1 - Millers Dale Old Station to Calton Lees

 

1.       Walk past the Old Station to join the railway line.  Turn left, signed Monsal Trail, Litton Mill, Bakewell.

2.       Follow the railway line.  After 1.2 miles you pass under a stone bridge and 20 yards on turn left through the wall, signposted Monsal Trail via Litton Mill.  There is no through way ahead.

3.       Walk onto a path which starts to descend through a wood.  On your left is the small village of Litton.  The path swings round 180° and drops down to a bridge over the river (concrete bridge, metal railed) and leads you into the village of Litton.  On arrival, turn right, signposted Cressbrook.

4.       Walk past the “Muddy Boots” tea room and walk down to the entrance to Litton Mills, marked by two stone walls with a couple of balls on top.

5.       Walk past the old mill and at the end of the mill, on your left is the old steam house with a chimney, you turn right and then immediate left.  Continue along the well-marked track and the river feeding the old mill is now on your right hand side.

6.       Between Litton Mill and Cressbrook Mill, you are walking with the river on your right, which at one point becomes quite wide, sweeping round to the right.  This area is known at Water-cum-Jolly dale.

7.       You cross over the wooden bridge and then meet a track and turn left.  The track swings round to the left.  On your right is the old mill.  Keep with the track which leads down to the road.

8.       On meeting the road, turn right.  There is a wooden footpath sign ahead of you with a yellow arrow pointing right to Monsal Head.  Turn right and walk down the road.

9.       After approximately ½ mile you reach a little parking area on your right with picnic tables, heading into a small village/hamlet known as Upperdale.  Immediately in front of the Upperdale Guest House sign, turn right down a small lane leading to a bridge over the river.

10.   Cross over the bridge and swing round to the left and you will see the track starts to rise, swings right, and passes under the railway bridge and just past the bridge swings left through the metal gate.  Rejoin the Monsal Trail.  Do not continue upwards to Brushfield.  Swing left onto the Monsal Trail.  3 mile mark. This is the old Monsal Dale station. 

11.   Turn right and continue along the former railway line.  On reaching the Monsal Viaduct, cross over.

12.   Just before the blanked off tunnel, take the footpath on your left.  Climb up the path and turn right at the top.  Cross over the road towards the Monsal Head Hotel and cross over the road opposite the hotel.

13.   Take the lane signposted to Little Longstone and Great Longstone.  Continue on this lane slightly downhill, until you reach Little Longstone.  Pass the pinfold on your right and rows of cottages to your left and right.  Pass the Packhorse Inn on your left and then the Hollows B & B.

14.   At the end of a stone wall, turn right by the footpath sign “Ashford and Monsal Trail”.  Pass through the gate and follow the clear path across the meadow.

15.   After about 200m there is a stone wall to your right.  Keeping this wall on your right follow the path to a gate in a wall.  Pass through the gate and follow the path straight ahead, picking up another stone wall on your right.  Pass through another gate.  After about 120m you reach a stile in the wall on your right.  Climb over and turn left.  Your are now back on the Monsal Trail.

16.   Follow the Monsal Trail for 3 miles, ignoring any footpaths off to the right or the left, until you reach Old Bakewell Station.

17.   Continue ahead on the trail past the station for a further 400 metres until you approach a bridge.  Just before this bridge turn left and walk up the steps to the stile.  Cross over the stile onto the bridge.  Here turn left and walk up the well-defined path to the next stile by a metal gate. 

18.   Cross over the stile and continue following the path waymarked by the yellow arrow, crossing Bakewell Golf Course and continuing straight ahead towards a wood.  After crossing the golf course continue into the wood - the footpath is well marked and well-defined.

19.   The footpath after a short while swings right and starts to work its way uphill through the wood.  Ignore the path off to the right, carry straight on upwards.  Two-thirds of the way up a path crosses you - your route is still upwards towards the wall at the top of the hill.  Continue upwards, using the stream as your guide, which leads you to a stone wall with a stile.

20.   Cross over the stile and bear 45° right, walking along a well-defined path to the right of some trees on the horizon.  Continue past the trees to a stile in the fence to the right of the pond.  Do not walk to the gate, walk to the stile immediately to the right of the pond. 

