Day two, of
our early September, camp at Monsal Head with a walk, or two, over the weekend
with some friends.
Sadly, Alvin
and Andy F had to go early due to work commitments, which left Barney, Andy
H, Shaun, Tony, Sean, Geoff and Chrissie,
and of course, the two dogs Tilly and Dixie.
Geoff,
Chrissie and the dogs joined us for this walk, walking to Bakewell from Monsal
Head and back along the Monsal Trail.
Day one was
covered in the recent blog; An
Autumn Walk on Bamford Moor and Stanage Edge, which detailed all the above
names mentioned.
Day two, we awoke to a foggy morning!
Today’s walk
was organised by Shaun, we would walk up to Monsal Head, then down in to Monsal
Dale, cross the A6 Dukes Drive, but often called the “Buxton Road”, walk up
through Great and Little Shacklow Woods, bypass Ashford in the Water, pick up
the public footpath in to Bakewell, head for the town centre, then head north
to pick up the disused railway, now known as the Monsal Trail, walk through
Headstone Tunnel, back up to Monsal Head and back to our tents.
This walk
covers a lot of ground I used to walk as a child when as a family we came to
stay in the Peak District. We would walk the whole length of Monsal Dale and
before Headstone Tunnel was closed, I used to walk through there with my
brother using hand torches.
I had my
second comfortable night, in Vaude Odyssee L2P, which replaces my trusted Vango
Tornado 200.
Breakfast finished,
we kitted up and then headed for Monsal Head. The fog was burning off and the sun was shining through, it was going to
be a hot day.
 |
| Heading for Monsal Head |
 |
| Monsal Head |
 |
| Leaving Monsal Head to pick up the path to Monsal Dale |
 |
| .... "This path has quite a steep drop. Looking at the OS map, 110 metres approx!" .... |
Once at
Monsal Head, we took the wooded path down to Monsal Dale. This path has quite a
steep drop. Looking at the OS map, 110 metres approx!
Because the path is heavily covered with trees, its hard to see or even appreciate such a steep drop, so care is
needed especially if you have children walking with you.
Along this steep hill side, were once lime kilns, where limestone, along with coal, was burnt to make Quick Lime.
I mentioned
in my blog for day one An
Autumn Walk on Bamford Moor and Stanage Edge, Monsal Head gives superb
views down Monsal Dale and Upperdale, both dales providing very pleasant walks,
and Upperdale was covered in White Peak Walk from
Monsal Head Sunday 18th December 2011. Here, you
will read about Monsal Dale.
The River
Wye, flowing through Monsal Dale, like many rivers in the White Peak, was
heavily managed with weirs, manmade waterfalls come dams in days gone by, to
power the various mills located along side. Without going too far upstream, you
had Cressbrook Mill, then the mills around Ashford in the Water and Bakewell,
just to identify a few.
As we start
to descend through the wooded area, the roar of Monsal Weir starts to become
very prominent.
I enjoy
being alongside water, being lakes, the sea of rivers, just as much as being
out in the hills and on open moorland etc.
Even today,
the roar of the Monsal Weir is still fantastic, but I guess it’s those happy
childhood memories taking over….
 |
| Monsal Weir |
 |
| The bridge crossing the River Wye, Monsal Dale |
About 100
metres downstream, there is a bridge to cross the River Wye, to continue the
walk to the A6
Here Monsal
Dale becomes very peaceful until you start to get closer to the A6 main road.
Also, the River Wye water is clear and generally very clean and if you take the
time to sit and watch, you will see the trout in the water, often, feeding on
what’s being fed downstream or the insects that sit on the water surface.
It wasn’t
long before the roar of traffic from the busy A6 Dukes Drive started to break
the tranquility of Monsal Dale.
 |
| Looking upstream to the weir |
 |
| The weir, zoomed in on the camera |
 |
| Tranquil section of the River Wye, Monsal Dale |
 |
| Trout in the River Wye |
I guess it
was called the Dukes Drive because the Duke of Devonshire, resident at Chatsworth House, had a lot of claim to
the land there. There are quite a few references to the Duke, along with a few
pubs using the Duke of Devonshire, either as part of entirely in the pubs name.
If you see a
pub called the Devonshire Arms, the brewery hasn’t got their geography wrong;
it’s all to do with the Duke of Devonshire.
Incidentally,
the Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water, used to be called the Devonshire
Arms!
I’ve
digressed….
We crossed
the A6 to head for Great Shacklow Wood, now here is new ground for me, or at
least I don’t recall walking through here.
 |
| Walking up through Great Shacklow Wood |
 |
| Walking up through Great Shacklow Wood |
Nice and
sheltered from the sun, we were getting away from the road for a good while,
though there is a steady climb as you follow the path through Great Shacklow
Wood.
As we
reached the pinnacle of the woodland walk, we start to descend towards Little
Shacklow Wood, where we re-join the River Wye. It was still sounding nice and
peaceful, even though we were getting nearer the main road.
