Matlock, Bonsall, Wensley, South Darley, and Oker

I travelled to Matlock, getting off the bus at Hall Leys Park. I went to the toilets there, walked over the bridge and joined the Limestone Way at the back of the railway station. 

I stayed on the Limestone Way for nearly two miles until I reached a path that took me to the northern part of Bonsall. I continued across the fields to  Wensley.

I then entered South Darley at the top of the hill near the church and then took the steep concessionary footpath that goes up to the summit of Oker Hill: it's a lovely ridge walk for a few minutes on the higher ground. I came down to Oker where I joined the Derwent Valley Heritage Way and returned to Matlock.

Youlgreave, Bradford, Elton, Stanton Lees, Stanton Woodhouse, and Rowsley

[This is the walk I planned to do last week. ...but the bus at Bakewell didn't show up.]

I caught the local bus from Bakewell to Youlgreave and walked down the hill to Bradford.

I then walked along the bottom of the valley right next to the River Bradford; I stayed on the right bank as I was going upstream but had to climb out of the dale to the western end of Youlgreave, taking a charming footpath which seemed to go right through some people's back gardens. A bit further on I was able to get back down into Bradford Dale again. Walking alongside the river I noticed that it seemed to get wider and deeper the further upstream I went; very unusual, maybe there's a sinkhole further downstream down which some of the flow disappears. I had to cross over to the other bank eventually though.

The next path, going through the camping and caravanning site at Hopping Farm was new to me, although it soon joined up with a much more familiar path going over to Elton.

I passed through the village and then joined the Limestone way for a few hundred yards, which I soon left to take a route staying to the north of Winster. I then went down the closed road into Stanton Lees..  

I remained on a northerly bearing for Rowsley  from where I caught a bus back to Bakewell. I had to wait over an hour there for a bus going back to Sheffield.

Bakewell, Great Longstone, Little Longstone, Monsal Head, and White Lodge

My walk today wasn't as long as I'd planned for, the local bus from Bakewell to Youlgreave didn't turn up. I gave it fifteen minutes and then set off to walk along Buxton Road and then across the parched fields to Great Longstone.

The first few colourful photographs were taken in Bath Gardens whilst I was waiting for the bus.

I took the path across some pleasant pastureland to Little Longstone and then walked along the road to Monsal Head.

Some stepladders had been positioned in the doorway at Little Longstone church but I've managed to hide them behind a large tombstone in these photographs.

There were a lot of people at Monsal Head and so I didn't take any photographs. I was glad that there wasn't a queue at the ice cream van; as I was enjoying my lolly a young woman wearing shorts and some fairy wings came and sat next to me on the bench. When I saw her naked legs I realised I'd forgotten to put on my knee brace.

Despite the sign and the access being blocked there was a group of people cooling off near to the weir, a few hundred yards downstream - I think the young woman I've just mentioned features in this shot.

I finished the walk at White Lodge, as I did on my previous walk. The bus was late again, by fifteen minutes, and the bus from Bakewell to Sheffield was late by ten minutes...it's not been a good week for me on public transport in the Peak District.

Blackwell Turn, Millers Dale, Priestcliffe, Brushfield, and White Lodge

I caught the TransPeak bus from Bakewell and travelled to Blackwell Turn and then walked down into Chee Dale.

I arrived at Blackwell Mill Cottages and headed down the dale, going eastwards. 

The first set of stepping stones was high and dry, the second set, less so.

I briefly entered Millers Dale and then climbed up through the woods to Priestcliffe. It was a steep and strenuous climb, several hundred steps cut into the hillside. It's certainly something I don't remember undertaking before. 

I took a track going to the north of High Dale and continued heading eastwards to Brushfield.

I finished the walk by dropping down to the bus stop at White Lodge; I had to rush but arrived with a minute to spare...the bus was twenty minutes late though. At Bakewell two consecutive buses going to Sheffield were cancelled and so I had to wait for over an hour.

Conisbrough Hill Top, Firsby, Ravenfield Park, and Conisbrough

One of my favourite local walks today. I caught the bus to Conisbrough Hill Top and walked down the bridleway to the hamlet of Firsby. 

I did a circuit of Firsby reservoir; I got waylaid by an angler who insisted I look at photos on his phone of the fish he'd recently caught. The path was overgrown in places and my thin linen trousers didn't provide me with much protection.

I continued heading south, staying to the east of Ravenfield.  I also did a circuit of Ravenfield Park.

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At Ravenfield Grange I walked along the road for a few hundred yards until I reached a path going back to the north which returned me to Conisbrough, just a couple of hundred yards from where I got off the bus this morning.

Baslow, Robin Hood, Wigley, Ashgate, and Chesterfield.

I caught the bus to Baslow Nether End and walked into Chatsworth Park. I didn't walk towards Chatsworth House though, instead I headed off to the east, towards Robin Hood. I crossed the road and climbed up onto Birchen Edge and then continued northwards to Curbar Crossroads.

I didn't select the easiest way up to the top of Birchen Edge, I had to take off my rucksack and keep throwing or pushing it up ahead of me as a struggled to find footholes.

The path meandered down to Curbar Crossroads and then I had to walk for over two miles to the hamlet of Wigley. I was thirsty and so went in to The Fox and Goose for a pint of Diet Coke; I was charged £4, that's more than double the price at my local Wetherspoon's.

I took the path that goes north at the end of Wigley hoping to reach Linacre reservoirs. There were two ways, unfortunately the one I chose had been diverted by the landowner and just looped back up to the road. I wasn't happy about this and had to re-trace my steps for several hundred yards...two bad experiences at Wigley today.

To the east of Linacre Reservoirs I took a bridleway I'd not used before, it went through some pleasant countryside and went to Ashgate Hospice. I continued walking along the road to Chesterfield and when I saw two women waiting for a bus I asked them if it was going into town. It went the most complicated route around the housing estates as any bus I've ever travelled on.

The bus going back to Sheffield was late, but so was the train going to Doncaster and so I was able to catch it.