21.   Cross over the stile and bear left to another stile in the fence at the far end of the pond and follow the arrow marked for Chatsworth.  At the next stile bear 45° right and follow the defined path which goes down the middle of the meadow, steadily downhill.

22.   As you are walking down this meadow, you reach another stile to the left of a wooden gate.  Cross over and continue straight ahead.  You now have a walled wood on your right hand side.

23.   After a couple of hundred yards the wood sweeps down to the right and you continue straight ahead down the middle of the meadow and the path actually starts to swings round to the left.  You are now heading towards a barn.

24.   Just before reaching the barn the path takes a positive left turn, 90° up to a gate.  This left turn is marked by a footpath sign.  Pass through the gate and continue along the track through the wood.  This track is walled on either side.  This track swings left and drops downhill to a gate.

25.   Pass through the gate - look 45° right and you will have a wonderful view of Chatsworth House and Hunting Lodge.  At this point you have turned 90° right and you are going straight downhill, keeping the wood on your right hand side as your companion through the downhill stretch as the path becomes well-defined.

26.   Ahead of you in the distance you can see the ridge which is the edge of Beeley Moor, a part which you will be crossing shortly.  Eventually the path starts heading steeply downhill, crossing a track, to meet some white gates by the road.

27.   On reaching the road, pass through the gates on to the clear wide track and head into the car park, keeping the main road on your left.  This is your first checkpoint.


2 - Calton Lees car park to the Bull’s Head, Holymoorside

 

1.       Leave Carlton Lees car park, heading towards the garden centre.  At the top of the drive, a small path leads towards your left away from the garden centre.  After 20 yards bear left towards the road, dropping down through some trees.  

2.       On reaching the road, turn right towards the hump-backed bridge with traffic lights.  Cross over this and carry on down the road until you reach the corner.  Follow the road as it bends right then immediately after the bend turn left on to a track past a house.

3.       Carry on along the lane up to the top of the hill.  The lane winds up past a farm.  Just after the farm you reach two footpath signs, one on each side.  Continue along the lane heading for the wood at the top - do not turn off the lane.  If you turn off the lane you are going to have to go further and its your fault!

4.       Carry on through the trees straight up the lane with a high bank on your left behind a wall.  Carry on up the lane, the lane bears left and you approach a wood on the right hand side of the lane.  Keep straight on.

5.       As the path bends sharply right you can see a gate with a stile on your left - climb the stile on to the track on your right.  After 20 yards there is a post to the right with a footpath - follow this footpath.  The path on the right that you take is waymarked with a sign saying “Footpath to open country”.  Do not carry on along the lane.

6.       Follow the waymarked arrows where the path bends right towards a wood.  Head towards a gate in the wall before the wood.  Just before you reach the gate, bear right to a smaller gate in another wall.  Cross over the stile to the right of the gate and carry on up the hill, with the wall on your left, following the waymarks.

7.       At the top of the hill where the wall bends to your left, a track crosses the path.  Turn 90° right along this track over the open moorland.  The path heads towards an aerial mast in the distance with a picket fence on your right hand side.  Carry on along the track.

8.       Where the fence ends, carry on along the well-worn path which bends to the right of the aerial mast heading towards nothing in the distance.  Where the track becomes a footpath watch out for the waymarked posts which should guide you across the narrow footpath.

9.       After about a mile and half, the path starts to drop downhill and you can see a road in the distance to your left.  A wall meets the path on the left.  Carry on downhill until you reach the road. 

10.   On reaching the road, cross a small stile to the right hand side of the gate.  Turn left and walk along the road.  The road bends right, climbs over a small hillock and then a left turn.  Immediately turn right down a lane towards Upper Loads.  The lane drops down and then climbs up again to a fork in the lane.  Take the left hand fork.

11.   After about 50 yards, where the lane drops down and bears left, you will see a footpath sign on your right to the left of a gate.  Take this footpath over the field.  Cross over the field towards a house with a walled garden.  Move to the left hand side and walk with the house on your right to a stile by the side of the wall.

12.   Over the stile turn left past a farmhouse on your right, with a driveway.  In the corner where the road bends left there is a footpath.  Go down the footpath by the side of the farmhouse.  The path goes 90° right round the back of the farmhouse.

13.   Pass through a gap in the hedge to the right hand side of a tree with a sign saying “Dogs must be kept on a leash”.  Follow down the field with a hedge on your left. 

