Fox House and the Eastern Edges

A walk with Maureen and Chris from Leeds today. As usual the brief was a six to eight mile walk, fairly flat and easy conditions, and parking somewhere with toilets. Starting a walk from Fox House just about fits all these criteria, although the public toilets are now closed there are still some at the visitor centre at Longshaw, only a ten minute stroll. Out of good practice I always take my map, but I didn't need it today...and didn't use it - I know the area very well.

As the passengers were boarding the bus at Sheffield Interchange I helped the driver work out where a couple of foreign students needed to get off; the end of the road to Ringinglow for Mayfield Alpaca Farm and Fox House for the car parking area at Longshaw Estate. This seems to be becoming a regular task for me; I'm not a particularly helpful person...it's just that I see this as being the best way to hurry things up and make sure that the bus sets off on time.

The route of today's walk was through the grounds of Longshaw Estate, along the road to the footpath on the top of Froggatt Edge, cut across the moors to Eagle Stone and the Wellington Monument, and then across more moorland to reach White Edge and return to the visitor centre at Longshaw...and then finally back to Fox House. 

Eyam, Stoney Middleton, Froggatt, Grindleford, Longshaw and Fox House.

A long title for today's walk; although the walk wasn't particularly long at six and a half miles.

The day got off to a bad start with the train being delayed for fifteen minutes due to a problem at Rotherham; then when I arrived at Sheffield Station I went for a pee and noticed a sign which said that because of vandalism, barriers were going to be installed at the toilets...and there would be a charge of twenty pence. Having to pay is bad enough, but it's the delay caused by the barriers that will be the main problem - it's a railway station, many people are likely to be in a hurry and they don't need any extra, unnecessary delays.

I got off the bus today at Eyam and quickly walked across the meadows to Stoney Middleton, and then continued through woodland and across more meadows to reach the River Derwent a few hundred yards south of Froggatt. Along this section of the walk I came across a couple of fields where a lot of yellow flowers were growing - I wonder if anyone can identify them?

There were some lovely views to the north as I walked along the riverbank.

The walk to Grindleford was straightforward; I've done it several times before. At Grindleford though I took an unfamiliar route climbing up through boggy woodland to eventually reach The Grouse Inn.

About a mile further on I arrived at the Longshaw Visitor Centre and popped in for a cream tea, since I'd got plenty of time to spare. It was lovely, and I was ready for it; but I thought it was rather expensive.

It was then only a short walk to the bus stop at Fox House. I had thirty minutes to wait for the next bus and so spent a few minutes sunbathing on a rock.