Whirlow Bridge, Ringinglow, and Endcliffe Park

I travelled to Whirlow Bridge on the Castleton bus today and walked right up to the boundary of the Peak District at Ringinglow. I returned towards the city centre by descending Porter Clough; the top part, the first few hundred yards is quite steep in places and so I used the roads to join the route a bit lower down. There were plenty of buses at the walk's end, at the main entrance to Endcliffe Park on Ecclesall Road.

The view from the toposcope on Fulwood Road was rather misty and murky. I could clearly see Sheffield City Centre though, and a few miles beyond.

 

I bought an ice cream from Forge Dam Cafe at Fulwood, £3 for two scoops of chocolate brownie flavour.

When I was getting off the train back at Doncaster Railway Station I bumped into my friend, he'd been sitting two or three seats in front of me but I didn't know - we chatted for a few minutes on the platform before going our separate ways.

Bamford to Ecclesall

It was forecast for thick cloud and a gentle breeze today; that was good enough for me...although there was a slight drizzle until nearly midday.

I travelled to Bamford and walked up Saltergate and made my way up to Stanage Edge using the network of country lanes, tracks, bridleways and footpaths to the north of Hathersage.

I didn't use the footpath going across the golf course...I don't know why.

When I saw the ' Road Ahead Closed' sign I was confident that whatever the problem was I'd be able to pass on foot.

A few minutes later I wasn't so sure though.

I followed the suggested route up the steps.

The path goes parallel and right next to the closed track, only it's on higher ground. I couldn't see any problems at all and when I got to the end of the closed section there was a notice explaining the reason for the closure; resurfacing, and so nothing at all to do with the floods.

My camera gets good reviews and ratings for its performance in poor lighting conditions. I took quite a few test shots and these two were the best of my early efforts.

I decided to also take some photographs were the subject matter was closer.

Just beyond Green's House there are some stepping stones. I decided not to attempt crossing them today though and instead walked further upstream using the footpath - quite difficult in places.

The camera coped much better with the images of Stanage Edge - I think it was a bit brighter and less misty then though.

I walked past Stanedge Pole and almost down to the Redmires  Reservoirs before taking the footpath that goes across the moors towards Fulwood Lane.

I took three or four different country lanes to get down to the Forge Dam Cafe, where I had a pot of tea.

I planned to end today's walk at Ecclesall Church and that was where it did finish. I wasn't sure this would be the case because for the last half a mile or so I had to manage without a map because the Ordnance Survey Peak District coverage doesn't reach this far into Sheffield.

Hathersage to Sheffield

I travelled to Hathersage today and specifically found two short footpaths I'd not previously used, something that's becoming increasingly rare these days.

I then headed northwards towards Stanage Edge and Stanedge Pole.

I walked down to the Redmires Reservoirs and then took the path which skirts to the south; my third new footpath for the day. I then had a selection of routes to choose from down to Porter Clough, using footpaths, bridleways and narrow tarmacked country lanes.

Although it had stopped raining a few minutes earlier I was still glad to reach the cafe at Forge Dam and have a hot pot of tea and a toasted teacake...and somewhere dry and comfortable to sit down for a few minutes. There's now a hi-tech system in operation using radio controlled flashing, beeping, and vibrating plastic blocks to let you know when your order's ready - to be honest I found it all rather annoying.

There's also a cafe in Endcliffe Park, a couple of miles further on; it's quite an attractive building.

I could have just walked down to the bus stop and finished the walk there but I kept on going down Ecclesall Road because the weather was fine and I could easily get a bus into the city centre if it started raining again. I almost reached the city centre by the time the next shower arrived; I kept on walking though and took shelter from the worst of it inside the Winter Gardens.

Ecclesall Road, Whirlow Bridge, Ringinglow, and Beauchief Abbey

I gave it a bit a thought this morning before deciding to go on my planned walk; I pulled a muscle in my right arm yesterday afternoon when I was helping my friend to move house...I was lifting a heavy suitcase, packed with hardback books.

I took some photographs of some different areas of Sheffield city centre as I searched for the bus stop from where my bus towards Whirlow would depart. None of the photos was any good though, so I've not included them today.

I travelled as far up Ecclesall Road as the bus would take me and then walked the final mile or so to the footpath next to the entrance of Whirlowbrook Park. It was a steady climb up to Ringinglow Road: there were some impressive views of Sheffield opening up as I got higher.

It was then a steady climb back downhill through some pleasant pastoral countryside until I reached Forge Dam Cafe in the bottom of the valley - there are public toilets here. I ordered a pot of tea and a toasted teacake from the cafe and sat right next to the warm radiator...after first looking at the paintings hanging on the wall. They're all done by local artists and are for sale as are similar paintings at other cafes in the Peak District area. I managed to get six cups of tea out of the pot...and the extra hot water which I always ask for.

I took the footpath which went up to the millpond and then walked along the road for nearly a mile until I reached the next path which took me back down into Porter Clough, but further up the valley.

The next path took me straight out of the clough, up to Ringinglow.

I returned to Whirlow Bridge via the Limb Valley and Whirlowbrook Park, passing in front of Whirlowbrook Hall; there are some disused toilets in the park.

Before crossing over Hathersage Road I noticed this date plate on an old wrought iron sign; I'm assuming that the initials D.C.C. stand for 'Derbyshire County Council.' I think this part of Whirlow was actually in Derbyshire until the county boundary was re-drawn a few years after this date, 1933.

I crossed over Hathersage Road and meandered down through Ecclesall Woods to Abbeydale Road.

[It doesn't open on Mondays so I wasn't tempted]

I turned left up Twentywell Lane, just beyond Dore and Totley Station and then left again, climbing up through some steep woodland until I reached more level ground at the top, walking next to a field where a herd of deer was grazing, then taking a path which seemed to bisect a golf course until I arrived at the area of parkland where Beauchief Abbey is located.

The abbey is in a lovely setting next to a row of pretty cottages: what's left of the  building isn't very big now - it used to be far more extensive in earlier centuries though...I think it might currently be used as the local parish church.

Finally, I needed to walk for a few hundred yards to the nearest bus stop - there's a frequent service to the city centre from there.