14.   Cross the stile to the right hand side of a red post and carry straight on with the hedge on your left, with the crooked spire on the distance.

15.   Cross another stile in the corner of the field and carry straight on with a small wood on your left.

16.   After about 30 yards there is a clearing in the wood.  Go into the clearing and follow the wood down the side of the field.  Once through the wood, cross a small stream and follow a footpath through some trees with a fence to the left hand side.

17.   At the end of a small copse, bear left through a small squeezer stile and walk along the field, with a hedge on your right.  Cross two stiles and then take the right hand footpath, continuing with the wood on your left and hedge on your right.  Follow the track down, keeping the hedge to your right. 

18.   You will come to a gate with a squeezer stile to the left of a gate.  Go through the stile and walk down the next field with a hedge and another wood to your left.

19.   At the end of the field, the footpath turns left into the wood and immediately right through a squeezer stile and through to another field.  Carry on down the field, again keeping the hedge and wood to your left.  At the bottom of the field, turn left into the wood and immediately to your right there is a stile - cross over into another field. 

20.   Carry on across the field, again with the wood on your left.  Soon you will drop down into the wood and to a small stream with a wooden footbridge.  Cross over the bridge and carry on along the footpath with the stream to your right, just below you.

21.   At the end of the wood cross a small stile to reach a road.  At the road turn left, climb up the lane to a stile crossing the wall on your right.  Cross over the stile and across the field to a stile in the top corner by the gate.  Cross over the stile and continue straight ahead along the farm track through to a gate in the wall in front of you. Again go straight on, following the farm track through to a gate in the next wall.

22.   Carry straight on again, through to another gate on the edge of the village of Holymoorside.  Go through a squeezer stile to the right hand side of a gate and continue along down the track into the village.

23.   On meeting the road bear right.  Go down to the main road and turn right.  You will see the Bull’s Head on your left.  Cross over the road and enter the Bull’s Head car park.  This is your second checkpoint.


3 – Bull’s Head, Holymoorside, to CCS Media Car Park, Birdholme

 

1.       Leave the Bull’s Head car park.  Turn left, football fields on your left, and follow the road up the hill past the United Reform Church and immediately after this take a footpath sign to your left.

2.       At the top of the track cross a stile.  Continue with a wall on your left through a gap in the hedge.  Continue across the next field with a hedge on your left.  In the corner of the field enter a small gap through a hedge over a stile.

3.       Go up the track with conifers lining the right hand side of the path, over a stile, straight across a track through a gate.  Go across to a gap in the fence opposite and follow the field down, keeping the hedge to the left hand side. 

4.       Go over two more stiles and on to the road - go straight across.  Follow the first public footpath sign up a track.  Follow the track past a farmyard on your left.

5.       Immediately after the farm take a left turn up a field, by the side of a grey gate (take care – there is an electric fence!).  Pass through this gate and start walking up the obvious track.  On your left hand side you will see a wood and you keep that on your left hand side, heading slightly uphill towards a stile.  To your left you have a very grand view of the industrial town of Chesterfield.

6.       Make your way uphill to the gate in the corner of the field under a very big tree.  Pass through the squeezer stile.  Carry on along the path ahead of you at the edge of the field - field to the right, woodland to the left.

7.       With the wood on your left, ahead of you is another squeezer stile through a hedge.  Pass through and continue along the bottom of the field.  Hedgerow on your left.  At this point, for the seriously eagle-eyed, look to your left and you can see the village of Palterton on the horizon, one of the destinations of this walk - unfortunately we don’t appear to be walking towards it at the moment. 

8.       Further on to a stile in the hedgerow in the corner of the field, pass through over a small dyke.  Continue straight ahead.  Hedge on your left.  Start to bear right, still keeping the woodland ahead of you on your left.  With the wood on your left, you meet a wooden stile and the hedgerow crossing you.  Cross over.  Continue straight ahead, still with wood on your left.

9.       50 yards further on, immediately at the end of the wood, you will see a stone and wooden stile on your left.  This is also marked by a post with a yellow top - waymarker, green background, yellow arrow.  Cross over both stone and wooden stile into a field.  There is a farm immediately ahead of you. 

10.   Turn right and walk down the field, hedgerow on your right rather than wall on your left.  Towards the bottom of the field swing round to your left and head for a wooden fence to the right hand side of a barn. 

