Distance: 6.6 miles

Difficulty of the terrain: hard

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

Countryside walk between the village of Ellastone and Waterhouses on the eastern edge of Staffordshire. Route goes up and over the Weaver Hills. The Weaver Hills are considered the southern most point of the Pennines.

The Story

The Walk

Getting Back

At the Base of England’s Spine

When viewed from the south, the Weaver Hills rise boldly and majestically, out of the gently hilly east Staffordshire countryside.

Their highest peak, called The Walk and equipped with a trig point at its summit, is 371 metres high. Pretty tall by the standards of most of the Midlands, being comparable to the bulk of the Malvern range, and significantly higher than many of the region’s county tops. As a rule most of the Weaver Hills’ summits are over 350 metres high.

The short ridge lies just outside the Peak District National Park but is considered the southernmost outpost of the Pennine’s limestone geology, making it part of the White Peak which extends across the southern part of the protected landscape.

Walking the Weaver Hills certainly feels like being in the landscape of the National Park further north. It is open access land, despite quite a few fences. The Peak and Northern Footpaths Society have planted their distinctive waymarks here and there. Certainly the most southerly place I have seen them.

The Weaver Hills’ exclusion from the Peak District is probably due to their situation south of several serious limestone quarrying operations at Wardlow and Cauldon. The latter supplies a big on-site cement works operated by LaFarge. While Wardlow Quarry these days is an R&D centre for local industrial titan JCB who have an HQ at nearby Rocester and manufacturing plants right across eastern Staffordshire. Contributing to the nearby Churnet Valley’s nickname of “Staffordshire’s Rhineland”.

Quarrying, JCB and a major road around the southern edge of the Peak District aside, the area is pretty remote and quiet. Qualities which attracted Jean-Jacques Rousseau to rent a house near the Weaver Hills in 1766 during a period of exile from France. Not that they gave him much respite. The solitude and slow pace of life in the far east of Staffordshire on the fringes of the Peak at that time, purportedly was terrible for his fretful, neurotic, and at times outright paranoid, state of mind.

The Walk

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.

This walk up and across Staffordshire’s Weaver Hills, the most southerly point of the Pennine Hills, begins from the village of Ellastone.

Ellastone is a small, but quite widely spread out village just inside Staffordshire. The River Dove which forms the boundary with Derbyshire also provides the village with its eastern boundary. Ellastone is fortunate to be on the very frequent Swift bus route between Derby and Uttoxeter with buses between the two scheduled hourly throughout the day. Both Derby and Uttoxeter have railway stations as well as being major bus hubs.

If arriving by bus from the direction of Derby, upon crossing the River Dove and passing the sign for Ellastone, get ready to disembark.

Once off the bus continue walking straight along the main road through the part of Ellastone known as Lower Ellastone.

Along the way you pass a waymark for the Weaver Walk on a telephone pole, proof that you are headed in the right direction.

Soon you reach another main road running along the western edge of the village up towards the main part of the settlement known as Ellastone.

Turn right and follow this road for some distance passing The Dumcombe Arms pub.

A little past the pub you come to a junction. Here cross the road you have just walked along heading left.

After walking a short distance there is a lane on the right hand side of the road running up and past Ellastone’s tall towered parish church. Cross the road turning right and head up this lane.

Just after the church the lane curves to the left running past a series of cottages on the edge of the village. Here to the left there is a footpath sign running up what looks rather like the driveway of a house.

Follow a path running downhill past an outlying cottage across the fields of the rolling east Staffordshire landscape. 

Partway down you cross a stile and keep on walking towards a wooden bridge across a brook set in a wooded copse at the bottom of a dell.

Having crossed the bridge keep on walking following the path straight ahead across the field in front of you, then up a hillock straight ahead of you.

Approaching a patch of woodland turn left and walk down the bank heading for another wooden footbridge across a brook.

On the far side of the bridge turn right and walk a short way uphill towards a gate through a stone wall.

Once you pass through the gate into the field beyond head uphill towards a stand of trees right at the top.

Upon nearing the trees walk through the gate straight in front of you and then keep follow the path across the meadow on the far side. You steadily approach a small cluster of houses approaching a metal gate which you pass through.

Having passed the first house turn left and cross a stile across a hedgerow out onto a lane.

On reaching the lane turn right and walk following the lane for some distance.

Presently you reach a junction, here you turn left walking along a slightly wider lane towards the village of Wooton.

When you reach the edge of Wooton keep walking heading into the village. Soon you reach a junction where you turn right and keep on walking through the centre of the village.

Nearing the far edge of Wooton you come upon a modern version of an old fashioned fingerpost sign. Here the road is surprisingly busy so take care as you keep walking straight ahead. In front of you at this stage the Weaver Hills are clearly visible right in front of you, rising tall and cliff-like out of the eastern Staffordshire countryside.

