It’s Friday morning, the sun is shining and my 'Gorgeous Girl' daughter
has come up from London for a few days of fresh Derbyshire air….and to see me,
of course!
But GG already has plans. Before the milk cools on her
porridge she’s leafing through the little Green Book*. “Now, where shall we go
on our walk today?” she asks.
I sigh inwardly. “Well, I was thinking….”
“Oh THIS looks good! Wormhill. Not far to drive - and it’s
by a river with breathtaking views!”
Views? Oh-o. Where I live ‘breathtaking views’ mean only
one thing - upward slogs up breathtaking hills!
“….and it’s 5 miles!” she adds, reaching for her sand boots.
“Oh good!” I reply, “We’ll be walking all day!” Gingerly, GG shakes each
boot to make sure no spiders have taken root inside. “I wish you wouldn’t keep
them under the stairs.” she moans, but I’m busy looking for the oxygen mask!
Wormhill is a tiny hamlet near Peak Forest on the
Sheffield road, a nice drive through gorgeous scenery. We manage to find the perfect
parking spot outside an ancient church graveyard. “That’s handy!” I thought.
Actually, I rather like graveyards, so we spend a few minutes strolling around and reading old tombstones before setting off on the first leg of our journey.
“About a 50 yards past the de-restricted sign, we turn
right at the footpath sign.” my daughter directs as she strides ahead
confidently (and a little too quickly for my liking!) This brings us to a
grassy path leading downhill and, true to the little Green Book, the view is
wonderful if a little scary. “Let’s not get too close!” I warn, as GG pushes
towards the edge. Time for a photo. “Oh no! You’re not going to take photos all
day!” she tuts. Seems she has a thing about my hobby.
From now on, it’s uphill all the way but,
despite the panting and gasping, the vista that awaits us is truly worth the
trek with its dry stone walls, distant rolling hills and lush green fields. The
sweet air of Derbyshire is like nectar which even a distant muck-spreader can’t
spoil. Fortunately, the wind is blowing the stench in the opposite direction!
Having reached the apex of our climb, the path levels off
and takes us through Blackwell Farm just in time for the owner to pass by on
his tractor, giving us a friendly wave. We pause in the farmyard to admire the
views. “Are you lost?” asks a lady emerging from a barn. “No, just looking,” I
reply, although in fact I was about to take another photo! Situated on top of a
hill, Blackwell Farm must have the some of the best views in Derbyshire –
magnificent scenery on every side! It also produces one of my favourite
delicacies - Stilton cheese!
The Green Book now tells us to continue along the farm’s
drive, turn left at the bottom and cross the main road at the next junction. A
few more yards of tarmac and we take a sharp left along a walled footpath which
opens up to more panoramic views of the Peak as we head for Miller’s Dale.
“Oooh,
the book says there’s a pub there! The Dale House Inn” exclaims Madam. “I could do with a coffee!”
Now that sounds promising….
Sadly, when we arrive at Miller’s Dale village, there’s
not an alehouse in sight. A group of builders renovating a large property on the main
road have never heard of the Dale House Inn - and if anyone would know they would! Although the Green Book has proved unerringly accurate to date, it was published 35 years ago, so the hostelry has obviously shut down since then.
Disappointed, and by now very thirsty, we follow the
footpath along the River Wye back to where we crossed the bridge originally. An
information sign tells us to watch out for water voles by the river’s edge but,
look as we might, we don’t see anything except torrents of water and broken
branches being swept along with the current. It’s been a long, wet winter and
the Wye is wider and deeper than usual.
As we walk, my legs begin to buckle and my lungs are tightening with every step. Eventually, having crossed the bridge again, what
was a gentle downhill ramble at the beginning of our walk now looms ominously
into sight; the gorge is rising and the slope we first descended looks a lot, lot steeper going up!
“I’m just going to have to take it easy!” I announce as we start the ascent, yet GG has no problem at all. She bounds ahead of me, her stride as strong and
confident as ever. Talk about feeling my age! At least I can take more pics
while her back’s turned!!
*Short Walks in the Peak Park by William and Vera Parker
*Short Walks in the Peak Park by William and Vera Parker
Maps by Paul J Williamson
Published by Derbyshire Countryside Ltd. 1981
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