50 Walks in Derbyshire

About 50 Walks in Derbyshire

Walking is one of Britain's favourite leisure activities, and this guide to Derbyshire features 50 mapped walks from 2 to 10 miles, to suit all abilities.

The book features all the practical detail you need, including:

fascinating background reading on the history and wildlife of the area,
clear OS-based mapping for ease of use,
every route has been colour coded according to difficulty,
annotations for local points of interest and places to stop for refreshments,
summary of distance, time, gradient, level of difficulty, type of surface and access, landscape, dog friendliness, parking and public toilets.

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Sample walk: Ashford-in-the-Water and Monsal Dale

Distance: 6 miles (9.7km)
Minimum Time: 3hrs 30min
Ascent: 1,100 feet (335m)
Gradient: 2
Difficulty: 2
Paths: Well-defined paths and tracks throughout, a few short rougher sections in DeepDale/Great Shacklow Wood, a few stiles
Landscape: Limestone dales and high pasture
Suggested Map: AA Walker's Map 1 Central Peak District
Start Grid Reference: SK194697
Dog Friendliness: Under close control and on lead near livestock (unless threatened by cattle –may be present in Monsal Dale).
Parking: Ashford-in-the-Water car park (small charge)
Public Toilet: At Ashford car park (small charge) and White Lodge

Background reading

The Wye is a chameleon among rivers. Rising as a peaty stream from Axe Edge, it rushes downhill, only to be confined by the concrete and tarmac of Buxton, a spa town and the quarries to the east. Beyond Chee Dale it gets renewed vigour and cuts a deep gorge through beds of limestone, finally to calm down again among the gentle fields and hillslopes of Bakewell. The finest stretch of the river valley must be around Monsal Head, and the best approach is that from Ashford-in-the-Water, one of Derbyshire's prettiest villages found just off the busy A6. Monsal Dale Leaving Ashford's streets behind the route climbs to high pastures that give no clue as to the whereabouts of Monsal Dale. But suddenly you reach the last wall and the ground falls away into a deep wooded gorge. John Ruskin was so taken with this beauty that he likened it to the Vale of Tempe: 'you might have seen the Gods there morning and evening - Apollo and the sweet Muses of light - walking in fair procession on the lawns of it and to and fro among the pinnacles of its crags'.The Midland Railway It's just a short walk along the rim to reach one of Derbyshire's best-known viewpoints, where the Monsal Viaduct spans the gorge. Built in 1867 as part of the Midland Railway's line to Buxton, the five-arched, stone-built viaduct is nearly 80ft (26m) high. But the building of this railway angered Ruskin. He continued, 'you blasted its rocks away, heaped thousands of tons of shale into its lovely stream. The valley is gone and the Gods with it'. The line closed in 1968 and the rails were ripped out, leaving only the trackbed and the bridges. Ironically, today's conservationists believe that those are worth saving and have slapped a conservation order on the viaduct. The trackbed is used as a recreational route for walkers and cyclists on the Monsal Trail. The walk continues over the viaduct, giving bird's-eye views of the river and the lawn-like surrounding pastures. It then descends to the river bank, following it westwards under the viaduct and beneath the prominent peak of Fin Cop. The valley curves like a sickle, while the path weaves in and out of thickets, and by wetlands where tall reed mace and irises grow. After crossing the A6 the route takes you into the mouth of Deep Dale, then the shade of Great Shacklow Wood. Just past some pools filled with trout there's an entrance to the Magpie Mine Sough. The tunnel was built in 1873 to drain the Magpie Lead Mines at nearby Sheldon. Magpie was worked intermittently for over 300 years before finally closing in the 1960s. It's believed to be haunted by the ghosts of miners from the neighbouring Redsoil Mine who tragically died underground in a dispute with the Magpie men.Looking back on the beauty of the day's walk it's hard to believe that the gods haven't returned, or at least given the place a second look.

Directions

From the car park, leave Corner Cottage on your left then turn right along Vicarage Lane. By a yellow grit bin, a footpath doubles back left, then swings sharp right to climb behind housing. Beyond a narrow gate the path enters a field.
Head uphill, curving to a stile in the distant right corner that leads onto a walled stony track (Pennyunk Lane) which winds among high pastures. At the end, go left uphill along a field edge. Go through a gate at the top, turn right past a dew pond and carry on as the track then resumes. Emerging above the rim of Monsal Dale, fork right along a path to the short-stay car park at Monsal Head.
After admiring the view, take the continuing path signed 'Monsal Trail and Viaduct', descending steeply on steps. Fork left at a junction towards 'Viaduct and Monsal Trail', descending to the trail at the western portal of the Headstone Tunnel. Cross the viaduct, then fork right through a gate towards 'Monsal Head via Netherdale' at a junction of bridleways. Turn right along the valley, go underneath the viaduct and through a squeeze stile.
The onward path heads downriver, more or less beside the Wye. Eventually, at a path junction continue towards 'A6 and White Lodge', crossing a stream and stile, then up to the A6.
Cross this busy road and enter the White Lodge car park. By the pay station, take a path signed 'Deep Dale Nature Reserve Ashford'. Beyond a gate, ignore a path to Taddington. Bend right on worn limestone pavement, and briefly up a mossy rough limestone section beside a wall to cross a stile into the Deep Dale Nature Reserve. Rise up a rough track, then fork left at a junction towards 'Ashford and Sheldon' rising steeply to a junction at the edge of woodland.
Go through the gate towards 'Ashford', continuing more easily across then gently descending the steep slopes of Great Shacklow Wood. Disregard a later crossing path from Sheldon, but then watch for the sough outflow from the Magpie Mine. Beyond a derelict bone mill, leave the wood and carry on ahead along a broader track, shortly passing the foot of a side dale. Bend left through a gate, then follow the river, ultimately passing through two gates to meet a lane at the bottom of Kirk Dale.
Turn left down to the A6 and then right along the pavement towards Ashford. Cross tbe busy road then fork left over Sheepwash Bridge. Continue up Fennel St then right to return to the car park.

While you're there

Bakewell, next door to Ashford, is well worth a visit. This bustling town is built round a fine 14th-century bridge over the River Wye. Buxton is somewhat further away, but its Museum and Art Gallery holds a large collection of Ashford marble, which can also be seen in the chapel at Chatsworth House. The rock is an impure local limestone infused with natural bitumen, which becomes shiny and jet-black when polished. The majority of this "marble" came from two local quarries in the 18th and 19th Centuries, and has been highly prized by dignities including Bess of Hardwick and Queen Victoria.

Where to eat and drink

The Monsal Head Hotel Stable Bar serves a wide variety of bar meals. In Ashford, the Bull's Head is a popular choice for real ale and after-walk pub meals. Aisseford cafe in Ashford, and Hobb's at Monsal Head are ideal for those preferring hot drinks and cakes.

What to look out for

The fabulous and much-photographed view of (and from) the Monsal Viaduct. Ashford's much-photographed 17th-century Sheepwash Bridge over the River Wye was built on the original site of the ford that gave the village its name. On the far side of the bridge are the enclosures where the sheep were gathered for washing.