It was raining quite heavily outside Hartington Youth Hostel as I was getting ready to start the second day of my two and a bit day walk in Derbyshire’s White Peak.
Thankfully by the time I had had breakfast, fully packed and left the building the rain had turned to a light drizzle. Which had stopped completely by the time I reached the centre of the village.
On the village green, I passed 2022’s main well dressing, a vernacular interpretation of Queen Elizabeth II (who had died two days previously) and her encounter with a CGI Paddington Bear broadcast on the BBC during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The second day’s walk was set to be a fair bit longer, but generally through pretty rather than spectacular.
I had decided to deviate from my planned route and climb up high in the dale the River Dove runs through, rather than striking east to follow the Tissington Trail for several miles towards Monyash. The payoff was that after nearing the village of Pilsbury I would have to head east along a series of roads.
The path along the side of the dale was hard going, but worth it for the views on either side.
I thought that I could even see as far as Chrome Hill, six or so miles south of Buxton, and famous from the finale of Peaky Blinders. Wasn’t entirely sure though.
After a slow start along the dale I made very fast time along the side of public roads to the village of Monyash. I passed under the Tissington Trail on the way. Heading down to Monyash there is a long steep hill. Nearing the village I passed a party of half a dozen or so teenaged boys gingerly making their way up the hill – uncertain amongst the traffic – I was pleased that I was heading downwards.
This said after the strenuous, then fast, hike from Hartington I was perhaps a bit too “in the zone”. The woman at the cafe in Monyash where I stopped to buy lunch clearly perceived me as dazed. I explained that I’d just walked a long way very fast and she appeared to understand. Probably comes with the territory.
Initially the stretch of the walk beyond Monyash is largely pastoral. It lies in the heart of the Peak District’s limestone pleateu, high above sea level but where the peaks themselves are fairly flat.
Soon however, I entered the dramatic Deep Dale.
This section was more akin to yesterday’s walk along the dales the River Dove flows through.
Deep Dale leads into the heavily wooded Monsal Dale. Which actually seems to be far deeper than Deep Dale.
The highlight of Monsal Dale – and arguably the day’s walk – is the Monsal Head Viaduct. Built for the Midland Railway’s London to Manchester line in the 1860s which closed in 1968 today it forms part of the Monsal Trail between Bakewell and the edge of Buxton.
There are great views from the footplate of the Monsal Viaduct in both directions.
However, arguably the Viaduct is best viewed from Monsal Head itself, which is where I ate my lunch.
There is a cluster of touristy buildings on Monsal Head. They date back to the 19th Century when the tourism industry in the Peak District really got going. But in a sign of the times – thanks to austerity cuts – the public toilets in the car park having been shut by Derbyshire Dales District Council are now kept going by a dedicated CIC.
After the relatively dramatic Deep and Monsal Dales, the route turns pastoral again, having passes through the village of Little Longstone.
Soon though, in a sign that the verdant limestone landscape gives way not much further north to the millstone grit Dark Peak, you reach some proper moorland. Due east Froggatt Ege several miles to the east above the River Derwent, becomes visible.
Off the moorland the radio transmitter on the Hill above Eyam stands prominent on the horizon, a sign that the journey is starting to draw to a close.
The final section of the walk into Eyam is along an old unpaved packhorse road into the village.
Which suddenly comes into view – amidst trees – at the brow of a hill.
I walked down into the village, which is surprisingly large and spread out. From the bevy of signage everywhere, there are few places, even in the UK; with as great a sense of their history as Eyam.
From the churchyard I headed up a short but steep track to the village’s youth hostel, which is in a grand, faded building, albiet not as old as Hartington Hall.
Here I left my bag, charged my phone, and then headed back down into Eyam on what proved a lovely evening, to walk the short distance to Stony Middleton for fish n’ chips from the Tollbar Fish n’ chip shop.
Ahead of the third and final day of the walk, a relatively gentle Sunday journey of a few hours from Eyam to Bakewell to catch a bus to Derby.
See the route I took on Ordnance Survey Maps here