Foolow, Wardlow Mires, Ravensdale, Cressbrook, Ashford in the Water, and Bakewell

At Sheffield Interchange the bus driver was having a sneaky smoke before starting his shift and we were chatting and he told me that there are going to be savage cuts to bus services in Sheffield. I've not seen anything online yet...but I certainly need to investigate.

After he'd finished his cigarette I was able to get onboard and travel to Foolow.

I walked across the fields to Wardlow Mires and then down into Cressbrook Dale. Initially I took a high level footpath to be able to take some photographs looking down into the dale, but I didn't continue along that route because I couldn't see a way down.

A few yards further on I went part of the way up another path to get some close-up views of Peter's Stone; the cows were positioned perfectly for my shots.

The entirety of the hamlet of Ravensdale is shown in the next photograph.

At this point the path becomes a narrow road which leads down into Cressbrook.

I climbed up to the Monsal Trail, passed over the viaduct and through the tunnel before taking the path to Ashford in the Water.

I finished by going on the path that goes down by the river towards Bakewell. I stepped right on the bus in Bakewell and got on the train at Sheffield as it was waiting on the platform.

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Eyam, Foolow, Grindlow, Great Hucklow, and Wardlow Mires

Walking today with Chris and Maureen from Leeds: the location and route of  today's walk required a bit of forward planning, an easy, flat, circular walk with frequent toilet facilities - I've recently increased my dosage of anti-diabetes tablets, as I need to,  and I can therefore sometimes suffer from diarrhoea; fortunately not today though. There are some very clean and modern public toilets at the car park at Eyam [and an additional set inside the courtyard of Eyam Hall which are easily reachable from the main road through the village],  and of course the pubs in the villages we would pass through would all have facilities.

I did my good deed for the day by re-uniting a hiker with his hiking pole at Sheffield Bus Station; he had got on the bus and left it on the seats in the waiting area, and I was rewarded with better than expected weather and a perfect day on public transport.

I arrived at Fox House, my regular point for Chris to pick me up in the car; a location named after a pub, which is named after a man who's named after an animal. It was busy at Fox House; there were quite a few mountainbikers, boulderers, fellrunners and maybe even an odd hiker or two.

We drove over to Eyam, parked in the free car park at the back of the regular car park and set off on our walk in glorious weather; this was how it stayed for most of the day apart from three short showers.

We walked down a track and then across the fields to Foolow. There are some lovely views of typical White Peak countryside here; mile upon mile of limestone drystone walls, a carpet of green fields and gently rolling hills in the distance.

The pub at Foolow seems to sell more than you'd expect...it even brews its own postage stamps.

It began to rain as we left Foolow and headed across the fields to Grindlow and then along the road to reach Great Hucklow where we stopped for a brief, a very brief, visit to the phonebox art gallery.

We then walked along the road and then the footpath which runs parallel to the road towards Windmill, before taking the lane which leads back towards Foolow. There are some lovely views towards the north from this area but it was still a bit murky...although it had stopped raining.

The track towards Littonfields is very straight for long sections and quite boring; things got more interesting when we reached the section of the path which cuts diagonally across the fields. We had to walk along the grass verge alongside the main trunk road for a few yards before turning down into Mires Lane and heading towards the next footpath. We walked through the gate, walked only for a few yards and then stopped to admire the wonderful view of Cressbrookdale and Peter's Stone.

We returned to the main road just before we reached Wardlow Mires, the ugliest village or hamlet that I've visited in the Peak District. Our next footpath went right through the farmyard, the route was clearly marked though.

There were a lot of stiles to be climbed over along this section and Maureen struggled a bit towards the end; fortunately the final mile and a half back to Eyam was along a public bridleway and so there weren't any stiles.

When we got back to Eyam Maureen remained in the car as Chris and myself had a quick look round the village, visiting the courtyard at Eyam Hall, the Tourist Information Centre in the old market hall, and the church, where there are some very informative display boards telling the story of the plague and the bravery of Rev. Mompesson and the villagers of Eyam.

I asked to be dropped off at the tram terminus at Malin Bridge and we arrived there just as a tram was approaching; I got back to the railway station five minutes before the fast train back to Doncaster was due...and it arrived on time.

Foolow, Wardlow Mires, Cressbrook, Upperdale, Monsal Head, Little Longstone, Ashford-in-the-Water, and Bakewell.

I had planned to go to Fairholmes today and start by walking alongside the shore of the reservoir. The train was twenty five minutes late departing from Doncaster and so I caught the service number sixty five instead and got off at Foolow .

On the train people were complaining to each other; it was annoying me and so I told them they should do something about it and refuse to pay their fares. No-one took my advice though; I would have refused to pay, but I have a free travel pass. I don't know what the legal situation would be if I refused to show my pass to the ticket inspector: maybe I'd end up in court, but more likely I'd just have my pass withdrawn.

The bus wasn't much bigger than a minibus and was already full when it reached the stop near to the railway station, where I had gone hoping the earlier 273 bus might just be a few minutes late and I'd be able to catch it. I had to stand up, but was struggling. I was holding on to two upright supports to brace myself, one of which was rattling and obviously working loose - I was lurching from side to side as the bus cornered, staggering forward when the brakes were applied, and accidentally poking out the eyes of several passengers with my elbows and the dangling straps of my rucksack. Noticing the situation, a man offered me his seat - he was a lot smaller than me...and much better at balancing too.