11.   Cross over the wooden stile in the middle of the fence onto a path.  You will have wooden fence on your right, barbed wire running down, there’s a fence on your left.  Down on your right hand side there is a small brook.  Continue down between the fences, downhill through some bushes.  The path is fairly well defined, just keep the wooden fence on your left. 

12.   When you reach the bottom of the hill you will see a wooden footbridge which crosses the brook.  Cross over this bridge.  The path swings round to the left, winding its way through the wood.  Continue straight ahead until you reach a wooden gate.  Pass through the wooden gate, walk upwards with the fence on your right until you reach a stile in the fence. 

13.   Cross over the stile onto a small drive, turn right, up to the main road and then swing left onto the main road and walk down the pavement towards some small cottages.  Ahead of you on the right you will see a road chevron.  50 yards after the chevron there is a footpath on the right.  You will need to cross over this road in the safest place.

14.    Walk down past the chevron and you will see a footpath sign on your right, at the side of a stone wall.  Turn right and walk along this path, which leads eventually to a track.  Walk along this track towards some farm buildings.  Do not divert onto the minor track on your left.  Continue along the main track, wall on your left.

15.   Just before entering into the farmyard, bear to the right of the farm and then round the side heading down to a new stile.  Cross over the stile.  Turn left and walk along the path at the side of the farm building on your left.  Past the farm building, field and paths drops to a wooden stile in the left hand corner.  Cross over the stile.  The path swings round to the left after the end of the fence and makes it way down to the side of another small brook, winds its way through some bushes and then swings round right to a stile at the side of a hedge, crossing the brook just before that.

16.   Cross over the stile.  Turn right.  Walk steadily uphill towards a wall, with a hedgerow on your right.  At the end of hedgerow there is a big corrugated barn and ahead of you a grey gate.  To the right of this grey gate, in the corner of the field, is a wooden stile.

17.   Cross over the stile onto a lane and turn right.  This is Harper Hill House Farm, Leverton – a very nice old building.  Opposite the entrance to the farm, turn left across the road and you will see a wooden footpath sign.  There is a stone stile in the wall, next to a rather fancy gate.

18.   Cross over the stone stile.  Continue ahead, hedgerow on your left, heading towards a small wood and a stone wall.  Where the hedge meets the stone wall at a gate go through the gate onto a path which has a well-built fence on your left and a wall on your right.  Continue down this path.

19.   After 220 yards or so of this path you reach another gate and a wooden stile.  Cross over.  Continue straight ahead, now with another style of fence on your left.

20.   Cross the next stile.  This is marked with a green background, yellow arrow.  You continue straight ahead to the corner of the wood ahead of you.  Cross over a stile to the right of a metal gate.

21.   Continue ahead to a stile straight ahead of you - you now have the wood on your right.  Cross over the next stile.  Continue straight ahead towards a rather high hedgerow.  Cross over the stile which is in the middle of this hedgerow and turn left ignoring the path coming in from your right.  Walk steadily downhill with the hedge on your left in the direction of a farm ahead of you.

22.   Pass through a slightly unusual wooden stile which has got a left and right turn.  Marked on this stile is a funny red disc which marks the route of the South Chesterfield Way.  Continue straight ahead, hedge on your left.

23.   Past the corner of this field, turn left.  Cross over the fence and then turn right and continue along South Chesterfield Way.  Now with the hedgerow on your right hand side, farm building on your left, leading to a stile in the right hand corner of the field, cross over. 

24.   Cross straight over the road to a stone stile opposite.  This is marked with a public footpath.  This is still the South Chesterfield Way.

25.   Having crossed the stone stile, continue straight ahead, wall on your right.  Cross over the next wooden stile where you leave the South Chesterfield Way and you take the footpath signposted to Boythorpe, which leads straight ahead, wall on your right.  This wall turns into a hedgerow but still keep it on your right.  At the bottom right hand corner of this field you cross a small wooden bridge.  Through the slightly dodgy stile, bear left towards the houses. 

26.   Heading towards these houses you will see a hedgerow on your right and down in the right hand corner of this field, the hedge meets a stone wall with a wooden stile.  Cross over the wooden stile and continue down the path, wall on your left.  Very nice fence on your right and a house on your right.  On your left there is a small wood which looks well maintained.

