Peak District walk (6) - Around Monyash and Lathkill Dale

Date of walk: 27th Mar, 2012.  Distance: 15.0 miles.  Start: lane west of Over Haddon.

This is an illustrated account of the walk, click on any picture to enlarge, or to view as a slideshow.

Having loved walking and the outdoors for almost as long as I can remember, combining walks with photography was spurred on by the introduction of digital cameras and especially by the discovery of the "Geograph" website.  Many of my walks are planned to visit different kilometre grid squares on the map, and this is an example where the route was affected.  I will refer to other options that would avoid some of the road walking, although in this instance the lanes concerned were no hardship to travel on foot.  It was a glorious warm, sunny day during a spell where temperature records were broken for March in Scotland.

The starting point was in or near Over Haddon, and I parked on a wide verge west of the village after discovering a £5 fee for parking in the village car park for more than four hours.  I left the lane at a walled track heading north up the higher slopes above Lathkill Dale.

View across Lathkill Dale

The slope soon eased to pleasant upland grazing land so typical of the area.  Once again I was to be in limestone country throughout the walk.  I crossed the B5055 between Bakewell and Monyash and crossed fields skirting Bole Hill Farm and the hill after which it is named.  There were views back into the light.  There were a few trees and narrow strips of woodland, no doubt planted as shelter belts.  It was very pleasant following the footpath across the higher ground.

Field and tree silhouette, Bole Hill

The path crosses through the southern end of one of the plantations with fresh views then opening over upper Kirk Dale.  There was a short descent down to the lane.  My walk meant passing through the grid square south of Magpie Mine, but as a landmark of considerable interest, with the added opportunity to use paths rather than roads, a recommendation would be to cross straight over visit the mines, and follow a path through Hard Rake Plantations merging with Horse Lane well on the way to Monyash.  I resisted and kept to the lanes.  There are, however, very good views of the whole complex of buildings at the historic site of industrial heritage at Magpie Mine.

The historic Magpie Mine (lead mine) from the south

These views enlivened the long straight stretch of lane.  When it arrived at the junction, the view along Horse Lane was most enticing.  It has lovely wide grass verges, and proved a joy to walk all the way to Monyash.  The wide views across the gently undulating upland grazing land were grand on such a fine day.

Horse Lane towards Monyash

The walking was quick and easy, and I had no concerns about covering the distance of 15 miles in a reasonable time.  The fine weather so early in the year meant that only the first few lambs of the season were in evidence.  Perhaps it will turn cold, perversely, over the next few weeks when many more lambs will no doubt begin to populate the fields.

A couple of early lambs

There were so many nice views along and around Horse Lane that it is not easy to narrow down the selection of photos.  It was interesting to see how the village of Monyash was gradually revealed in its shallow bowl in the gentle uplands.  They are gentle in terms of gradient, but can no doubt be harsh in cold or windy conditions.  At one point there was a particularly good view of the setting of the village around the church.

Monyash from Horse Lane

Eventually the lane arrives at the northern end of the village.  A little detour can easily be made to the village centre, either now or on the return route through the south end of the village, and is well worth while if time permits.  The route I was following headed west at the earliest opportunity along a little walled lane that heads to Cross Lane Farm.  The small walled fields give the landscape a particular character. A little path cut a corner reaching Cross Lane just north of the farm.

Small walled fields near Monyash

The ground was now on a slightly rising trend, and the walled track led towards a barn which is at the hub of four such lanes plus another footpath.  The Limestone Way passes this point en route to Knotlow and the village of Flagg.  Meanwhile the views to the east, with the top of Horse Lane away in the distance were good, and encouraging in the sense of the progress being made.

Upland limestone grazing country north of Monyash

The track I wanted rejoiced in the name of Hutmoor Butts, heading directly ESE to the main A515 road.  To be honest, this is not the most scenic mile to be walked in the Peak District, but is quiet with a great sense of being out in the open.  The ground continues to rise slightly, and the main road keeps close to the top of a shallow ridge ridge.  The ostentatious appearance of the pub at the corner came as a surprise, as did the awkward name - the Bull-i'-th'-Thorn.

Bull-i'-th'-Thorn pub by the A515

There is also a donkey sanctuary near the top end of Hutmoor Butts.  The route crosses almost directly over the main road and heads for the line of the High Peak Trail.  This sets the route for the next couple of miles in a generally southeasterly direction towards Parsley Hay.  As many will know, it follows the line of a former railway, south of Parsley Hay splitting into two at a junction with the Tissington Trail.  It is open to cyclists as well as walkers.  As often with railways across hilly ground, the views alternate between expansive from elevated embankments to constricted within cuttings, as the two following pictures show.

