Bakewell, Ashford in the Water, Monsal Head, Little Longstone, Great Longstone, and Pineapple House Farm Bus Stop

Almost a circular walk from Bakewell today, I actually finished the walk at the bus stop where you climb up from the Monsal Trail, just north of Bakewell. 

I started by taking a shortcut through Bath Gardens to Buxton Road, heading west to Ashford in the Water, going along the road and then the riverside footpath.

The open top tour bus which takes passengers on a scenic route through the Peak District was waiting at the bus stop in Ashford in the Water...I saw it on its travels a couple of other times today.

 I continued to Monsal Head where I popped in the cafe for a pot of tea, but resisted the cranberry and lemon flapjack, claiming it was too early. I then walked down the road to the village of Little Longstone. 

I took a path going across the fields to Great Longstone, walked through the village and found one of the paths going over to the Monsal Trail.

 I stayed on the Trail for a couple of miles, arriving at the bus stop only needing to wait a few minutes for the 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.

Monyash, Alport, Stanton in Peak, and Rowsley

I caught the train and then two buses this morning to arrive at Monyash for ten o'clock. I had a few minutes to wait at Bakewell as usual en route; Bath Gardens, right next to the bus stop were looking especially good today - it's the week of the well dressings though and two of the decorated wells are located in the gardens.

I got off the last of the two buses at Monyash and immediately left the village, heading north, and then took the footpath that goes down Bagshaw Dale, a a short, shallow dale which leads to Lathkill Dale. The public toilets at the small car parking area alongside the road at the top of Lathkill Dale are now unfortunately closed - there are probably three other places in the Peak District that I could name where a similar thing has happened in recent years...a shortsighted policy by local councils I think...but of course they incur the cost and other people and organisations reap the rewards of having visitor-friendly sites and attractions in a national park.

The upper reaches of Lathkill Dale are grassy with only a shallow slope, then there's a steeper rocky section with a lot of shale and boulders with scree tumbling down the steep hillsides from the base of the crags perched high above, and the final stretch of the dale is a nice gentle shady walk alongside the river. 

At the first junction of footpaths I took the one leading up to Ricklow Quarry; I've not been here before. By choosing this route I was able to walk along the high level path for awhile that goes very close at times to the northern rim of the dale - in several spots there are viewpoints where I could look right down into the valley bottom in both directions. I found a level boulder under the shade of some trees to sit and eat my sandwiches. I needed the shade!

It was a struggle to descend over a hundred uneven steps cut into the hillside to get back down: I enjoyed the challenge though but wouldn't have done it if conditions underfoot hadn't been as dry as they were today.

There's plenty of industrial archaeology to investigate and explore; Lathkill Dale hasn't always been as beautiful and peaceful as it is now.

Instead of walking up the steep lane to Over Haddon I climbed out of the dale heading in the opposite direction, to the south, and made my way across fields and then a well-maintained bridleway to come out onto the road near to two isolated cottages which have been built at the site of the abandoned  mediaeval village of Conksbury. 

The next stretch, across more fields, but quite often within sight and sound of the river was easygoing all the way to Alport.

I then took my usual route out towards Stanton in Peak, but at the halfway stage I decided to stay on the road all the way to the bottom of the hill and then climb up to the village through the woods. I'm glad I did; I got this interesting image of a Royal Mail delivery at a pretty cottage...and higher up on the path where the woodland starts to thin out there are some good views.

I arrived at the Flying Childers pub looking forward to a cold refreshing drink, only to find that it had closed a few minutes earlier at two o'clock. I found a seat and drank the last of my orange squash and then set off for the bus stop at Rowsley, via the hamlet of Congreave. I didn't have long to wait for the bus here, and then next one at Bakewell either.

   

Miller's Dale, Chee Dale, Chelmorton...and Bakewell

I was hurrying to get ready this morning and forgot to pack my transistor radio so that I could listen to the cricket commentary; when I got home it was no surprise to find out that England had been well beaten by teatime...just as I'd been expecting. 

Something else that didn't go quite to plan either; I had planned to visit a new village for me, King Sterndale, but I missed the turn off for the footpath.

Anyhow, I got off the bus at Miller's Dale and walked up the road to reach a footpath that I hadn't used before - one that leads down into Chee Dale.

I passed over a footbridge and spotted a trout in the river; a few minutes later I caught up with a man and we walked and chatted for the next half an hour or so until we reach the cafe at Blackwell Mill. He name was Mike and he's an administrator for the 'Derbyshire Born and Bred' Facebook group -he's invited me to join the group...he's already made me an honorary Derbyshireman. [oops - according to Google no such word exists.] 

We walked down in the valley for half the distance to Blackwell Mill, and the other half higher up on the Monsal Trail - hoping to get some better photographs...I'm not particularly happy with any of mine, but these are the best. We mainly talked about walking and our previous visits to the area; I'd not been in Chee Dale for about seven years, for Mike it was sixty years though. 

Somewhere either just before, or just after Blackwell Mill Cottages, I should have taken a footpath which would have meant that I could reach King Sterndale without having to walk along quite a long stretch of the busy A6 road. Instead I came out on to the road at the car park at Topley Pike and just crossed over the road and headed down the footpath towards Deep Dale; King Sterndale will have to wait for another time. This footpath was quite difficult in places, as difficult as walking in Chee Dale...which has quite a reputation for being difficult in certain conditions.

I arrived at the main road at the head of Deep Dale and then took the first of the footpaths across the fields to Chelmorton where I stopped for a drink with the locals at the Church Inn...there were several other humorous displays featuring scarecrows in the village.

It was an easy walk up and over the fields to the bus stop at Blackwell Lane End; it took me a lot less time than I thought it would and I arrived twenty  minutes before the TransPeak bus was due. After only five minutes one arrived though, the driver explained that he was forty minutes late. The problems in Manchester had certainly worked to my advantage, meaning that I had a few minutes to spare in Bakewell...so I took some photographs of Bath Gardens, right next to the bus stop which the Sheffield bus departs from.

Monday is market day at Bakewell and the single decker bus was already standing room only when we set off. When we reached Chatsworth House not everyone could get on - fortunately there was another bus due in five minutes going back to Sheffield, but calling at Bakewell first.