27.   After about 250 yards, having just passed a shed on your right and a very nicely kept garden on your right, you get to a small gap and out into an open field, leaving the wood on your left.  The field is a playing field and park.  Continue straight ahead, pass through a squeezer stile into this wood.  Take the quite well-defined path off to the right which winds it way through the wood, heading steadily downhill. 

28.   At the bottom of the wood, cross over an open stile.  Cross over a sort of stone bridge over a gully and out into open countryside again.  Walk straight ahead down an obvious track across the field in front of you.

29.   At the opposite end of this field you cross a bridge over a babbling brook.  Just over the bridge turn right.  Walk along the path which runs parallel to the brook.  Eventually you will come to a concrete post where the path bends slightly left to an open field and turn 90° right.

30.   Continue walking with the brook on your right.  Walking parallel to the brook, a hedgerow appears on your right and you are heading for some houses.  Eventually you meet a very definite path coming across you. Turn right and walk down this path to the white metal gate at the entrance to this field.

31.   Once through the stile to the left of the white gate you join the road.  Unfortunately now there is a section of road walking which is absolutely unavoidable in this area.

32.   Now you are onto a road called Langer Lane.  Turn left and walk up this road, steadily uphill.  At the top of the hill the road bends slight left and swings round to the right.  After half a mile you get to a road junction at the side of a newsagent on your right hand side. 

33.   Turn right and walk down this main road - this is the A61.  100 yards on your left is the CCS Media car park.  This is your third checkpoint.

 


4 – CCS Media Car Park to Boot and Shoe, Grassmoor

 

1.       On leaving the car park, turn left and walk along the A61on the pavement.   A couple of hundred yards after Long Edge Lane (which is on the right), there is a footpath sign on the left, opposite a white house, immediately before a lamp post.

2.       Turn left, your road walking complete and walk across the field opposite - straight ahead, a very well defined path, making your way towards a track and a bridge which crosses the Midland Mainline railway.

3.       At the bottom of the field, this continues straight ahead over a small footbridge over a dyke, still continuing straight ahead to get to the railway bridge.

4.       You cross the stone walled footbridge over the railway line.  Continue straight ahead.  Ignore the first track on your right.  Continue straight up.  At the top of the hill bear left and then right.  Carry on along the footpath which is bounded by a hedge on your right and wire fence on your left.  This part of the path ends adjacent to the end of the playing field on your left and you walk then on to a wide track and down to a gate with a stile to the right of the gate.

5.       Cross over the stile, turn 90° right to cross over a stile to the right of a metal gate.  Cross over this and continue along the field, hedge on your right.  Cross over the next stile.  Continue straight ahead, hedgerows on both sides now.  In about 100 yards cross over a little dyke, continue straight ahead now with hedgerow only on your right.

6.       Bear slightly left, past a concrete post at the top of a field, hedge on your left.  At the end of this field, continue straight ahead along this path which goes across the middle of the next field.  At the top of the field on your left is a cemetery and the view to your right is unfortu­nately of a coking plant.  On the opposite side of this field the path bends round to continue straight ahead forcing a hedgerow to be on your left.

7.       Pass through the next hedge to continue straight ahead, hedgerow still on your left.  Continue straight ahead through the next hedgerow which crosses you, hedgerow still on your left.  Cross through one more hedgerow, still continuing straight ahead along a well-defined path, which takes you to a lane.  On reaching that lane you walk straight ahead under a bridge.

8.       Continue straight ahead through a very wide lane towards some farm buildings.  Continue past the farm building. To the right you will see a stone stile in the wall next to a metal gate.

9.       Cross over the stile.  Continue up the lane, going slightly uphill and continue straight ahead with hedgerow on your left-hand side.  Eventually the track just before some houses swings round to the left.  Where it swings round to the left you look to your right and you will see a path that runs across a field, diagonal right.  Take this path.

10.   When you reach the hedgerow, the path bends slightly to the left.  You now have a hedgerow on your right hand side at the bottom of the field.  Continue straight on now with hedgerow on right, wire fence on left.  The path eventually winds under a couple of bushes to join a lane and at this lane you turn right.  Walk steadily downhill for about 10 yards, then turn left along another signed lane.  Where the lane bends round to the farm, you continue straight ahead to a stile to the left of a metal gate.

