Youlgreave

YOULGREAVE, LATHKILL DALE VALLEY, DERBYSHIRE DALES NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE, PSALM POOL, BULL’S HEAD  AT MONYASH, LIMESTONE WAY, FERN DALE, ONE ASH GRANGE, CALES DALE, CALLING LOW, LOW MOOR WOOD, MOOR LANE AND THE GEORGE AT YOULGREAVE

Distance: Ten miles.

Difficulty: Mostly easy but with one stiff descent and climb.

Weather: Warm and sunny.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Non-walking drinkers: Colin Davison and Jock Rooney with Tip.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Hughie Hardiman, Steve Kemp.

Leaders: Fairman (official) and Owen (unofficial). Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The George pub in Youlgreave, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 10.04am. Finishing time: 3.10pm.

Why do the Wednesday Wanderers go on this trip to Lathkill Dale ? It involves a long drive, latterly along narrow winding lanes where the threat of a head-on collision lies round every corner. The answer is that this outskirt of the White Peak District provides some of the prettiest scenery en route and spectacular natural beauty during the walk. 

On a sunny day like the one we enjoyed it is hard to imagine anywhere better.

As spring turns into summer there is also an opportunity to admire the kaleidoscope of colour provided by wild flowers growing in bounteous profusion along the banks of the River Lathkill. 

The delicate pale blues of forget-me-nots contrast with the darker hues of bluebells, the pink of ragged Robin and the white of ladies’ lace. Even the gardeners’ enemy, dandelions, provide a splash of gold in the hedgerows and meadows. We were a little early to find the rare Jacob’s ladder, with its blue flower-heads, which appear in June and July.

On the wildlife front we saw buzzards and herons and a cob guarding the nest of his pen. We also spotted a number of dippers who breed on the riverbank at this time of year. Although we observed horses, donkeys, ewes with lambs and cows with calves, the only wild animal we saw was a dead rat, buzzing with flies, when we stopped for Pietime. Perhaps our leader should be more flexible with his itinerary.  

From outside The George we headed uphill away from All Saints Church turning right along a path just in front of Easter Cottage (2mins). We turned at an unmarked path on our left (10mins), crossing a wooden stile (14mins) and right when we reached a lane (16mins). The lane crossed a road bridge over the Lathkill where we looked in vain for a rainbow trout which Chris had spotted (17mins)

On the far side of the bridge we turned left following a sign for Over Hatton (18mins) and began our delightful journey along the right bank of the Lathkill.

The valley was once the home of a Viking settler who called it Hlatha-gyll. (I need hardly tell those of you fluent in Old Norse that this means “barn in a narrow valley”)

After passing the male swan guarding his mate who was incubating her eggs, we continued through this limestone valley which is one of five comprising the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve in the White Peak. In times gone by it has been the home of millers, lead-miners, quarrymen and foresters.

When we reached a modest waterfall on our left (62mins) we paused for pies, port and damson gin kindly provided by Chris, accompanied by the body of a dead rat nearby. It gave new meaning to the term “to smell a rat” – although the putrid stench did not put off a swarm of bluebottles or Tom and Lawrie, who seemed oblivious.

Continuing our journey through this otherwise picturesque landscape we crossed a stone step stile (68mins) and went through a wooden kissing gate (72mins) . En route we passed Psalm Pool where the waters of the Lathkill bubble up to the surface from underground. We reached the Monyash-Bakewell road (109mins) and turned left to enter the village of Monyash (114mins)

It appears in the Domesday Book as Manais, which linguists will recognise as meaning “many waters” in Celtic. Monyash gained a charter to hold markets on Tuesdays in 1340, but in recent times they have only been held on Spring Bank Holidays. They still perform the rite of well-dressing annually in thanks for their water supply.

The village was once famous for its candle-makers and rope-makers in its lead-mining heyday from 1700-1850. The parish church of St Leonard’s was founded in 1198. Its north chancel was built in 1348 and its font dates from the 1200s. A rocky ridge outside the village is named Parson’s Tor after the Reverend Lomas, their 19^th Century vicar, who fell to his death there in a riding accident. His body is buried in the churchyard. (Animal lovers amongst you will be relieved to learn the horse survived)

Soon after passing a plaque setting out these facts we reached The Bulls Head on our right (118mins). Once again we have to report the distressing absence of an apostrophe from this pub’s name. Perhaps the sign-writer was the same man who committed a similar grammatical abomination at The Bulls Head in Youlgreave.   

We were able to enjoy pints of excellent Timothy Taylor’s Landlord cask bitter for £3-50 as we sat outside on trestle tables in the sunshine. We were soon joined by Jock and Tip, who had driven over (Jock drove: Tip was his passenger) and Colin, who roared up on his motor-bike.  Jock has been unable to walk because of back pain and Colin had sent his apologies because of a dental appointment. His macho image in leathers was somewhat diminished by a lisp as a result of his missing front teeth, making him sound disturbingly like the cartoon character Tweety Pie.

The dental disaster for our all-action hero was occasioned when he fell from his electric-powered pedal bike. This follows previous injuries caused by caving, ski-ing, boating, ice-skating, hiking and motor-cycling.

After bidding a fond adieu to our hors-de-combat comrades we turned right away from the pub and crossed the road to turn left at a sign marked Newhaven and Youlgreave. 

Where the road bore right (121mins) we carried straight ahead along The Limestone Way into Milkings Lane. We paused for lunch (132mins) at a wooden gate before exiting Fern Dale by another wooden gate on our right (133mins)

The path took us through One Ash Grange Farm at Cales Dale where we followed a sign for Calling Low (155mins). After a precipitous descent we climbed a series of steep steps to get out of a gorge, passing wild purple orchids at the side of the path. We went through a wooden gate (167mins) and a copse of trees (173mins) before crossing a field full of cows and calves, heading diagonally right.

A stone step stile took us into Low Moor Wood (188mins). By this stage Lawrie had led Mark into the wrong field and Chris had seized the opportunity to march on ahead followed by Tom. There was a large gap back to your diarist with the others trailing behind. We crossed two stone step stiles to head through fields and emerge on a road next to Moor Lane car park (198mins)

Where the road forked, we headed right and walked steadily downhill back to Youlgreave. The path emerged at The Bulls Head, a 17^th Century coaching inn, where we turned left to reach The George. Chris and Tom were already ensconced at a table outside drinking beer and eating giant sausage rolls. 

When Tom recommended them to your diarist it was obvious from the glint in his eye that they had just eaten the last two – a fact confirmed moments later by the landlord. We enjoyed pints of Theakstons at £3-49.

There will be no A team walk next week as most of our usual participants will be enjoying TWAT (Tom’s Worldwide Adventure Travel). Our Dirty Dozen are off this year to Pula in Croatia.

The following week, May 23, we will be meeting at Sutton Hall, Macclesfield, at 9.35am and aiming to reach the Ryles Arms at Sutton around 12.30pm for a stiffener. We aim to return to the Sutton Arms at 2.20pm and hope our wounded comrade Steve might join us at one or both hostelries for a drink.

Happy wandering !