Clod Hall Crossroads, Robin Hood, Chatsworth House, Edensor, Pilsley, Hassop, Bubnell, and Baslow

I travelled to Clod Hall Crossroads today, an isolated spot on the Eastern Moors just north of Baslow; there's a bus stop there of course though. I immediately walked across some moorland and then climbed up some rocks to reach Nelson's Monument at the top of Birchen Edge. It was cloudier and cooler than it has been for several weeks in the Peak District; it did brighten up a bit at times though...but not much really.

I got the opportunity to photograph the monument and the Three Ships rocks from every angle because I was alone here for the first time - it's a pity that the lighting conditions were really poor though.

I continued down to the road at Robin Hood and managed to find the well-hidden footpath that passes through the Chatsworth Estate to reach the woods behind and above the House. This path and several others in the vicinity aren't marked on the map...I think they are only permissive routes, but many of these are also shown on Ordnance Survey maps.  

After a couple of miles I reached the Hunting Tower, now used as a holiday cottage, and then slowly and carefully climbed down the one hundred and fifty or so steep steps cut into the hillside to arrive down at the Farmyard and then the cafe, restaurant, and shops located in The Stables, having first to open a gate with the most complicated latch I've ever had to use...I struggle with it every time.

I then passed Chatsworth House itself and headed off for Edensor.

I didn't enter the village proper, I just stayed on the road until I reached Pilsley; I still passed a couple of pretty cottages...one in particular had a very attractive garden.

On the footpath to Hassop a large tree had recently fallen and blocked the path; I could climb over or crawl under. I chose the former and regretted it because as I was balancing on one of the recumbent branches it collapsed under my weight and I fell and landed on my back, the impact fortunately being cushioned by my rucksack. Several coins spilled out of my back pocket - I'm glad I looked down and noticed.

I sat and rested for a few minutes at Hassop before leaving the village by walking along School Lane, followed by the path that goes through Bank Wood. Just before reaching the wood I caught up with a nice woman with a nice dog called Percy who was covered head to paw with seeds and pieces of broken off bracken. I chatted to her for a while and threw the yellow tennis ball for Percy to run after, catch, and retrieve.

It was an easy walk down the road to Bubnell and then over the bridge into Baslow.

At the moment I've got a bit of a stiff neck because on the bus travelling back to Sheffield I had to hold my head up at an uncomfortable angle otherwise I'd be blatantly looking straight down at the clearly displayed ample cleavage of the young woman who got on at Abbeydale. I think she was an exhibitionist because she kept messing with her hair, always turning away from me so that I could look towards her without it being obvious what I was looking at...she was also always pushing aside the flimsy material of her blouse and kept re-adjusting her bra...always when turned away from me though...so I wasn't made to feel uncomfortable all of the time. I think she must have been French, and a youth leader, because she got on with about a dozen teenagers who were speaking that language. She got on first, spotted me and quickly walked down the bus to sit next to me. Maybe it's true what they say about French women that they're far more open and easygoing about their sensuality and sexuality. In truth, it made the journey a lot more pleasant for me.

Owler Bar, Robin Hood, and Chatsworth Water Spectacular.

I started the walk at Owler Bar and walked down Horseleygate Road, quite a pretty area. I found the footpath leading off to the right; I hoped this would lead directly to the large area of Access Land where I could wander freely across the moors. It didn't though, I ended up coming out further down the Baslow road, which I needed to follow for a few minutes until I found a suitable footpath.

I hadn't walked along any of these paths before as a continued downhill towards Car Road [A forestry track, or maybe a firebreak] so I wasn't miffed by the extra mileage. The countryside here is pretty too, riverside meadows, heathland, woodland and eventually open moorland.

I do like to include gates in my photographs.

I reached the road and entered my next area of open Access Land, this time the northern part of Leash Fen where archaeologists do give some credence to a legend of a lost city, sinking beneath the bog. There's a local rhyme 

When Chesterfield was gorse and broom,
Leash Fen was a market town;
Now Chesterfield's a market town,
Leash Fen is but gorse and broom.

All I discovered was a footpath across the bog.

