Hathersage Booths, Abney, Abney Grange, Bretton, Eyam, Stoney Middleton, Calver, Curbar, and Baslow

I travelled to the Millstone pub on the hill above Hathersage today. It was raining when I got there, something I wasn't expecting after reading the weather forecast yesterday. It rained for prolonged periods...but there were also long spells of sunshine as well.

I took the footpath going down to the river and then followed the Derwent upstream for about half a mile and then walked along a series of paths, tracks, and lanes to reach Offerton Moor, and then Abney.

I continued along the road to Abney Grange and then slipped down into the upper reaches of Bretton Clough, then climbed up the other side. At the top I was greeted by a friendly farmer who had just arrived to inspect a dead sheep; we stayed chatting for a while, mainly about why the next path I wanted to use, and the road, had been blocked off. It was due to subsidence in an area where there's a strategic water pipe only a few inches below the surface in places.

I couldn't go down the hill to Foolow and so continued along the road to Bretton - the Barrel Inn there is the highest pub in Derbyshire.

So I then made my way down to Eyam, going by Black Hole Mine using a footpath I've never used before.

There are some lovely cottages in Eyam.

I took Mill Lane to reach Stoney Middleton.

It was level walking to reach Calver and then quite a steep ascent as I partially climbed the hill going up to Curbar Gap.

Only going so far up the hill was far enough; my pelvis was starting to hurt me, it must be a sprain, strain, or pulled muscle. Fortunately it was fine when I was walking on level ground or going downhill, as most of the remainder of the walk to Baslow Nether End was. On the way I needed to escort a family through farmyard where the footpath goes - because the farmer was working, using his tractor to move some bales of hay out of storage they thought that the public footpath definitely doesn't go that way - I knew it did without even looking at the map...and so  they followed me.

There was time for a cherry Bakewell ice cream at the end of the walk, and a quick look at the art exhibition inside the village hall.

Apart from one striking abstract still-life I didn't like any of the paintings. I've seen much better pictures, and more to my liking, hanging on the walls of various cafes and tearooms I've visited. Like those at Baslow today, the artists' work was also on sale.