Peak District Walk (1) - Eyam and Wardlow

Date of walk: Feb 16th, 2012.  Distance: 10.5 miles.  Start: Eyam village. 


An illustrated description of the walk, click on any picture to enlarge, or to view as a slideshow.



The first thing was to get some new boots.  This was quickly accomplished in Bakewell where there seemed an offer too good to miss.  A few weeks and almost 60 miles underfoot later, I am pleased with the purchase.  10 miles might not always be advised for breaking in new boots, but my confidence seems to have been well placed.

Eyam is a village with a well known and moving historical event that resonates to this day.  It was touching to walk past the cottage where the plague first struck - there are plaques around the village, and there is also a local museum.  Many other houses around the village were afflicted, but the villagers imposed an embargo on the whole community whereby contact was forbidden, thus helping to prevent the spread of disease to other communities.  Indeed a story of suffering and sacrifice back in the year of 1665.

Plague Cottage, Eyam

Today the village is quite large and appears to be a thriving rural community, despite the many concerns there are over the often hidden stresses and expense of life in the countryside these days.  It was a delightful walk into the countryside leading down to the village of Stoney Middleton, with fine view over the village and the valley beyond.  It was mainly dull at this stage, but with hints of brightness and possible sunshine.

Overlooking Stoney Middleton

Stoney Middleton is familiar to travellers along the main road, which leaves an open valley and dives into a narrow and confined valley between limestone cliffs.  There is plenty of interest away from the main road, and it was pleasant to wander through the part of the village in the picture with a minor detour to the church on the left, which is of a most unusual design and really rather attractive, and then along the main road for a short way.  Even then I did not see the other side of the village climbing up the hillside on the other side of the narrow valley to the right of the picture.

I was heading for another narrow limestone valley, one without the distraction of the traffic of a major road.  The way to it was by a line of trees seen in the top right of the above picture, towards Combs Dale.  The valley is steep sided and wooded, so on the rather dull morning did not lend itself to photography.  There is a very good track, and the scenery becomes fairly typical of a steep sided limestone valley.  There is a lot of evidence of the historic lead mining industry in the area.  Toward the top I rested for some lunch while still reasonably sheltered from the cool breeze.  A little while later fine views back down the valley could be enjoyed.

View down Combs Dale

I ought perhaps to share a little about how I enjoy my walks, and the added interest from the thought that is necessary when writing up an account.  It is simply that I enjoy walking and seeing the lie of the land, with something of an interest in the plants and trees.  It is always fascinating to plan a route on the map and see how the landscape actually unfolds underfoot when in a new area.  In recent times photography has become an increasingly important element, so I try to allow time for numerous brief stops to record views and details as I pass.  I do not normally go with the specific intent of waiting for the perfect conditions, and I want to simply give an impression of what it was like when I passed that way.

It is usually not until I get home that I start thinking in more depth about the places visited, about what life was like for villagers in previous generations, or for the lead miners in times gone by.  If I revisit places, a growing sense of the history and context should develop.  What I enjoyed at the time was simply the view down the valley with the steep sided interlocking spurs hopefully making a decent photo....

The next section of the walk was interesting, but not by any means a pretty corner of the Peak District countryside.  Towards Longstone Moor there had been a long history of lead mining with spoil heaps left in the area.  Since then the fluorspar in the spoil and in the limestone generally has become more valuable commercially and has recently been exploited on a large scale in the area.  There is a fair bit of controversy between the industrialists and the environmentalists.  Anyway, one of the results is a dam with a large area  wet ground and lagoon rather than a proper lake or reservoir.  There are warning signs of quicksands and danger of drowning in the water.  There are large muddy tracks which are obviously used by heavy vehicles at times.  It all looks rather desolate, but was nevertheless another element in a walk full of variety and interest.