11.   Cross the stile and continue straight ahead with the wire fence on your right.  On reaching the gate continue ahead - don’t be tempted to go through the open gap - keep the hedgerow to your left, heading for the ramshackle farm buildings.  On reaching the farm buildings swing slightly left and join track leading away from the farm building.  Walk steadily uphill along the track. 

12.   On reaching the brow of the hill on this track, you now have houses on your left.  This is the village of Grassmoor.  Keep heading up the track, past the cottages and farm buildings on your right.  Eventually the track bends round to the left and there is a playing field on your left at this point. 

13.   Continue slightly uphill, over the brow of the hill down to the road. There is a school on your left.  This is the end of Gill Lane. 

14.   On reaching the road, turn right.  Walk along the road past the service station.  Immediately after the service station is the Boot and Shoe public house. This is your fourth checkpoint.

5 - Boot & Shoe, Grassmoor, to the Elm Tree, Heath

 

1.       On leaving the Boot & Shoe, cross over the road to Birkin Lane following the road sign to Temple Normanton and Grassmoor Country Park.  Walk down the path on the right hand side of the road for about ¼ mile.

2.       On leaving the houses on your right, the footpath ends.  Cross over the road and continue along the road on the opposite side of the road heading towards a bridge.  At the foot of the bridge bear left onto a footpath which follows alongside the road.  Keep the hedge to your right, continue straight ahead.

3.       After about 80 yards take a right turn in the path, 90° right going under the bridge.  Pass through a gate to the right of a metal farm gate.  Continue upwards along this trail.

4.       Bear slightly to the left until you meet another track.  Here bear left.  The path immediately splits - take the left hand track “Five Pits Trail, Williamthorpe” walking with a small lake on your right.

5.       After a further ½ mile, the track bears left towards a factory.  Continue along the track.  Shortly after, the path goes under a road bridge and continues to the left hand side of the factory.  To the left of the path there are a couple more industrial units which are currently under construction - they’ll be completed by the time of the Walk.

6.       After 400 yards there is a fork in the path.  Take the right hand fork.  Continue again with industrial units on your right.  Pass a sign which says “Caution Steep Slope” and the track bears left, to the left of a wooden seat.  The track bears right, comes down across a foot­bridge, and crosses another path which says “Holmewood - Wheelchair Route”. 

7.       Continue straight ahead, climbing back up the other side of a small valley.  At the top of the hill the track bears right, crosses another track.  Continue straight ahead along the Five Pits Trail, Holmewood.

8.       Just before a footpath sign by a bench, take a left hand fork in the path along a grass track which heads towards the left hand side of the houses ahead.  The path bears left then right and then continues straight ahead towards a road.

9.       Continue along the track, keeping the houses to your right.  Cross over the road and continue up the field opposite, keeping the hedge on your right.  Cross three stiles and then path goes down the centre of a field into the village of Heath.

10.   Join a lane.  Continue down into the village.  On reaching the road, bear left.  Continue down the road passing the Old School House on your left.

11.   On reaching the village of Heath, bear left past the Old Reading Room and walk through the pleasant little village.

12.   At the bend, follow the road round to the left until you reach the Elm Tree Public House on your right. 
This is your fifth checkpoint.


6 – The Elm Tree, Heath, to the Elm Tree, Scarcliffe

1.       Turn left out of the pub car park.  After about 30 metres, at the bend in the road, turn left down the public footpath at the side of Chestnut Cottage - there’s a signpost on the tree.  Drop down to a metal gate and cross the stile to its left.  Continue down to an open gate with a double stile to your right.  The road bends right and then immediately left and crosses over the Heath bypass.

2.       Over the bridge, carry straight on with a pylon to your left - a very nice one - and the track turns into a farm track.  There is a view of Bolsover Castle in the distance just over to your left.  The track drops down towards the motorway, going round the fields, bearing left and then right.

3.       At the next field you come to a gap in the hedge.  Carry straight on, hedge on your right, for about 10 yards and then across an open field towards a stile in the fence opposite.

4.       Cross the stile.  Bear left towards the corner of the field, with a wooden fence on your right, towards a copse.  In the corner of the field cross the stile to the right of a metal gate and go through a tunnel under the motorway.  Carry straight on along the well-defined footpath across the field opposite.

