Slatepit Dale, Uppertown, Bentley Bridge, Lumsdale, and Matlock

I caught the Matlock bus and travelled to Slatepit Dale and headed over to the west, passing by Stanedge Golf Course before reaching Stone Edge Chimney, the oldest industrial chimney in Britain.

Just beyond the chimney there's a series of attractive ponds, associated with whatever industrial activity was taking place there during the past.

It was easy walking all the way today with one exception - when I reached these cows in the corner of a field just beyond Dryhurst Farm.

The stile that I needed to use was right in the corner behind where the cows were standing; there was no way to get around them and I didn't want to force my way through them...and the  idea of shooing them hoping that they'd move out of the way would only result in them heading straight for me since there's nowhere else for them to go. Fortunately there was a broken down section of dry stone wall just a few yards away which I was able to climb over, and then duck under a wire fence. It was dangerous and totally unsuitable for cows to be in this field - there should be guidelines for farmers about placing livestock in fields which public footpaths cross, especially where there's a stile right in the corner and there are high walls surrounding the fields.

If the wall hadn't been toppled, what would you have done? 

I passed through the hamlet of Uppertown and then walked through a wood and some tall bracken before reaching the road. It was then a pleasant walk across fields and alongside the perimeter fence at Matlock Golf Club.

The path took me to Bentley Bridge, just above Lumsdale. As usual I was not alone when visiting Lumsdale - there were a couple of artists with their easels and palettes, a photographer with an expensive camera and a box full of lenses and other equipment, and several couples or small family groups exploring the waterfalls, ruins, and caves.

When I reached the bus stop at Matlock I wasn't sure if the bus was due at just after a quarter to, or a quarter after the hour. It was 14:13...and the bus was due at 14:17. It was on time.