Monsal Head, Litton Mill, and Blackwell

I caught the local bus from Bakewell to Monsal Head and took the footpath going down to the Monsal Trail.

For a change I took the footpath that bypasses the two tunnels, it's the one we had to use before they were open.

This path comes down in Litton Mill; I then continued on to Tideswell Dale, going up the 120 steps to reach the old quarry...which is very well landscaped. I hoped to see some early purple orchids but there were sheep grazing, however I did spot this rather lovely specimen hiding away in an obscure corner.

At the end of the dale there's the car parking area and public toilets. I then headed west across some fields until I reached the Limestone Way. I walked along the road which goes to Hargatewall but then climbed up to Wormhill...I only visited the area of the village where the church is though.

The path that goes down to Chee Dale is quite steep, although I naturally thought the one going up the other side was much steeper. At the bottom there's a lovely spot where there's a footbridge over the river; families were having picnics on the grassy riverbank and some children were paddling in the water. 

At a farm on the approach to Blackwell there's a pathside refreshment stall selling cakes. I didn't want to purchase anything but I couldn't work out how the honesty box works...maybe payment is done online. I don't know.

I finished the day by walking along the road to the bus stop at Blackwell Turn and caught the bus going back to Bakewell.

Miller's Dale, Wheston, and Bradwell

There was no sign of any Global Warming today; at times it was unpleasantly chilly and I reckon it's been one of the coldest summer days I've ever experienced.

I had another uncomfortable journey on the bus today. It was full to the maximum capacity as it left Sheffield bus station, two walking groups and a church group (I think) going to a seminar in Buxton added to the numbers. Fortunately, the members of one of the walking groups got off at Fox House, only twenty minutes into the journey. This helped quite a bit though, it meant that the man sitting next to me could move a few inches away from me and put his left leg in the aisle. He seemed to have been rather unsettled about me having to ram my left knee into his upper thigh (I suppose my having to regularly rub my own knee to keep the blood circulation going didn't impress him at all) - I was more more concerned though about a young man standing a few feet away who was drinking a takeaway coffee and trying not to spill it or fall over.

As the bus passed through Tideswell it was obvious that it was 'Tidza Wakes and Welldressing' - even at 10:30 it was very busy. I got off a few miles down the road at Miller's Dale. It was drizzling a bit by now and so I struggled with my 'Poncho-in-a-Bag' - ending up looking more like a refugee from the Glastonbury Festival than a serious hiker....it did the job though, keeping me dry for the next half an hour or so until the weather cleared up.

I walked up the road to the point where I could access the Limestone Way, soon passing the farm with a particularly tricky 'bisexual gate' (it swings both ways and it's bloody difficult to get the bolt in the right hole.) I was high above Monk's Dale at this point but I didn't fancy taking the valley bottom path; it would have been far too challenging for me at this time of year...overgrown, wet, and boulder-strewn. I did walk along Monk's Dale a couple of years ago but the ground was frozen solid; the temperature hadn't got above freezing for several days and so conditions underfoot were favourable...and, of course, the undergrowth had died back.

A few hundred yards beyond the farm I could enjoy a nice view over to my left; the weather was murky but it's possible to make out a rather pretty hill with cows and sheep on its flank, I think it's got a nice shape...it's called Knot Low.

I reached the road at Monksdale House and then continued towards Wheston, passing by a clump of three dead trees.

I then walked down a byway called 'Water Lane' and reached the road that leads to Tideswell. I turned left and headed westwards, away from Tideswell, and stopped to photograph a sign, the warning being something I would never had thought of as being a major hazard in the Peak District.

I crossed the busy Buxton to Chesterfield road and continued northward along a country lane until I reached my next section of footpath; a steady climb uphill towards Bradwell Moor. At the side of the verge there were a lot of these pretty yellow flowers, I don't know what they're called, but I reckon they wouldn't look out of place in anyone's garden.

Towards the top of this path there's a storage tank, or small covered reservoir, which looks rather sinister.

The final section of the walk was across the southern edge of Bradwell Moor. There are a lot of old mine workings and rakes and this type of terrain seems to encourage the growth of wildflowers. I took photographs of my favourites.

The first one is the early purple orchid, but I don't know what the others are.

I made good time down into Bradwell, where I paused to look in a shop window - I'm not sure what they were selling though.

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.