5.       Carry on through to a gate in the hedge opposite where the track bears left towards a stile.  Cross the stile over a small footbridge.  Go over the next stile and continue diagonally across the field over a still well-defined footpath with Bolsover Castle straight ahead.

6.       In the corner of the field, turn right over a small footbridge and take the right hand of the two paths going diagonally across the field towards a stile in the fence opposite.  Cross over the stile, through a few bushes to a fence opposite and over another stile.

7.       Bear slightly left to a stile in the fence opposite.  Cross over this stile, across a dismantled railway line to a stile opposite.  Here walk up the field with hedge on your left.  Keep straight on with the hedge on your left.

8.       Where the hedge bears away 90° to the left, carry straight on across the field towards the far corner on the left.  Do no go through the gate but where the hedge rejoins the track in front of you carry straight on, again keeping the hedge to your left towards the corner of the field.

9.       At the corner of the field, the track bears left through the trees and then right again into another field.  Head straight across the centre of the field to the far corner, past a small grassy knoll.  The grassy knoll is covering a manhole cover - there is another one further up the hill and you should be able to see a stile in the fence in the trees opposite.

10.   Cross over the stile, turn right at the tree and continue following the waymarked sign to the top right corner of the field.  Cross the stile to the right of a small gate and bear left up a track towards Palterton

11.   On reaching a track, carry straight across, bearing slightly left up a footpath, climbing very steeply uphill.  On reaching the road have a breather!

12.   Bear right along the road into the village.  Where the road bends left follow the road - do not go back down the hill or you will regret it - following the signpost to Scarcliffe 1, Glapwell 1.

13.   Carry on through the village, past Back Lane, along Main Street, past the bus shelter to a fork in the road where you bear right towards Glapwell.  Carry on out of the village and to the left of a Give Way sign to a track across the road.  Don’t drop any litter on this track or you will get fined £500!

14.   Carry on along the track for about ¾ mile until you meet a road, carry straight across climbing up through a wood.  Continue through the wood following the well-defined path.  The path bears left and comes out of the trees onto a lane through a metal gate.  Bear left along the lane towards Scarcliffe with the church in the distance to your right.

15.   Half a mile down the lane, just before reaching some houses, there is a footpath sign to your right which cuts across the field and over to a stile opposite.  Take this footpath.

16.   Cross over the stile opposite and follow a footpath with a hedge on your right and a field on your left, bearing slightly right, keeping the houses to your left towards a gate in the corner.

17.  Bear left through the gate, along a track onto a road in the village of Scarcliffe.  Bear right, drop down the road, past the church on your left to the Elm Tree pub on the bend.   This is your sixth checkpoint.


7 - The Elm Tree, Scarcliffe, to Whaley

 

1.       On leaving the Elm Tree retrace your steps for 25 yards or so and turn left up a track.   Immediately on your left is a house called “The Birches”.  Continue along the track.

2.       After 20 yards you reach a stone slab footpath between a lawned area with walls on either side.  Continue across a stile straight ahead.  Do not take the stile to the right.  This leads into a field.  Cross over the stile and continue around the edge of the field with a hedge on your right.  As the path bears left the hedge is replaced by a wooden fence.

3.       The path later turns right over a stone bridge.  Cross over the bridge and then the path bears left along the edge of a field with a hedge on your left.  50 yards further the path leaves the field and becomes hedged on both sides and enters into a wood.

4.       Cross over a narrow wooden footbridge and continue straight ahead into the wood.  The path climbs upwards into the wood and meets a track.  Bear right along the track.  Where the path forks take the left hand fork, sweeping round to your left.  You are now on the Archaeological Way.

5.       The path passes a metal gate in front of a clearing on your right and then continues deeper into the wood with pine trees on your right.  The path drops down into a denser piece of wood and turns from a track into a path and is waymarked again with the Archaeological Way sign.

6.       Passing through a dip, the footpath bears slightly to your left, and is again waymarked Archaeological Way.  Stick to the main trail.

7.       The path climbs upwards to meet a hedged field on your right, still trees on your left.

8.       ¼ mile further on the path swings left, drops down and then swings right.  Again continue with the wood on your left and hedge on your right with fields behind the hedge.

9.       The path passes to the right hand side of a wooden gate and comes to the main road.  Leave the wood and bear right along the road towards the Devonshire Arms.