A short stretch of road to walk along and then I took the footpath which leads up to Birchen Edge, Nelson's Monument and the Three Ships. It's a location popular with climbers and so there's a well-maintained path across the boggy terrain...more boggy terrain for me to cross.

The 'Three Ships' are three large boulders with the name of one of Admiral Nelson's flagships carved into the rock, the three ships being 'Victory', 'Defiance' and 'Royal Soverin'...[that's the spelling used.]

The descent to Robin Hood needs a little care, even in dry weather like today. Robin Hood is named after the pub of that name. There's not much else here; as far as I'm aware there's a Bed and Breakfast, a couple of farms, a holiday cottage, and a car park.

The road where Robin Hood is situated is quite busy but at least there was footpath or a wide verge for me to walk along until I reached a footpath onto the Chatsworth Estate, down some steep, overgrown steps leading to a recently-rebuilt footbridge over a fast flowing beck. Although I was now walking in the Chatsworth Estate, it would be another half a mile or so until I would reach Chatsworth Park...an area of easy walking. When I reached the parkland I sat on the first bench and spent a bit of time scraping off the worst of the dried on mud from my trousers, using a sturdy plastic store loyalty card that I had in my wallet...I regularly do this...I think it's the first time I've mentioned it on the blog though.

I wanted to look at least reasonably presentable when I reached Chatsworth House. I had to walk briskly in order to arrive at the Cascade House inside the gardens in time. I was a few minutes late for the start of the talk, but I still got some decent photographs of the fountains playing at their maximum pressure.

The guided walk continued, visiting three more water features, until we arrived at the highlight of the day...turning on the Emperor Fountain to its maximum height. The guide reckoned it reached well over a hundred foot, quite impressive, yet this is less than half its original height  when it was constructed in the 1840s. 

I've used sepia effect to add a bit more contrast to the picture. By this time it was quite cloudy and so difficult to fully appreciate how impressive the fountain is. On a sunny day it produces spectacular rainbows and the water spray sparkles like jewels.

I spent about forty more minutes in the gardens before going to catch the bus back to Sheffield.

I seem to have messed up the fonts in this post, I think it was when I copied and pasted the rhyme about Leash Fen and Chesterfield. I might try and sort it out later, but at the moment I'm a bit tired and am just looking forward to a long, hot soak in the bath.

Calton Lees, Beeley Hilltop, Robin Hood and Baslow.

I glimpsed my first snow of the winter today: as I was sitting on the bus travelling across the moors towards Fox House the sunlight was illuminating the remnants of last week's snowfall on the higher ground of Kinder Scout and the Great Ridge. There was, however, no snow underfoot where I was walking today; it was just a bit frosty and icy.

I got off the bus just beyond Calton Lees and walked up the lane to Beeley Hilltop. The sun was at just the right angle to light up the countryside and cast dramatic shadows in the direction of Chatsworth Park. This photograph was taken looking towards Edensor Church.

Not far beyond Beeley Hilltop the lane deteriorates and becomes nothing more than a bridleway. After about a mile I reached the boundary of access land and walked across Beeley Moor towards Hob Hurst's House. The site is very disappointing, but the information board explains everything.

It was then a steady descent along the western fringe of Gibbet Moor. The Chesterfield road soon came into view and I noticed a footpath sign. When I was close enough to read it, it was going in the direction of Robin Hood. The footpath wasn't marked on the map, but it was well established and so I decided to follow it.

I was aware that there was quite a substantial beck at the bottom of the valley, just below and before the road. No footbridge or even stepping stones were indicated, but I wasn't concerned because these features quite often don't appear on Ordnance Survey maps.

When the path reached the beck it continued following the bank, becoming quite overgrown in places. It wasn't long until I could see the Robin Hood Inn, just a few yards away; but I couldn't reach it because a deep ditch, a fast flowing beck, a tall drystone wall with what looked to be barbed wire on top...and a road, were all in the way.

I had planned to continue beyond Robin Hood and visit Nelson's Monument and the Three Ships rocks on Birchen Edge and eventually finishing the walk at Calver. Obviously I needed to change my plan; the weather had become cloudy by now and a few degrees colder than when I set off, and so I decided to continue towards the northern perimeter of Chatsworth Park and then catch the bus at Baslow Nether End.