The walk didn't get off to a good start; the bus driver jammed on the brakes just as I was getting up from my seat, resulting in my pulling a muscle in my lower back.

The bus-stop at Foolow is directly opposite to the pub. Fortunately the walking was easy across the fields to Wardlow Mires. Just before getting there I was approached by a family which was camping locally; they were from Devon and wanted some suggestions as to where to visit in the Peak District during their stay. I mentioned Eyam, Castleton, Kinder Scout, Bakewell, Monsal Head, and Matlock Bath...which they were keen to visit. I forgot Chatsworth House though...oops.

There's a café at Wardlow Mires, Yondermann's; I popped in, noticing the motorbikes parked outside. As I expected, it was packed - I had a quick look at the menu and the meals seemed to be good value for money.

I then took the path which goes all the way down Cressbrook Dale, passing Peter's Stone and the Ravensdale Cottages.

I gave myself a boost by eating some chocolate sitting at a picnic table at Upperdale before climbing up to Monsal Head. I bought an ice cream and sat for a few minutes enjoying the spectacular view. The weather wasn't at its best, and so the photographs I took weren't as good as I'd like...so, here's a photograph of some other people also enjoying the view, as you can see, it was quite cloudy.

I walked down the road to Little Longstone and noticed a sign for some tearooms which I think must be new, The Hollow Dining Room And Tea Garden. It looks like it's a converted old country house - I even had to ring a large brass hand bell for service. I ordered a pot of tea; it was good value for £1.75. I got four cups out of it; the food was very expensive though. Everything supposedly was made on the premises; many of the items on the menu preceded by the word 'Yorkshire.' Maybe the owners were from Yorkshire...or maybe it's just that describing home-cooked food as 'Derbyshire' just doesn't have the same effect.

There's a lovely large garden, but the tables and chairs hadn't been put out - I had a nice view from my table though.

I then walked across the fields to Ashford-in-the-Water, tripping up over a small yapping terrier on the way. I nearly flattened it as I hit the ground; fortunately the dog's owner was more concerned about me than her dog, though  I wasn't hurt, or even shook up; I was just trying to suppress a fit of the giggles.

I was aware of the time the bus leaves Bakewell as I approached Ashford-in-the-Water. I did have time for a quick glass of Diet Coke at one of the pubs though before continuing on my way alongside the river to Bakewell.

Only a few hundred yards after passing Ashford I saw a large trout jump two foot out of the water and land with a splash, something I've never seen before.

The bus was on time at Bakewell and a train being late at Sheffield worked in my favour.

Tideswell Lane Head, Ravensdale Cottages, Cressbrook, Upperdale, Monsal Head, Little Longstone, Great Longstone, Rowland, Hassop, and Baslow.

Today I ended up getting off the bus at the same stop as about a dozen members of one of the Sheffield walking groups, and I immediately set off at a brisk pace so that I could get far enough in front of them in order to have a pee out of sight.

The walk along Litton Edge is easy enough, being across grassland; and the views are wide-ranging in most directions. By the time I reached the road which leads out of the village the other walkers were nowhere to be seen, and it wasn't long until I was on the path heading down into the valley - Cressbrook Dale is usually dry this high up, near to its head; but not today...there is certainly no sign of the drought in this part of Derbyshire.

I crossed the quite substantial stream, which is called 'Cress Brook' I suppose, and headed south along the bottom of the valley. Straight ahead of me is a prominent rock called 'Peter's Stone' - supposedly because of its similarity to the dome of St. Peter's in Rome. It is also claimed to be the site of the last hanging by a gibbet in England .

Just a couple of hundred yards further on I saw my first 'early purple orchids' of the year. I haven't seen these beautiful flowers anywhere else except for on the grassy slopes of the limestone dales in the Peak District. They are very striking and I'm sure wouldn't look out of place in anyone's front garden.

The next section of the walk was through woodland: wild garlic was everywhere, and the smell is very pungent. I soon arrived at the hamlet of Ravensdale Cottages and then took the road down into Cressbrook where I paused for a few seconds to admire the old mill and take a photograph. The reason that it's so well maintained these days is because it's been converted into executive flats, just like nearby Litton Mill.

Half a mile further on at Upperdale I usually cross over the bridge and head for the Monsal Trail, and arrive at Monsal Head by climbing up the steep path through the woods. Today I continued along the road though, noticing that some very specific parking restrictions apply along this section.

I wonder what the significance of September 30th is? I'm thinking that maybe there's some event on that day that attracts a lot of people to the immediate area.

The route up to Monsal Head isn't quite as challenging as my normal route is; I was still ready for an ice cream when I reached the top though. I've never seen Monsal Head so busy; there was certainly enough trade for the two ice cream vans; and the pub and café.

I walked down the road to Little Longstone, noticing all the cars parked on the verge, and then walked across the fields to Great Longstone.

It's a pleasant walk across more fields to Rowland, and then Hassop, where I took several photographs of the unusual Catholic Church which looks like an Ancient Greek temple. I couldn't get any suitable angles though and so wasn't satisfied with any of my efforts.

Just beyond Hassop I sat on a grassy knoll for a  while and enjoyed watching a small aeroplane perform aerobatics; it must have been part of the entertainment at an event at the Bakewell Showground.

For about ten minutes I had to walk along the main Bakewell road, something I never really enjoy, and then headed uphill and then gently downhill again into Baslow.

The bus was fifteen minutes late and I had to stand up nearly all the way to Sheffield.