Monyash, Hurdlow Town, Earl Sterndale, and Buxton

I left Monyash and headed north through the village until I reached Blackwell Lane, a track, and then continued westwards along another track, called Hutmoor Butts until I reached a pub that was closed and boarded up - according to the map it was called Bull-i'-th'-Thorn. There's also a donkey sanctuary at this location.

I walked along the road for a bit until I reached a footpath going across the fields to Hurdlow Town. Hurdlow Town isn't a town at all though; it's just a few farm buildings.

A few hundred yards later I was walking across grassy fields again, with my first view of Dowlow Quarry over to my right - at this point on the walk I was no more than a mile from the Staffordshire boundary. As I approached Earl Sterndale two groups of cows were blocking my way and I had to entice them away from the gates they were all standing next to. I bet I looked and sounded a right idiot making 'moo' and 'shoo' noises, jumping up and down, and waving my arms about. They eventually came towards me and I was able to loop round the back of them in stealth mode and reach the gates - there's probably a name for this manoeuvre in American football or rugby league.

The pub at Earl Sterndale is still open - it's called 'The Quiet Woman.' [Look closely at the photograph]

There's also a church in the village.

The next footpath, leading up a steep hill to the rim of the quarry began by me needing to climb up some steps in someone's very well kept front garden.

After walking right alongside the quarry rim for a couple of miles I then needed to take the road for a few hundred yards until I reached the gravel bridleway which would take me up and over the hill and then down into the grounds of the research laboratories of the Health and Safety Executive.

Next up was a walk through an industrial estate consisting mainly of scrapyards and hauliers, certainly not the most scenic approach to Buxton, although things did improve a lot as I started the climb up to Solomon's Temple and then the descent into the town.

The bus back to Sheffield took nearly two hours so I had plenty of time to enjoy watching the countryside pass by through the window. As soon as the bus reached South Yorkshire none of the South Yorkshire only passes would scan and so this slowed us down by quite a few minutes, even though the driver explained what the problem was and was just letting people get on.