Local Bank Holiday walk

This is just a post to share some pictures from a walk from home on Easter Monday.  It is not a full route report - I went along the path to the Palterton lane, up the lane to the village, along the path at the top of the hillside to Glapwell and back along the Stockley Trail.  It was dull throughout, with light rain, but became quite an impressive downpour shortly before getting back home.

At the far edge of Palterton there is a farm with lots of hens and ducks as well as cows.  Most of the hens had sought shelter, but the ducks were out in force.

Ducks to the right of me....

.....and more ducks on the left

It is an easy stroll across fields to Glapwell.  I walked down the main road, a section I had somehow neither driven or walked previously.

Road down the hill from Glapwell to Doe Lea

The road is basically the main road between Mansfield and Chesterfield.  Towards the bottom of the hill the Stockley Trail leaves to the right.  It leads to a former mining area.  The fishing lake is rather forlorn with warning notices about contamination that still needs to be finally dealt with from mining times.

Steps from the fishing lake by the Stockley Trail

By the fishing lake

 The trail then leads into a bowl in the hills which was the site of heavy industrial and mining activity.  It is developing into an intriguing area botanically.  The ground is largely some sort of bare shale which alternates between being very wet and very dry.  There are areas of reeds and slopes with gorse and many types of plants, mosses, lichens and fungi in between.  Many of the plants are types that form rosettes of leaves.

Gorse

Coltsfoot

It is usually worth spending some time wandering around and although it does not look especially attractive overall, it always seems a rather individual and fascinating spot to be.  There are odd industrial remnants lurking, and strange bits of stone and rock.

Industrial remnant

Today, as often, the mosses and lichens caught the eye.  The details are really lovely, and I was quite pleased with a couple of the photos.  This is one instance where bright sunshine is not helpful for photography.

The trail uses the line of the former colliery railway between Glapwell / Bramley Vale and Bolsover.  Having walked it quite regularly, I did not stop this time for fresh photos.  I almost always visit the lakes at Carr Vale on walks from home, which is where the rain really came on quite quickly and impressively.  I'll close with a rosette of leaves and a quick shot at the "Meadow Flash" lake at Carr Vale.

Rosette of leaves

Meadow Flash - it's raining!