I mentioned
earlier that the River Wye supplied the water to power many mills, well as we
approach a bridge that crosses the river, there is some form of lifting and
conveying tackle across the river.
For what
this was used for, I’m not sure and an internet search hasn’t brought anything
relevant up either. Especially as the bridge which was only a few metres away
and would have been substantial enough for most, if not all, traffic going to
and from the mill a little further downstream.
Unless: the
bridge was indisposed at some point?
But then
there was road access at the Ashford end of the walk….
I’m
intrigued, as I know Geoff was too….
 |
| I took this photo, because it just looked artistic and no other reason. |
We continued
to stay on the south side of the river and follow the path in to more woodland,
this time Little Shacklow Wood. Soon after walking down the path, we
encountered the first of many mills between here and Bakewell, Ashford Bobbin
Mill.
There are
two buildings to the mill, though on ly the one with the water wheel is Grade
Two listed. I managed to find some details on the web, but not a lot. However,
I managed to find this little piece of information about Ashford
Bobbin Mill, West Building, Sheldon.
 |
| Ashford Bobbin Mill |
 |
| Ashford Bobbin Mill |
 |
| Th ewaterwheel on the Grade II listed building of Ashford Bobbin Mill |
After a good
look around the mill, we continued along the path, soon leaving Little
Shackleton Wood, walking down the lane, getting closer to the main road and
Ashford in the Water.
As you
arrive at the main road, Dukes Drive, you’re blessed with a view of probably
one of the most photographed bridges in the White Peak, the Sheepwash Bridge,
at Ashford in the Water.
Not only
that, I typed in to Google Sheepwash Bridge and “sheepwash bridge ashford-in-the-water” came up almost immediately
in the search box!
The
Sheepwash Bridge was originally a packhorse bridge at the western edge of the
village of Ashford in the Water, with attached stone pens for gathering sheep
that were to be dipped, or washed before shearing.
 |
| Sheepwash Bridge, Ashford in the Water |
The method
employed to ensure the sheep didn’t escape, was to separate the lambs from the
ewes in one pen, while the ewes were made to enter the water, where they would
have their whole bodies pushed under the reasonably fast flowing water of the
River Wye, thereby washing the fleece and the ewe’s would swim across to reach
their calling lambs.
If you have
the time, it is worth taking a wander through Ashford in the Water, with its
Norman Church, quaint streets and pubs.
However,
after a detour for a quick photo shoot of the bridge, we quickly re-joined the
A6 to head for Bakewell.
We had now
reached the eastern edge of Ashford in the Water and entered the public
footpath that takes us alongside the River Wye for most of the walk in to
Bakewell.
 |
| The public footpath to Bakewell on the eastern side of Ashford in the Water |
 |
| The public footpath to Bakewell alongside the River Wye in the early stages |
 |
| One of the many weirs on the River Wye as it approaches Bakewell |
 |
| Another weir on the River Wye as it approaches Bakewell |
However, you
are still given good views of the river and weirs that adorn (if that is the right word).
The footpath
takes us through a gap between some houses, then, we’re soon back in to a field
again. However, its not long before we start to veer to the right to pick up
the A6 in to Bakewell.
 |
| The A6 Buxton Road, in to Bakewell |
Now here,
the road is called the Buxton Road….
A bit of
information, the name Bakewell is nothing to do with baking or the famous
Bakewell Puddings or tarts. It is supposed to be derived from the fresh water
springs in the area, with Doomsday book entries calling it the town of 'Badequella',
meaning Bath-well!
Walking
along the path, we take a left turn at Victoria Mill, easily identified by the
rather large vets sign facing you.
As you turn
in to the road, take a look at the Victoria Mill, there is a rather large water
wheel, restored for decorative purposes in the car park.
 |
| Here we turned left, with Victoria Mill on the left and the large Mellors Elliot vets sign on the right! |
 |
| The waterwheel in the car park of Victoria Mill |
Continue
down this road for a short distance, and you see a path that takes you
alongside a river, one of the many tributaries from the River Wye.
This is
quite a pretty walk, taking you right in to the town centre of Bakewell, where
you join up with Bridge Street.
 |
| The start of the ornate river walk foot path in to Bakewell |
 |
| This bridge marks the end of the riverside footpath |
If you look
left up Bridge Street, you see the famous Bakewell Bridge, which spans the
River Wye.
Looking to
the right, takes you into the town centre, where you are treated to a great
many shops, both tourist and practical. Oh, and a damned good outdoor shop….
Again, I’ll
let you guess how much was spent there….. But remember, we were walking, so any
gear bought, would have to be carried, not put in a car!
Here we
split in to separate groups, with the aim of meeting up together in the hour to
start walking back to Monsal Head.
 |
| Looking up Bridge Street, to the bridge over the River Wye |
 |
| Looking down Bridge Street towards the shops |
Lunch over,
we regrouped, then set off towards the market Square and headed for one of the
many river crossings and towards the Livestock Market.
Incidentally,
they do a mean bacon butty in there, with all food locally sourced!
