale Mine’s engine house but a new fence and rank vegetation prevented us from visiting the outlet of Mandale Sough – but we could at least hear the sound of the only running water we encountered all day. We finished with the steep climb back to the village.
We were lucky with the weather, just one brief but heavy downpour, and the day was rounded off with Helen distributing pieces of delicious, home-made, apple bake – very tasty.
Thanks for your company everyone
Steve WA little more information about this walk
The car park in Over Haddon charges £2 for the day, payment by cash or by app (I think it’s called PaytoPark)
Re dogs – just be aware that, having checked the route out on Friday, there are quite a lot of cattle in some of the fields we will cross and there are a few high stone stiles too. I’m happy if owners are.
Forecast looks showery, please confirm by Thursday evening if you are joining me
Cheers
Steve WAfter checking out the Baslow/Chatsworth area yesterday I’ve decided to move the start time forward to 9:30 so we have a better chance of finding parking spaces – it was vey busy. Also, I encountered a large herd of free range cattle close to the path on Gibbet Moor, plus sheep, deer and ground nesting birds so, regrettably, I have to say please, no dogs on this walk
Steve WUnfortunately the forecast (https://www.mwis.org.uk) for Saturday’s walk looks pretty awful – heavy snow, sleet or rain all day and winds of 40-60mph. As the focus of the walk was to spend time looking at the historic sites around Bar Brook and Big Moor it seems best to postpone it and rearrange at a later date.
Steve WDespite 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.For anyone still thinking of joining this walk, I’m afraid I have to cancel it due to suspected Covid. My apologies for the late notice, I hope to offer the walk in the future.
Steve WReminder: this Sunday 7th. Meet on Main St, Birchover by the Red Lion pub. for a 10:00am start. Please note that the back road from Stanton Lees to Birchover is closed. As of yesterday the walk isn’t too muddy and the forecast for Sunday is looking quite good. Please confirm by Friday evening if you are coming along.
Cheers
Steve WThe forecast for Wednesday evening’s torchlight walk is looking wet and cloudy so I think we’ll save this for another time.
Cheers
Steve WA brief reminder for the walk from Monyash this Saturday. 10:00am start from the car park , around 8 miles, weather forecast excellent. So far I have a party of 4 (me, Mike D, Dave C and Ali). Please let me know by tomorrow evening if you are going to join us.
Cheers
Steve WReminder: Sat 15th July walk from Biggin (GR:155594). Meet for a 10:00am start by St Thomas’s church on Main St where there is ample roadside parking. Please let me know if you are coming along by 10:00pm on Thursday evening.
Cheers
Steve WarwickI’m really sorry but I have to cancel my walk on Saturday. I picked up a virus recently, thought I was over it but even doing a shortened version of Pete’s walk today had me struggling at times. I hope to do the walk at a later date.
Cheers
Steve WI spoke to the landlady of the Castle Inn, Bolsterstone today. She remains happy for us to go in at the end of the walk and is going to reserve a separate area/alcove at one end of the pub for those club members who are comfortable with going inside. This area also has an external door which can be opened for additional ventilation. Hope to see many of you tomorrow, whether or not you are going to the pub afterwards. Happy New Year everyone.
Steve WAs things stand this walk will still go ahead as arranged. However, the Covid situation is fluid so watch this space. My offer of a drink in the Castle Inn still stands for the moment but I know that some members will be wary of meeting indoors – therefore, in addition, I will be providing tots of ‘whisky mac’ at our lunch stop along the way.
Take care everyone, stay safe and have a very Happy Christmas
Steve WThere is a spare (free) ticket available for the ‘Show of Hands’ gig at Buxton Opera House this Thursday (4th) at 8:00pm, as Chris K can’t make it now. We are taking one car from Sheffield so transport might be available too. Let me know if you would like to join us
Steve W
