Great Hucklow, Bretton, Highcliffe, Eyam, Stoney Middleton, Calver, Bubnell, and Baslow

The bus was ten minutes late leaving Sheffield Interchange this morning; this was the first time in a long while I can remember TM Travel letting me down. The driver managed to make up a few minutes though by the time I got off at Great Hucklow - there's plenty of slack in the timetable.

Several local residents were busily putting up the final few of the Christmas trees that will line the entire length of the main road through the village. I counted twenty three already in place, some of them decorated; when everything's finished it will be spectacular to look at. It will probably rival the lights at Castleton; Great Hucklow isn't a touristy village though, there's only the pub to visit.

I climbed up through Great Hucklow Wood to the road, which was closed to traffic because of a recent landslip, continued along the path that goes past the ruins of Silence Mine and then followed a different road to Bretton where I sat and ate my sandwiches on the grassed area across the road from The Barrel Inn. There's a rather difficult to read toposcope placed here to help you appreciate the wonderful view you're looking at. 

I followed the road round to Highcliffe, a hamlet high above Eyam, and then took a slightly different route than on previous occasions down to the village.

In Eyam there's always plenty of colour in the garden at Plague Cottage, not all of it is plastic.

It's a lovely walk over the hill to Stoney Middleton. As I was approaching the village I heard the noise of loud engines and looked up to catch sight of a large low flying military transport aeroplane and a twin rotor heavy lift helicopter.

I had time to take some photographs of the unusual octagonal church and some of the pretty cottages, but not the aircraft.

I continued down to the River Derwent south of Froggatt, there was the best view of the day looking north towards Stoke Hall.

There's a riverside nature reserve at New Bridge to the north of Calver; I stopped to read a couple of interesting display boards about brook lampreys and great crested newts.

The caravan site at Calver is still flooded, and the water frozen over, but everywhere I walked today was fine.

The final stretch of the walk was following the course of the river to Bubnell and finally to the bus stop at Cavendish Bridge. At Bubnell there was more military activity in the sky, this time two large black ops helicopter gunships; they looked, and sounded, very threatening...somewhat out of place in the Peak District.

I found myself walking into the sun for most of the time today; I really should have done the walk in the other direction, but this wasn't possible because of the timing of the buses.

Calver, Rowland, Hassop, Pilsley, and Chatsworth House

There were three or four trainspotters on the platform at Doncaster Railway Station this morning, paying a lot of attention to a rather sleek, shiny, freight locomotive parked in the engineering sidings. My train to Sheffield was nothing special, just a standard local stopping service operated by Northern Rail. It got me to Sheffield on time though, and that was good enough for me.

When I'd walked over to the bus station at Sheffield I immediately noticed something a bit strange; quite a few attractive young women, students maybe, were wearing brightly coloured, patterned, fluorescent wellies...and not a lot more - just about the legal minimum they could get away with, skimpy two piece swimming costumes or a cropped tee-shirt and lacy, almost see-through knickers. I think one of them might have been a bit shy though because she was only brave enough to wear very short hotpants, which rode all the way up into the crack of her bum.

I'd only been walking for a couple of minutes at Calver when I noticed a dead animal at the side of the road - it looked like a badger...I've never seen a badger alive.

I soon found my path, but noticed a group of hikers ahead of me, so decided to eat my sandwiches early on a hill overlooking the village, from where the views were wide-ranging.

I then continued along the path towards Hassop Common. For most of its length walking along this path was difficult, it was overgrown with brambles and nettles, limestone rubble was underfoot, and I seemed to be always going uphill or downhill. There were some lovely views though.

The road down to Rowland is tarmac though, and a lot easier.

Just before entering the main part of the village I turned left , walking across the fields to reach the Hassop road. At Hassop I rested on the seat in front of the church for a few minutes before joining the first of the two bridleways which would take me to Pilsley.

I had a pot of tea at the pub, the Devonshire Arms. Walking past the post office I noticed that it was closed, and boarded up, yet someone was still tending the hanging baskets.

When I reached the main road I turned right and visited the Chatsworth Farm Shop and bought a slice of mixed game pie (may contain lead shot). It was quite expensive...but Chatsworth has won many awards and claims to be the best of the best..so  I'm looking forward to tasting it.

It was only a walk of a few minutes down the road until Chatsworth House comes into view, passing by Edensor first - where there are some interesting cottages.

Today was the first time that I could take a photograph of Chatsworth House without the scaffolding ruining the shot. It really is impressive; the Emperor Fountain is over on the far right of both photographs, I'm not sure if it is, or was at one time, the highest fountain in Europe...or the entire world.

By this time my feet were beginning to hurt me, the first time for many months. My boots were rubbing me...maybe my feet were swollen...I don't know.

