Alport

ALPORT, RIVER LATHKILL, STANTON ESTATE, THE FLYING CHILDERS AT STANTON-IN-DALE, STANTON-IN-PEAK CRICKET CLUB, STANTON MOOR, THE NINE LADIES STONE CIRCLE, THE RED LION AT BIRCHOVER, THE HERMITS’ CAVES, ROCKING STONE FARM, LIMESTONE WAY, ROBIN HOOD’S STRIDE, HARTHILL MOOR FARM, THE GEORGE AT YOULGRAVE

Distance: 7-8miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm and sunny with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

Walkers:  Mickey Barratt, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Alan Hart and Jock Rooney with Tips.

Apologies: Peter Beal (Greek island hols), Steve Courtney (French hols), George Dearsley (Turkish summer hols), Julian Ross (installing toilet), George Whaites (Spanish hols).

Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart. Photographer: Davison.

Starting point: Grass verge in village of Alport, near Youlgreave, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 10.20am. Finishing time: 2.25pm.

On a beautiful early summer’s day, the A team enjoyed a comparatively short walk after a lengthy journey to reach the starting point. Consequently we were surpassed for distance by the B team who set off sooner and walked further.

We would like to think we had the better of the views on a gently undulating journey during which we sighted a weasel, a herd of alpacas and a woodcock.

Walking away from Youlgreave we passed a red phone box and turned right, crossing a bridge over the River Lathkill (5mins). The lane passed picturesque cottages until we reached a T-junction where we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign to pass Bank House on our left (8mins).

The path then took us to the left of and then into a mobile home campsite. We turned right to follow a sign indicating the footpath to Stanton (15mins). On reaching a lane we turned left, then went right over a stone step stile (18mins) into a field.

We exited by another stone step stile and followed the road towards Stanton-in-Dale (23mins). It wasas we climbed this road we saw a weasel run across it some 30 yards ahead of us. Disappointingly it failed to go “pop.”

picture courtesy of Colin Davison

The road took us past the high-walled Stanton Estate on our right (31mins), which includes Stanton Hall, a privately-owned country house. This Grade 2 listed building is the home of the Davie-Thornhill family.

The manor of Stanton was owned for two centuries by the Bache family and passed to the Thornhills by the 1696 marriage of Mary Pegge, heiress to the estate, to John Thornhill of Thornhill.

The oldest part of the hall dates from replacement of the medieval manor house in 1693. In 1799-1800 Bache Thornhill (High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1776) doubled the size of his home. He also created a deer park and ornamental gardens, which are screened from the prying eyes of passing walkers.

We then passed The Flying Childers, named after a famous local racehorse, on our right (36mins). A sign informed us that this was named by CAMRA as Derbyshire Pub of the Year in 2012.

Jock led us to the right of Cock Lane uphill (40mins), taking a left fork (43mins) and passing the Wesleyan Reform Chapel, built in 1823, on our left. We continued our ascent past Stanton-in-Peak Cricket Club on our left and turned right at a massive rock to enter Stanton Moor.

A path led us to The Nine Ladies Stone Circle, which was created during the Bronze Age some 4,000 years ago for pagan rites. According to legend, nine ladies were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. These provided suitable seats for pies and port to be consumed (60mins) as Mickey expressed his wish that he could go back through time and observe the playing out of history here.

This philosophical thought was marred somewhat when our leader revealed that one of the sights Mickey might have seen as a Time Traveller was a youthful Jock taking part in an ancient fertility rite with a local maiden.

Resuming our walk, we headed away from the Stone Circle in the opposite direction from which we had entered, taking a path to the left of a plaque which explained the Nine Ladies Legend. At a crossroads (69mins) we continued on the path ahead and crossed a wooden stile to reach a lane (73mins).

We turned right and after 30 yards turned left at a wooden public footpath sign, passing a campsite on our right. Following a yellow arrow through a farmyard (78mins) we squeezed through a gap stile following a sign for Birchover. To our left was a herd of alpacas.

We entered the pretty village of Birchover (84mins) with another Wesleyan Reform Church built in 1851 on our right and a Primitive Methodist Chapel built in 1867 on our left. The latter, which has been converted into a six-bedroomed house, is on the market for £375,000.

We soon reached The Red Lion (88mins) where a sign above the bar informed us “Merrie Lads Be Welcome.” Some of our group chose Doombar cask bitter and your diarist opted for a pint of Nine Ladies locally-brewed cask bitter at £3-10. All were enjoyed at tables in the sunshine outside.

Resuming, we headed downhill passing the village’s other pub, The Druid Inn, on our right (92mins). Immediately after the pub wall ended we headed right up a steep path which took us to some rocks with man-made steps carved into them. They are known locally as Hermits’ Caves and had clearly been inhabited in the past. It was hard to imagine the residents being hermits, however, with a pub on their doorstep.

After pausing here for lunch with spectacular views across the rural landscape, we retraced our footsteps down to the road and turned right to pass St Michael’s Church on our left. The tiny church was dwarfed by the size of the vicarage beyond it (105mins).

We entered Rocking Stone Farm by a cattle-grid and went through a gate downhill (113mins). This brought us to a road where we turned left (108mins). We headed right up a lane (111mins) and followed a wooden public footpath sign marked Limestone Way.

Turning left to follow the Limestone Way (116mins) we passed the rock formation known as Robin Hood’s Stride on our left (122mins). We went straight on and then over a stone step stile on our right (123mins) to turn left through a field.

A gap stile brought us out opposite Harthill Moor Farm (125mins), which we skirted to the left and then followed a yellow arrow over a wooden stile. We turned right to cross another wooden stile (137mins) and headed downhill towards Youlgreave with its distinctive church tower in the distance.

Due to a misunderstanding and a powerful thirst, your diarist headed up a steep hill straight past the church for pints of Theakstons cask bitter at £3-02 in The George (157mins). The rest of the group followed the banks of the Lathkill back to Alport, de-booted and drove to the pub.


B Walkers' diary

Wednesday 21st May B group report
Though published 3 times on the net only Laurie and Ken turned up
I suppose  John was still fishing Wally still working Terry on holiday and Geoff not driving.
It was a lovely fine sunny day Cheshire looking its green best. We took a traditional route from the Unicorn to Mill lane and Mottram bridge where we beheld a marvellous sight -  a repaired footpath. Yes the footpath which had fallen into the Bollin had been replaced by creating an island under the eroded bank with steps at the end. This meant we could actually legally walk in front of the snobby woman's mansion!
This led us to the golf course at Mottram Hall, on crossing the fairways we walked up the hill to Legh Hall and down to Spittle House crossed the river and made our way to the Admiral Rodney. Excellent Robbies @ 2.95- on the dot of 12pm
Leaving at 1pm we followed the direct route via the sewage works back to the unicorn at 2 55pm
In all quite a walk just under 10miles in about 4 hrs
I am off to Iceland and Norway so will be missing  next 3 Wednesdays

Next week’s A walk will start from the road outside a school in Peak Forest (approaching from Sparrowpit, turn left at the traffic lights and the school is 100 yards on your left) at 9.40am. It is anticipated that we will stop for a bracer at The Angler’s Rest, Millers Dale, around 12.30pm and finish at The Wanted Inn, Sparrowpit, just before 3pm.