Vale of Belvoir Ramblers

Stanley Common, 4th September 2016

Phil led ten ramblers on this 12-mile walk from Stanley Common to Morley, Locko Park and Stanley.

St Matthews Church at Morley

Lunch at the lakeside in Locko Park

Gordon warming down at the finish!

Youlgreave, Lathkill Dale, Monyash and Bradford Dale, 21st August 2016

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.

Bradford Dale (on a brighter day)

Wet weather gear in evidence despite the good forecast

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.

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.

Lower Lathkill Dale

Lathkill Head Cave - the source of the river. Dry in summer, gushing in winter

Upper reaches of (the now dry valley of ) Lathkill Dale

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.

Pig styes (in the background), now Grade II listed buildings

Peacocks on the barbeque at One Ash Grange Farm

Descending into Cales Dale

Lost again in Cales Dale

View from Limestone Way down and across to Lathkill Dale

Back to Bradford Dale ...

... and an elusive dipper

Fishing ponds near the end of the walk in Bradford Dale

Calver, Coombs Dale and Longstone Edge, 20th August 2016

Saturday's walk, one of two over the Derbyshire Weekend explored the unfamiliar landscape between Calver and Bakewell with outstanding views in all directions.

Baslow and Curber Edges

Baslow

We started at Calver crossroads and walked up the nearby Coombs Dale, a typical Peakland limestone valley which was once a centre of lead mining, and up towards Black Harry Gate for coffee. Then it was up over Longstone Edge and down to Hassop. Although only a hamlet, it boasts Hassop Hall, a 17th century house built by the Eyres, a family of local landowners and which is now a hotel, and the imposing Catholic All Saints Church.

Coombs Dale

Black Harry Gate

All Saints Church, Hassop

Then it was into the Chatsworth Estate and Pilsley, a typical estate village. Both the village school and some of the houses were built around 1840 by Sir Joseph Paxton during his tenure as head gardener at Chatsworth, although other houses in the village date back to more than a century earlier.

Pilsley

Finally, back via Bank Wood and Bramley Wood, past old quarries, to Calver.

Calver

Lambley, 14th August 2016

John Y's walk today took thirty six of us over the hills south of Lambley, through Bulcote to the Trent for lunch. Then it was back through Burton Joyce and over the hills again to Lambley.

John counted them all out and counted them all back – but this does not tell the whole story.

Not sure what's under these acres of covers - but the fields are near the sewage treatment plant


Very well behaved Canada geese ...

... about to be mown down

Lunch next to a very low Trent - escapees in the distance

Over the hills (does anyone know what they are called?) and back to Lambley

Oxton, 7th August 2016

Marion's well attended walk (>25 ramblers) started at the church in Oxton and went over the hiil alongside Epperstone Park to Epperstone itself, then Woodborough and round the edge of Calverton. Here are some photographs from the walk.