Monyash

 November 8, 2023.

THE BULL'S HEAD AT MONYASH, LATHKILLDALE NATURE RESERVE, LATHKILL HEAD CAVE, CALES DALE, RIVER LATHKILL, TUFA DAM WATERFALL

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Cloudy but dry.

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, , Alan Hart, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Dave Willetts.

Apologies: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Mark Enright, Mark Gibby, Julian Ross, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington.

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside Bull's Head, Monyash, Derbyshire (DE45 1JH).

Starting time: 12 noon. Finishing time: 3.40pm.

Because of forecasts of early rain, we took the unprecedented step of calling for a livener before the walk began. Heavy rain had been predicted and duly arrived until shortly before opening time.

You cannot be too careful in these situations and we had taken a decision 24 hours earlier to postpone our start until the rain had cleared. We therefore toasted our fallen comrade Laurie Fairman at The Bull's Head in Monyash before setting off on the Memorial Walk dedicated in his name.

Lathkilldale was one of Laurie's favourite walks because of the scenery, the fishing, and the birdlife. It is a picturesque walk best attempted in summer because of the slippery limestone and the swollen river breaking its banks at this time of year.

Having started late we therefore foreshortened the route to avoid finishing in darkness.

With the Bull's Head on our left we walked up Church Street until we reached public toilets on our right (10mins). Just beyond them was a kissing gate through which we entered Lathkilldale Nature Reserve via a wooden gate.

Starting out in Lathkill Nature Reserve

This was Cales Dale and the Lathkill Head Cave from which springs later emerge above ground to form the River Lathkill. This is believed to be the only English river where rainbow trout breed naturally.

The Lathkill had flooded its banks

Because of earlier rain the limestone rocks on the trail were in a slippery state but we managed to negotiate them without incident. After the river appeared we ignored one wooden bridge which crossed it. At another (70mins) we stopped for lunch.

By now we had walked four miles out of Monyash and it was decided to retrace our footsteps all the way back to the village.

The swollen Lathkill had created a waterfall

On our return, we spotted a dipper and a waterfall which is often monitored by twitchers with their cameras as they film the dippers' nesting sites.

Further on we saw the cave from where the River Lathkill emerges from underground.

The Lathkill emerges

We continued to retrace our earlier route back to the road, where we turned left and reached our cars parked at The Bull's Head. As the cask Timothy Taylor

Landlord cask bitter was priced at £5-60 a pint there was little disappointment that the pub closes at 3pm.

Next week's walk will start at 9.45am from the road next to Broadbottom rail station (SK14 6AX) aiming to reach the Andrew Arms, George St, Compstall (SK6 5JD) around 12.30pm for a bracer and ending with a final drink at The Harewood Arms, Market Street, Broadbottom (SK14 6Ax) at about 3.15pm.

NOTE: The meeting point has now changed to the car park at Whaley Bridge, over to Windgather, Swan at Kettleshulme etc meet at 9:45. Please check.

Happy wandering !