Sparrowpit

August 19, 2015.

SPARROWPIT, SLACKSDALE FARM, DOVEHOLES AND BEELOW QUARRY, THE BULL RING AT DOVEHOLES, THE QUARRYMAN AT DOVEHOLES, THE WANTED INN AT SPARROWPIT

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Bright and Sunny becoming Cloudy Later.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

Apologies:  Peter Beal (walking in Lake District), Steve Courtney (in France), George Dearsley (in Turkey) Mark Gibby (dog-sitting in Essex).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit, Derbsyhire.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2pm.

The weather gods smiled down on us again as we enjoyed blue skies and sunshine for the first three hours of this walk. Only towards the end did the skies cloud over and we were safely back inside the pub before rain began to fall.

Prior to this we had taken in some spectacular scenery with wild flowers and weeds providing a kaleidoscope of colour – purple thistle, yellow hogweed, buttercups and dandelions, pink clover, white ladies’ lace and red berries on the rowan trees.

There were also plenty of nettles to keep one of our group who was wearing shorts on his toes.

We also saw buzzards, swallows and swifts giving aeronautical displays, and spotted a weasel scurrying across our path with a baby rabbit in its mouth.

It may be that we have also broken the world record for the number of stiles crossed in the first hour. I counted 16 and we are waiting to hear back from Norris McWhirter.

From the car park we crossed the front of the pub and turned right downhill before going right again across the gravel car park of Sparrowpit Village Hall. We went through a metal gate and crossed a stone step stile (3mins) – the first of many !

Heading left diagonally across a field we ignored a stone step stile on our left and went through a metal gate before crossing left over an electrified fence and aiming for a wood. We crossed a stone step stile and went through a wooden gate into the trees, passing shafts where lead had been mined two or three centuries ago.

We followed a footpath by the side of the rakes and shafts, emerging briefly on the left of the wood at one stage before re-entering it and exiting by a wooden stile on the right (22mins). This brought us into a second wood, which we exited by a stone step stile to reach a road (27mins).

Turning right, we passed a farm building on our right dated 1781 (33mins) and after passing Slacksdale Farm on our left we turned right over a stone step stile marked by a wooden public footpath sign (35mins). We headed diagonally left to a stone step stile (37) which brought us into another field.

We went through two wooden gates and over three stone step stiles (46mins) in quick succession before crossing a wooden stile with a drystone wall on our right (48mins). Two more stone step stiles led us to a road (50mins) where we turned right, then left over a stone step stile by the side of a wooden public footpath sign.

Our group crossed another stone step stile, turned right and then immediately left over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (56mins). We crossed a wooden stile and went through a metal gate (58mins). We went through a second metal gate (61mins and then a wooden one (64mins) before crossing a stone step stile (65mins).

Passing to the right of a copse of trees, we then went left over a wooden stile (70mins) and climbed uphill. On the brow we crossed a stone step stile (75mins) and paused for pies and cream sherry, courtesy of our absent friend, Mickey Barrett.  (If anyone finds himself in Jerez, he could do worse than buy a bottle of Osborne’s Santa Maria cream sherry).

Continuing we headed diagonally left and went through a metal gate to reach Doveholes Quarry in front of us (80mins). We turned right and could see in the distance Mam Tor, South Head and Chinley Churn as buzzards rode the thermals above the quarry.

We reached Beelow Quarry, which appears to have joined Doveholes Quarry and turned right (98mins). We went left through a metal gate (100mins) and saw a weasel scurrying across our path with a baby rabbit in its mouth. He dropped the animal on seeing us and disappeared, no doubt intending to return for his victim later.

We turned left at a wooden stile marked with a white arrow (106mins) and crossed two wooden stiles in quick succession (108mins) hastily followed by a stone step stile (109mins). Our group went straight ahead where the paths divided (113mins) and crossed a wooden stile (120mins). We went immediately over a second wooden stile and swung left to begin a steep climb.

This brought us out ultimately at The Bull Ring (122mins), a Neolithic Henge Monument, which historians speculate was used in the Bronze Age for ceremonial services. There is a burial ground nearby. We continued past the circular mound, passing a children’s playground and reaching the A6 at Doveholes (129mins).

Our party crossed the road, turned right at traffic lights and reached The Quarryman (130mins) with commendable precision at 12 noon precisely. This pub used to be called The Wheatsheaf. It closed down about 12 months ago and re-opened in May after a makeover. The York Blonde and the Timothy Taylor Landlord were both enjoyed, although Tom predictably pronounced that the latter was superior. They cost £3-20 a pint.

Resuming our journey we crossed into Dale Road by the side of the Queens Arms and turned left at a green public footpath sign (135mins). We crossed three wooden stiles as we went through a series of fields (149mins) and turned left at a cottage (150mins) to head left down a lane.

We went right through a cattle pen and up a gravel track (153mins) where we paused for lunch. Resuming we went diagonally left through a field and through an open gate (157mins). We turned right to cross a stone step stile and through a metal gate marked with a yellow arrow (159mins).

Our route took us through a farmyard and straight on through a metal gate (162mins). We entered another farmyard, passing buildings on our left (167mins) to leave it via another metal gate (170mins).

We went straight on at another metal gate (176mins) and through two more metal gates to reach the next farmyard, where we followed a yellow arrow, kept left and exited by a metal gate (180mins). We squeezed through a gap stile (181mins), walked through an open gate (183mins), crossed a stone step stile (185mins) and headed left towards some derelict buildings.

Beyond them was the main road (186mins), where we turned left to reach The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit (188mins). Once again, with military precision, we had reached our final destination at the appointed hour of 2pm. The Farmers Blonde and Marstons’ Pedigree were both at £3-20.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from The Lantern Pike Inn at Little Hayfield, calling at The Lamb Inn at Chinley around 12.30pm before returning to The Lantern Pike at 2pm. There we shallcelebrate the 80th birthday of our friend and leader, Lawrie.

Happy wandering !