Sunday's walk started in Youlgreave, descending through the village to pick up the lower reaches of the River Bradford and then following it to Alport where it joins the Lathkill.
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Bradford Dale (on a brighter day)
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| Wet weather gear in evidence despite the good forecast |
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| Alport near the junction of Lathkill and Bradford Dales |
Lathkill was of course heavily industrialised and there are remains of old lead mines, pumping houses, crushing circles, ponds, aqueduct and leats everywhere.
One of the most unusual devices was a disc pump which can be seen by descending a shaft over a footbridge and into the remains of Bateman's House.
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| Near Bateman's House |
We contiued up an increasingly dryer and rockier dale, past the source where the river emerges from the right bank, eventually reaching Monyash for lunch.
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| Lower Lathkill Dale |
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| Lathkill Head Cave - the source of the river. Dry in summer, gushing in winter |
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| Upper reaches of (the now dry valley of ) Lathkill Dale |
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| Cottage in Monyash |
Picking up the Limestone Way ...
... we approached the listed One Ash Grange Farm, originally a farming outpost of Roche Abbey settled by the Cistercian monks of Roche Abbey in 1147, and its pig styes.
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| Pig styes (in the background), now Grade II listed buildings |
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| Peacocks on the barbeque at One Ash Grange Farm |
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| Descending into Cales Dale |
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| Lost again in Cales Dale |
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| View from Limestone Way down and across to Lathkill Dale |
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| Back to Bradford Dale ... |
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| ... and an elusive dipper |
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| Fishing ponds near the end of the walk in Bradford Dale |