On Longstone Moor

Just west of the lake or lagoon, in its unusual upland setting, the watershed is reached with fresh views opening out to the west.  Limestone country is so varied.  Often there are deep valleys and rocky outcrops, but in other places like this there is a wide open upland grassy plateau with gentle slopes.  The network of fields divided by dry stone walls is one of the most distinctive features.  No doubt it can often seem rather bleak and windswept around Wardlow, but it can also be lovely in the spring and summer when the meadows grow in those extra vivid shades of green associated with limestone grassland.  Even in February, the brief interlude of sunshine I experienced transformed the scene.

Fields around Wardlow

By the time I reached the village the clouds were closing in once again.  Wardlow is one of those linear villages that seems to lack a real heart or village feel, but it is easy to see how the line of development grew along the route of the road.  Many of the individual houses are attractive, but it appears above all to be a working farm community with lots of barns and machinery around.  Arriving by the chapel and the old red telephone box, I turned left (south) for a short distance before picking up another path heading west.  The path was between walls, indicating an old route for the movement of sheep which graze much of the land in the area.

Path between walls near Wardlow

The path seemed to be simply continuing across open plateau land, but a surprise was in store, even when the map clearly indicated a change in the landscape.  Over the brow the land suddenly gives way at the edge of a deep valley cutting right across the line of the picture above.  This is just part of Cressbrook Dale, a tributary of the River Wye which flows along a tortuous valley with distinct sections given different names such as Chee Dale, Miller's Dale and Monsal Dale.  The change of view is really quite dramatic - at least in comparison with what much of southern and eastern England has to offer - and certainly best appreciated and savoured when travelling on foot.

Cressbrook Dale

The picture shows how the camera can often struggle to do justice to the scale of a landscape, and is also dependant on light quality for the best results.  Many landscapes can be fully enjoyed and appreciated in situ in a wide range of conditions, but can be elusive on camera.  Yes, the colours were rather subdued, but the atmosphere of the place was still rather grand and the walk slanting down to the valley floor was most enjoyable.  The sense of enclosure was strong after the open upland, and yet the there was also the sense of shelter to contrast with the ruggedness.  Upstream the valley was narrower with smooth stony sides, apart from the remarkable rocky tower of Peter's Stone and the side valley of Tansley Dale.  A road to Litton goes right along the top edge, taking away something of the secretive nature of the valley.  There are small limestone crags in many places.

Limestone crag, upper Cressbrook Dale

Suddenly the upper valley seems to merge into the plateau, near Wardlow Mires where the main road passes.  Once the road junction and a few yards of the main road are negotiated, a path winds north through the farm buildings and strikes through open fields to Stanley house.  By now the cloud had closed in and it was a steady drizzle and light rain.  Even so, the landscape looked very atmospheric, but in a way once again that is difficult to capture on camera.  The scattering of farmhouses and field barns helped.

Limestone upland west of Foolow, in the mist

The route crossed the minor valley of Silly Dale, and through many walled fields into the upland village of Foolow.  Unlike Wardlow, it has a real village feel, nestling around a village green and pond.  The path suddenly leaves the fields and goes past pleasant cottages and their gardens to the green - another nice moment on the varied walk.  Even on a dull day, limestone as a building material looks bright and attractive.

Village scene, Foolow

Around here, several of the higher villages have "low" in their name, and even some of the hills, such as High Low near Monyash.  I have not verified the detail, but it seems rather like the use of "law" in the Scottish borders.  It certainly does not mean that the places are low down.  A lane goes directly to Eyam, but there is a footpath set nicely back in the large open fields, giving a moorland feel to much of the final stretch of the walk back to the starting place.  The main landmark is crossing another small limestone valley called Linen Dale, which looks almost too neat to be natural, as can be the case with limestone.  There are a number of trees, solitary and in small groups, which on a dull day always add to the visual interest.

Linen Dale, east of Foolow, Eyam Edge beyond

The rain eased and the sky gradually brightened, although the sun never really came through until on the way home in the car.  Eventually the ground trends slightly downhill and the village of Eyam comes into view.  This walk helps to appreciate the relatively large size of the village, and it certainly looks worth exploring in more detail on further visits should the opportunities arise.

Village scene, Eyam