I can recall
the days before the current livestock market was built, where the Co-op and
Spar stores are now, which is where the old Livestock Market used to be.
For those
interested, market day is Monday.
 |
| One of the many crossing in Bakewell over the River Wye |
 |
| As you walk over, stop to look at not just the ducks, but also the numerous trout feeding |
 |
| Bakewell Livestock Market, they do a mean bacon butty in there and all the food is locally sourced |
We walked
around the outer edge of the Livestock Market, to pick up Coombes Road, where
we turned left then almost immediate right to pick up a track to leave Bakewell
and reach the Monsal Trail.
We reach the
point where a bridge crosses the Monsal Trail, crossed over and went through
the gate immediately to our left. Walking down this path, we soon were on the Monsal
Trail.
Now I’ve
often pondered about walking the trail, I’ve seen videos of it, both people
walking and cycling it, heard stories and even read many leaflets about it, but
just never got to doing the trail.
I wasn’t
disappointed, nor was I surprised, after all, it was an old railway that
suffered the Beeching axe…..
 |
| Walking up to the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Crossing the bridge to access the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Looking down on to the Monsal Trail |
 |
| .... "We reach the point where a bridge crosses the Monsal Trail, crossed over and went through the gate immediately to our left" .... |
 |
| The steps down to the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Walking the Monsal Trail |
Dr Beeching,
or Richard
Baron Beeching responsible for reshaping British Railways from his report
in the early sixties.
The Monsal
Trail runs follows the former Midland Railway line for 8.5 miles between
Blackwell Mill, in Chee Dale and Coombs Road, at Bakewell.
In recent
years, a lot of money has been spent on creating the Monsal Trail
and Tunnels along with the Tissington
Trail, to make for a pleasant route for all to enjoy, either by foot or by
bike.
As we walked in a westerly direction, we soon encountered what was once a station, then, the open walk was soon to start. A steady stroll, no gradients, no sharp turns, after all, it was once a railway line and the trains would not negotiate any steep incline, nor stay safe on any steep decline.
As we walked in a westerly direction, we soon encountered what was once a station, then, the open walk was soon to start. A steady stroll, no gradients, no sharp turns, after all, it was once a railway line and the trains would not negotiate any steep incline, nor stay safe on any steep decline.
We
encountered many walkers and cyclists while on the trail and the famous Hassop
Station, well, it’s now a café and bookshop, would provide a very nice rest
spot for many.
 |
| Approaching Hassop Station on the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Hassop Station on the Monsal Trail |
Soon, the
part of the trail that I was waiting to see was getting closer, Headstone
Tunnel.
Now before I
go any further, all the tunnels are lit today, but, I understand the lights
will go out at dusk, so it is wise to
have a torch, or headtorch with you, just in case you get delayed completing
any of the tunnels.
The approach
was much as I remember it, though modern safety fencing had been utilised to
prevent walkers, cyclists and horse riders becoming injured due to any rock
falls. Also, when I last walked through, the surface was old sleeper blast,
today, a tarmacked surface to make it easier for walkers, cyclists and riders.
 |
| Approaching Headstone Tunnel on the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Walking through Headstone Tunnel on the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Approaching the end of Headstone Tunnel on the Monsal Trail |
 |
| The end of Headstone Tunnel on the Monsal Trail |
 |
| Monsal Trail Viaduct |
It was a
pleasant walk, with a lot of nostalgia.
The walk
took just a little over seven minutes for me, without any stops in the tunnel,
which was adequately lit all through.
But, I would strongly advise carrying a torch or headtorch, just in case you don't exit the tunnel before the light switch out.
We soon
reached the end of Headstone Tunnel, where we were treated a superb view along
the Monsal Viaduct. Not too far after leaving the tunnel, there is a gate and
path to the right, which takes you up to Monsal Head, our journeys end.
Just another
warning, there is a steep drop to the left on this path of up to 30 metres!
 |
| The path off to the right after Headstone Tunnel, taking us back to Monsal Head |
 |
| The path taking us back to Monsal Head |
 |
| .... "there is a steep drop to the left on this path of up to 30 metres!" .... |
At about
halfway up, the path then re-joins the path from Upperdale, where you continue the
ascent to Monsal Head.
Once at Monsal Head, you can enjoy a drink in the Stables Bar, Hobbs Teas and Crafts or even enjoy an ice cream in the summer....
Once at Monsal Head, you can enjoy a drink in the Stables Bar, Hobbs Teas and Crafts or even enjoy an ice cream in the summer....
It was a superb
day, a fantastic walk with many fond memories resurrected.
Shaun, a big
thank you for organising this walk, it brought back to me many happy memories
and I really enjoyed it.
Finally,
happy rambling and thank you for reading,
Peak
Rambler
References
Blogs I’ve
written mentioned
White
Peak Walk from Monsal Head Sunday 18th December 2011PLEASE NOTE: NO FURTHER COMMENTS ARE PERMITTED TO THIS BLOG
Due to ongoing spam issues, I've had to stop allowing comments to be posted.