10.   Continue down the road past the pub on your right and  the Old School House.  Drop left down, just before a road junction sign with a footpath way­marked “The Archaeological Way”. 

11.   At the church turn left taking a footpath before the church keeping the church on your right.  At the end of the churchyard cross over a stile continuing over the Archaeological Way towards a road. 

12.   Cross over a small footbridge and continue up the next field to a stile onto a road.  Here turn right and walk down the road.  On reaching the sharp right hand bend in the road take a track to your left, continuing along the Archaeological Way.

13.   Continue along the lane, ignoring the footpath to Whaley Thorns to your right.  Your are now heading towards a wood on the Archaeological Way.

14.   Enter the wood following the Archaeological Way and after 30 yards the footpath turns 90° left, still signposted the Archaeological Way. 

15.   On reaching the track crossing your path continue straight ahead, again following a waymarked sign for the Archaeological Way.  Where this track bends left take a small path to the right following the waymarked sign for the Archaeological Way.

16.   In 50 yards you leave the wood, cross over a field, straight ahead following the Archaeological Way.  At the far end of the wood the track bends left on the Archaeological Way, with a pond to your right down through the wood.

17.   At the end of the lane bear right, across the stream up to the main road.  Turn left and on reaching the pub (Black Horse) turn right at the junction and your checkpoint is in the farmyard immediately after the pub.  This is your seventh checkpoint.

 


 8 - Whaley to the Elm Tree, Elmton

 

1.       On leaving the farmyard turn right and continue up the road, past the football pitch to Whaley Common.  At the road junction, turn right and in 50 yards turn left along the lane.  This is still the Archaeological Way!

2.       Shortly after Frithwood Cottages the track bears 90° right then almost immediately 90° left.  Continue along the main track, which shortly turns into a metallised road.  After approximately ½ mile take the footpath on the left immediately after a double gate also on your left. 

3.       The path goes across a field heading towards two large trees.  At the far end of this field pass through the gate and continue straight ahead across two further fields heading towards a farm.  These footpaths are sign posted Elmton Green, the sign being attached to the large tree.

4.       On reaching the farm pass through the stile turn right on to the track and walk down this track keeping the farm on your left.

5.       On reaching the road turn left and walk along the side of the road into the village of Elmton.  Round the right hand bend cross to a small road, cross over to the footpath and walk into the village.  Walk through the village to the Elm Tree pub. This is your eighth and final checkpoint.

 

9 - Elm Tree, Elmton, to the Royal Oak, Bakestone Moor

1.       On leaving the pub car park turn left down the road towards the church.  Carry on downhill, past the church with the church on your right.  At the corner, sharp left hand bend in the road, take the track straight on.

2.       The track runs for about a mile towards Clowne past some old houses on your right.  Carry on along the track.

3.       Shortly after a farmhouse, the track drops down to the right into a dip and you come to a fork in the path.  Take the right hand fork. 

4.       About ½ mile further you come to the edge of the village of Clowne.  Turn right.  Take the footpath, passing Church Lane and a road with a footpath sign to your right.  Carry straight on.

5.       Continue along the road past the edge of Clowne following the Archaeological Way.  On reaching the main road, turn 90° right and follow the footpath to the right hand side of the main road with a house on your left.

6.       At the end of a metal barrier on the opposite side of the road you will see a foot­path sign crossing the wall.  Cross the road, over on to the footpath, still following the Archaeological Way.

7.       On crossing the stile, go diagonally across the field following the well marked footpath - it is still the Archaeological Way.  At the top corner of the field the Archaeological Way bends to the right following a farmer’s track, through a gap in the wall.  Continue along here, keeping the wall to your left. 

8.       At the end of the field, turn left through a gap between the wall and hedge.  Walk for 15 yards and see a stile on your right.  Cross over and continue along the Archaeological Way.

9.       At the corner of the field bear right, following the signs for the Archaeological Way with a small copse on your right.  You come down to a road.  Cross straight over, over another stile and across the field opposite.

10.   Go through the gap in the wall in the middle of the field and across to a stile.  Cross over the road and bear left into Bakestone Moor.  The road bends right as you reach the first houses. 

11.   Carry on across New Street and on, following a bend in the road with a high stone wall to your right hand side.  Follow this road for about 250 yards until you get to the Royal Oak Pub on your right hand side.  This is the finishing point for this year’s Louise Smalley Walk!