Lane towards Pilsbury, view from High Peak Trail

Cutting on the High Peak Trail

Old railway routes certainly provide a great introduction to walking or cycling for those not familiar with route finding or exploring the countryside on foot.  I'm very happy including a section such as this within a walk, but prefer to discover smaller footpaths and create my own route plans.  The countryside to the west of the old line looks quiet and inviting, and is unfamiliar to me.  The next picture gives an impression, not far from the interestingly named Custard Field Farm.  Eventually the hills give way to the upper Dove and Manifold valleys.

Countryside west of Parsley Hay

Even Parsley Hay itself is only a hamlet, despite the road junctions and former railway junction nearby.  If Parsley Hay is not seen as a worthwhile objective on the walk, a corner can easily be cut using a path by Moscar Farm, crossing the main road, and avoiding some of the walking along the lane north to Monyash.  For my own purposes on the day of the walk, I felt it worthwhile including Parsley Hay.

Lane west through Parsley Hay

I crossed the main road and followed the lane all the way to the edge of the village of Monyash.  It rises at first, with interesting views back to the road junction, the hamlet, and the great cutting on the Tissington Trail.  it then crosses a wide plateau, but again the grass verges make for easy and pleasant walking, with views gradually opening out to the north, which really expand when clearing the brow.  The next two shots illustrate the contrast.

Upland plateau between Parsley Hay and Monyash

View north from the edge of the plateau

The lane descends most attractively towards the village of Monyash, with the limestone walls once again a prominent feature of the landscape.  Again, the route just touches the edge of the village, with another opportunity to explore if desired.  The Limestone Way heads southeast from the village and is the key to the next stage of the route followed.  I seem to be getting stuck into a rut of presenting pictures two by two, so here are a couple around Monyash and views from the south.

Village scene, Monyash

Monyash from the south on Milkings Lane

The walled track ends near the upper part of Fern Dale.  The dale can be used for a short cut down to Lathkill Dale, but I enjoyed the continuation along almost as far as One Ash Grange Farm.  There are only occasional hints in the view of the nearby drama of the limestone valleys, but generally the broad upland grazing land predominates in the scene.  Again the walking is easy underfoot and enjoyable.

Limestone Way above Fern Dale and Lathkill Dale

Pasture south of Lathkill Dale

At last the path is taken north, heading for the rim of the valley, which makes a fitting culmination for the walk.  The crags mean the path is diverted behind the rim upstream back towards Monyash, and still the full scale of the valley is not really revealed from above.

Across Lathkill Dale 

Path descending in to upper Lathkill Dale

Once in the valley, it is a sharp about turn to head downstream.  Immediately there is a gateway which seems to be the entrance into a different, hidden world.  Even so, there is nothing to really indicate the view that opens out a bit later.

Limestone scenery, Lathkill Dale

The next section does reveal some of the finest limestone scenery in this part of the Peak District.  The day was remarkably warm for March, but it was fascinating to walk through the shade as seen in the picture.  There were three or four little dips where the cold air had sunk and it was like walking into a real frost pocket.  They were very localised, only lasting for a few paces at a time, but quite dramatic and refreshing.  It would be exactly the sort of experience that would be welcome in really hot summer weather, but I guess the effect then is rarely as pronounced as it was the day I visited.  Meanwhile the limestone formations captured the visual attention, while the walking underfoot remained quite straightforward throughout.

Limestone formation on the northern rim of Lathkill Dale

A side valley comes in from the north, almost as grand as the main valley, and then the valley closes in once more and goes through several changes of direction.  The valley loses the atmosphere of bare rock and grass, and becomes more wooded, and the river becomes much more significant after the dry upper valley.  The water in the river flows very clear and fresh.  No single picture seems to do justice to the overall impression of walking along the valley, which is an experience to be savoured.  It is not a large scale landscape in world terms, and remains quite intimate, but certainly has enough character and drama to be memorable.

River  Lathkill

In Lathkill Dale

The trees take over all the more the lower down the valley and the limestone crags are less in evidence.  The shelter of the valley means that there are many fine, tall trees.  The route finding is very easy.  Carry on downstream as far as the first significant buildings - an old mill and a lodge at the point where a lane winds down from Over Haddon.  All that remains is to walk up through the village to return to the starting point.  Tantalisingly, I will not include pictures of the village, which did not seem to be very good on this visit.  The whole walk can be recommended with the possible variations mentioned.

Trees in Lathkill Dale

Lodge in Lathkill Dale below Over Haddon