Alport

January 29, 2020

ALPORT, STANTON ON PEAK, THE FLYING CHILDERS, STANTON MOOR, THE NINE LADIES STONE CIRCLE, BIRCHOVER, ROWTOR ROCKS AND THE HERMIT'S CAVE, ROCKING STONE COTTAGE, THE LIMESTONE WAY, CRATCLIFFE TOR, ROBIN HOOD'S STRIDE, THE GEORGE AT YOULGREAVE

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Sunny start, cloudy later but dry with good visibility.

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tip.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman.

Apologies: Peter Beal (La Palma hols), Andy Blease (father ill), Alastair Cairns (w*^king), Tom Cunliffe (supervising roofer), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Julian Ross (Antipodean hols), Graham Stone (knee injury), Dean Taylor (unavailable), George Whaites (medical appointment)

Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by opposite red phone box in Alport, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 10.05am. Finishing time: 3.02pm.

For a variety of diverse reasons there were a number of absentees from this walk on the outskirts of our catchment area and they missed some spectacular scenery and unexpectedly mild weather. After a warm start there was a chilly wind on the hilltops which once caused the mayor of Honolulu to complain about the nasty nip in the air.

Jock led us to an ancient site where fertility rites were once performed, to a hermit's cave and to a viewpoint named after the legendary Robin Hood. He also bought a round of drinks to celebrate his 78^th birthday four days earlier. Cheers and many happy returns !

It is my sad duty to report that one of our regular walkers had great difficulty in squeezing through some of the many gap stiles in the area. Time perhaps for Tip to start fetching sticks again to reduce her middle-aged spread.

After passing the red phone box on our right we turned immediately right downhill and followed a green public footpath sign to cross a footbridge over the River Bradford and head left uphill (3mins).We reached a lane and turned left (5mins) then followed a wooden public footpath sign passing Bank House on our left.

The footpath led us into the left side of a trailer park where we followed signs pointing us right for Stanton (12mins). We crossed a stone step stile to reach a road, which we crossed following a sign for Stanton in Peak (20mins). We climbed uphill and reached The Thornhill Settlement on the Stanton Estate (30mins)

Stanton manor was owned for two centuries by the Bache family but passed to John Thornhill in 1698 by his marriage to heiress Mary Pegge. Descendants of the Thornhill family are still in residence. The medieval manor house was replaced in 1693 and in the 18^th Century that was in turn replaced by a two-storey mansion. In 1800 Bache Thornhill, former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, added an extension in Palladian style with a Doric porch which doubled its size.

We continued uphill pass the village pub, The Flying Childers Inn, on our right (35mins).

The Flying Childers was a famous 18^th Century racehorse bred near Doncaster. The Flying Childers Stakes has since 1967 been a featured race at the St Leger Festival. The race was won five times by Lester Piggott, including a hat-trick of wins from 1972-74, and four times by Frankie Dettori.

Just beyond the pub, also on the right, we passed Holy Trinity Church, which was built by William Pole Thornhill and opened in 1839.

Where the main road swung right we carried straight on following a sign for Stanton Lees (40mins). After passing the Wesleyan Reform Chapel on our left we reached a massive rock on the right side of the road which marked the entrance to Stanton Moor (46mins). We followed the path on to the moor, passing through a wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow and reaching on our right a circle of nine standing stones with a tenth stone 40 feet away (60mins)

A plaque explains this is the Nine Ladies Stone Circle where, according to legend, nine women were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. The other stone was said to be the fiddler, who suffered the same fate. It is believed the stones had pagan significance and were used, among other things, to hold fertility rites. Archaeologists estimate they have been standing there for more than 4,000 years.

We used the stones as seats for Pietime, accompanied by port and some delicious home-made damson gin kindly provided by Chris.

Returning a few yards to the path we continued across the moor, going straight ahead where the paths crossed (74mins) and crossing a wooden stile to leave the moor (80mins). We turned right along a lane for 50 yards then headed left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a green arrow to reach Barn Farm (84mins)

Following a footpath signed for Winster we reached the outskirts of Birchover village (92mins) and passed our second Wesleyan Reform Church of the day on our left. We reached The Red Lion pub on our right just before noon (97mins) but discovered it no longer opened on Wednesday lunchtimes.

Further along the road The Druid was also shut as we passed it on our right and began a steep climb up Rowtor Rocks (105mins). Near the top is a cave which was once occupied by an eccentric hermit, and which provides a panoramic view of the countryside for miles. We followed a steep path down which brought us out opposite The Old Vicarage, an impressive building set in a large garden with its own summerhouse and duckpond (114mins)

We followed a sign for Rocking Stone Cottage, crossing a stone step stile (117mins) and passing a field containing five belted Galloway cattle. By following a wooden public footpath sign with a yellow arrow (121mins) we reached a road via a slippery muddy slope (129mins). After briefly heading right in the wrong direction we returned to where we should have gone left (137mins) and took the first lane on the right (138mins) and immediately crossed a cattlegrid to join The Limestone Way.

Where the paths divided we took the left fork (145mins), passing Cratcliffe Tor on our right and spotting a pair of buzzards engaged in an early courting ritual. The male was clearly not prepared to wait for the last waltz in case a better-looking bird turned up.

As the path drew level with a local hill called Robin's Stride (150mins) we stopped for lunch while Chris explored the landmark. Robin Hood's Stride (also known as Mock Beggar's Mansion) is a rock formation close to Elton on The Limestone Way. Its two pinnacles (more than a giant's leap apart) are called Weasel (rated difficult by rock-climbers) and Inaccessible (very difficult). Robin' Hood's Stride featured in an episode of the Return of Sherlock Holmes series and in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride.

Continuing we turned left over a wooden stile and right over a stone step stile (152mins) to walk along the right side of a field. We reached a lane and turned right (155mins). This took us downhill through a wood. Initially we missed the unmarked left turn at an open gateway (158mins), but returned to it (168mins), spotting a yellow arrow for The Limestone Way 20 yards inside the gate pillars.

The path brought us through a wooden kissing gate into a field (176mins). After crossing a wooden stile (178mins) we followed The Limestone way marker to our right instead of one pointing straight ahead. This took us across a wooden footbridge and through a gate into a field (188mins). When we passed through a gap stile (192mins) we could see the distinctive tower of Youlgreave Parish Church uphill on our right.

Following the footpaths to a stone footbridge we crossed the River B radford (198mins) and headed up Stoneyside to pass the chuch on our right and reach The George at Youlgreave (205mins). Here we celebrated Jock's recent birthday with pints of excellent Yorkshire Blonde or Sir Philip at £3-82 a pint.

Suitably refreshed we turned left out of the pub's front door and were soon back with our cars at Alport to de-boot (216mins). Meanwhile the alternative walkers had pioneered a new route from Charlesworth to Broadbottom via Glossop. Like the A team they had been unable to find a hostelry half way, but enjoyed pints of Unicorn at the George and Dragon in Charlesworth for £3-20.

Next week's walk will start at 9.55am from outside The Hartington Arms at Hartington. We will be aiming for a livener at The Pack Horse at Crowdecote before returning to The Hartington Arms for a final drink before 3pm.

Happy wandering !

Pictures by Alan Hart