I arrived at the bus stop right next to the main entrance to the house in plenty of time. As I was waiting I was aware that no other people were waiting there with me; perhaps only half a dozen, when I would have really expected several dozen. Anyhow, one of the Chatsworth tour guides came over and told us that the bus stop had been moved...just a few hours earlier....so that the buses can now loop round by accessing the coach park, instead of needing to reverse right in front of the House. It's probably a very good idea, but people need to be told about it in advance. Apart from this one employee, no-one else at Chatsworth knew about it, none of the drivers knew about it, and some of the passengers, myself included, didn't know about the change either.

The new location for the bus stop wasn't far away, but by now I was near to the back of a long queue.

The Sheffield bus was twenty minutes late, and in the meantime the driver of the Matlock bus hadn't realised what was going off and so turned around without picking up his passengers. Naturally the passengers weren't best pleased, and one woman in particular was quite distressed. Myself and some other passengers advised those travelling to Matlock to catch our bus, the Sheffield bus, which goes to Bakewell first, and get off there and catch one of the frequent buses to Matlock....however, for one or two passengers their passes or tickets weren't valid for travel by this route.

The driver of our bus phoned up the depot and explained the situation, telling the despacher that the last buses that call at Chatsworth House would be arriving there in just over half an hour and if the drivers didn't pick up the passengers they'd all be stranded...maybe a hundred of them. I was sitting on the front seat and could clearly hear his side of the conversation; he was getting very frustrated because all the other person could suggest was that he fill in an incident report when he got back to the garage and just said that there was nothing that could be done.

I'm afraid it's attitudes like this that make me ashamed to be English at times. I suspect that the vast majority of any potential stranded passengers would be overseas students with a poor grasp of English, and  even less of an idea as what to do in an emergency.

Shame on you TM Travel...yet again.

Yet again the bus was dangerously overcrowded after it had picked up another two dozen passengers at Bakewell. Because of the delay though it meant that when I arrived at Sheffield the next train due to Doncaster was one of the few that travel direct, and don't stop at Meadowhall. The journey should have only taken about twenty minutes, but it was nearer to half an hour because we had to wait for several minutes outside the station.

Matlock Green, Starkholmes, High Peak Junction, Cromford, and Matlock Bath.

As I was waiting at Sheffield Bus Station I noticed my favourite bus pass by; yes, I do actually have a favourite bus. It's a TM Travel double-decker, which sometimes, like this morning, only displays the letters BOB on its destination blinds: no service number or destination town - just the colloquial diminutive version of 'Robert.' 

About an hour and a half later I got off my bus at the bottom of the hill at Matlock Green; a couple of stops before the town centre. I walked along the road for a few yards before I located the footpath which leads up the hill, across fields and pastures. It wasn't easy to find, there's no sign and the track I needed to take looks like it leads to a garden centre.

As I walked along here the sun was at just the right angle for perfect views of Matlock, a couple of miles away.

I lingered awhile to take some photographs, but soon arrived at the Wards End area of Starkholmes, located at the edge of the village. I then walked up the steep winding road until I reached Hearthstone Lane; a single track, tarmacked road which goes to Hearthstone Farm - which seems to be more like a hamlet. This was the highest section of the walk and there were still significant amounts of snow piled up at the side of the road. Further on, when I was walking along a section of footpath enclosed by high hedges, I had to walk through the remains of several deep snowdrifts.

I then walked down through the woods, past Lea Bridge Mill, and along a short stretch of road to reach High Peak Junction. Just before reaching the mill there was a field with three large horses in it. One of them was standing near to the stile in the corner of the field and although not actually blocking my way it was far too near for my liking - well within kicking range. I know that you should never walk behind large animals and so paused awhile to assess the situation. It was then that one of the other horses approached me and so I patted it on the head. This seemed to attract the attention of the horse which was causing me the problem, and it too started to walk in my direction; giving me the opportunity to climb over the stile.  

High Peak Junction is the site of an incline railway where goods from barges on the canal were transferred into waggons, which were then hauled up the hillside by stationary steam engines. Everything is explained on the Wikipedia page:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Peak_Junction

There is a small interpretation centre inside the two railway brake vans which are located there.

I then walked along the canal towpath towards Cromford, and popped into Arkwright's Mill for a lemon curd ice cream. There was a steam traction fair being held in the village market place...and some very unusual, and possibly dangerous, animals on the loose in the millpond area. 

Being careful not to get too close, I had a look for these crocodiles...and I thought I'd found one...

...but I think it was only a duck-billed platypus.

I had more luck with some of the other exotic wildlife though. On the next tree there were a couple of small koalas...and an upside down teapot.

A few seconds later I saw another unexpected sign; this time it seems that cats have the ability to hold up traffic.

A very strange place indeed, Cromford. 

I then walked up the hill at the other side of the valley. When I reached the last building as I left Cromford I was slightly puzzled and perturbed by this sign when I thought it read 'Destruct' - it was only when I got close up that I realised that it actually is 'Obstruct.'

I climbed up through woodland, then skirted the edge of a quarry and continued across meadows and back down through more woodland, and a lot of steps, to reach a very busy Matlock Bath where I bought some fish and chips and then caught the bus into Matlock.