Bradwell

Bradwell, Outlands Head, Green Dale, Dirtlow Rake, Cave Dale, Cow Low, Castleton, Pin Dale,Mich Low, Bradwell.

Distance: 8.5 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Sunshine and showers with hail and high winds

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison.

B walkers: none

Apology: Mickey Barrett (having operation to repair leg), Alan Hart (whimped out due to weather forecast 24hrs before), George Whaites (ditto, but at least waited until 8.00am)

Leader: Davison

Diarist: Davison

Star point: Car park of The Bowling Green Inn, Bradwell

Starting time: 9.55am.

Finishing time: 2.20pm.

Tom's painful blister to his right heel having healed despite the lack of get well cards our little band was boosted by fifty percent. So, the fearless free set forth to brave the Spring tempests lesser hearts quailed at.

A quick chat with the cheery landlady of the Bowling Green elicited the information that we were welcome to park in her carpark if we were planning drinking there later. However, as she was still observing winter opening hours, the inn would open at 3.00pm. She was happy with our assurance that we would return at a later date to fulfill our part of the bargain if we returned much earlier.

We set off downhill into the village and turned right at the main road then immediately right again to skirt the play ground. Weaving left and right to stay just East of Bradwell brook we came to Brook House with the stream running in a culvert beneath.

A few yards further on and just before reaching the main road again, we took the footpath on the right up steps. This leads steeply up between gardens. At the fork we bore left between houses. We crossed a road. The path continued with gardens giving way to woods.

At the next road, a dogleg right and left was necessary to continue along the path which brought us to the quarry at Outland's Head. Crossing the next road, the path then skirts the South side of the quarry until it meets a stile into a field. Here the gradient lessens and the view opens broadly to display the White Peak at it's best.

We followed the Southern edge of the field to a stile onto the track to Hartlemoor farm. Right and then left at the road brought us to the T- junction opposite the gated entrance to Moss Rake. We turned right and followed the road for 300 yards to a crossroads on the far side of which is a walk through stile into the field on the left.

We crossed this field diagonally and in doing so passed over the course of the old Roman road (Batham Gate). In the lee of the wall at the far side and next to a wicket gate we called pie time whilst Tom settled his business affairs telephonically. Once finished, he then selected a ripe apple from his store of fruit, carefully peeled it, rolled it in sheep shit and ate it.

Through the gate we followed a well defined path across Bradwell Moor and three stiles to DirtlowRake. Here we met the track that runs to Eldon Hill quarry at Hollandtwine Mine.

This is now capped and sadly impenetrable. But in your diarists youth the 400ft shaft was accessible to amateur cavers who descended it by hand winch. Those were the days before single rope technique or the compensation culture.

We turned right along Dirtlow Rake for a quarter of a mile to a point just before the track meets a tarmac road. Here a permissive path on the left took us over the ridge to Cave Dale which we crossed.

We climbed a bank to a track and a gate on our right into the field between Cow Low and Castleton.

Although the track is clearly marked on the map, it was not in evidence on the ground. We were obliged to descend steeply to the path into Castleton.There were one or two falls and Tom took the opportunity to roll around in the mud to such an extent that Peter and your diarist were ashamed to enter the Bull's Head with him.

Still, he managed to find us so we bought him a pint to celebrate finding a pub where the bitter, at £3.40 per pint, was more expensive than the Lantern Pike Inn.

Refreshed we returned to the square and turned left towards Pindale. At the Y-junction we stayed left and stopped for lunch near Pindale farm. Rising from the concrete block we had used as our seat, we realised it was the capping of a ginged mine shaft.

As it had a metal cover with a hole in it, we did what any set of schoolboys would do. Peter was despatched to find a suitable stone and Tom placed his ear close enough to hear it land, Tom being an engineer and better able to count the seconds than us arty types.

Your diarist dropped the stone. Tom pronounced the shaft bottomless.

Setting off again, the road turned sharply left but we continued straight ahead along the bridal path. We followed this for perhaps half a mile with the huge expanse of the cement works to our left surprisingly clean of dust or debris and almost silent.

Eventually we rose up to Mich Low where the bridal path met a metalled track. Here we turned left and the track brought us back to our starting point.

As the Bowling Green was closed, Tom invited us back to his own hostelry where he plied us with a delightful Sheffield ale and the biggest bowl of chef's finest chips your diarist has ever seen. The latter will not eat again until Friday.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am at the Lantern Pike inn, Little Hayfield. Tom will lead the Wanderers on a tour of magical mysteries. He will pause for refreshment at, and perhaps light entertainment by the witty Scots manager of the Little Mill at around 12.15pm.

Hopefully, he will then return whence he cometh by 2.45pm

Happy wandering !