Walk a short distance straight ahead along the road passing the Dalton Farm farm shop.

An access road for the farm runs off to the left. Turn left and walk up this access road, continuing as it runs gently uphill for some distance.

After some distance you reach the end of this road. Here there is a stile straight in front of you leading into a field.

Once in the field you are walking parallel with the impressive Weaver Hills range, heading for the tallest part, around the highest hill known as The Walk. Walk straight across the field in front of you heading for The Walk and the other tallest parts of the Weaver Hills ridge.

On the far side of the field you reach a wire fence separating the field from a farm track. There is a narrow cut through which you can use to cross the track and enter the field on the far side. Keep walking across the field straight ahead of you until you reach another cut through onto a farm track.

Upon reaching the farm track turn left and follow the track for some distance into an adjacent field.

When the track peters out, keep walking straight ahead across the field heading for the hills.

Presently you reach a gate which you pass through, then keep walking ahead, heading slightly to the right.

Now, it definitely feels as if you are walking in the foothills of an upland area. As if to mark this point you come to a waymark placed by the redoubtable Peak and Northern Footpaths Society. I think that this is the most southerly location where I have seen one.

The Peak and Northern waymark grants directions straight ahead towards Wardlow. This is the way which you want to go so turn left following the path.

Keep on walking uphill, heading through a gate onto a track.

By now the views behind you across Staffordshire are pretty impressive.

To the right there is another gate which you pass through. On the far side of the gate keep walking straight ahead and uphill.

Soon you reach a valley (clough) partially clefting the ridge. Here the path approaches a drystone wall roughly in the middle of the valley.

Upon reaching the wall turn right and start walking up the steep hill heading towards the top of the ridge.

Behind you the views down the cleft like valley (or clough) towards the lowlands below are impressive and worth a glance backwards.

At the top of the ridge you reach a gate and a wooden stile into pasture land near the top of the Weaver Range.

Having passed into the pasture, walk a short distance towards the brow of the hill.

Soon off to the left there is a stile across the wall. Here you can see to the top of The Walk where there is an old fashioned Ordnance Survey trig point.

Once you have climbed over the stile walk straight up the hill towards the top of The Walk.

Upon reaching the trig point you are at the top of the highest point in the Weaver Hills. It was impressively windy on the day when I walked the route even though it was in late June.

After you have had your fill of the view, both ahead of you out across Staffordshire, and behind you towards the Peak District. Turn around and walk towards a drystone wall behind you. 

Here you come to a stile out onto a meadow.

Once in the meadow head downhill towards a drystone wall and fence bordering cultivated land.

Upon reaching the wall you are on a footpath. Here turn left following the path along the bottom of the meadow.

Presently the path turns into a green lane. To your right there are impressive views towards the Peak District and the Hamps Valley in particular.

The green lane leads you to the edge of the disused Wardlow Quarry which is now an R&D centre for JCB.

Upon reaching the R&D centre take a slight left, walking down a snicket next to the JCB site.

Keep on walking straight down the snicket which leads you straight past the JCB R&D facility.

Soon you reach a gate which leads out onto the access road for the JCB centre.

Once on the access road keep walking straight heading for the main road.

After crossing the stile follow the path as it runs straight ahead across some rough, slightly wooded ground, which has the feel of being a former quarry.

After crossing the stile follow the path as it runs straight ahead across some rough, slightly wooded ground, which has the feel of being a former quarry.

Presently you reach a stile near the vast Cauldon Lowe limestone quarries, which have been extensively worked ever since the 18th Century. To reach Waterhouses and the end of the route you have to work your way around the quarry.

Having crossed the stile turn right and begin walking towards woodland. Here there is another stile which leads to a path through the trees. According to some signboards dotted along the path the woodland is part of a reclamation effort by LaFarge the company which works the Cauldon Lowe quarry.

Part way along the track there is a viewing point, a bit like a bird hide, which offers interesting views across the vast, deep Cauldon Lowe quarry.

Presently the path emerges from the woodland into less dense trees. The path here is far less defined, but you can pick your way through the saplings and grasses. Here and there the going is fairly good, but in other places it is tricky. It is impossible to get lost along the way as the route is tightly bound by fences on both sides.

Eventually after quite some distance you reach a stile. Cross the stile and keep walking straight ahead downhill across some meadow like grass land. 

Partway down you cross another stile into some more tightly kept meadow land.

Eventually you reach another stile which you cross, then turn left.

Soon you reach the top of a shallow dale. Pick your way down the side of the dale until you reach the valley bottom.

At the bottom of the dale turn right and walk a short distance towards a stile next to a metal gate.

On the far side of the gate follow a path running straight ahead along the bottom of the dale.

Eventually you reach the bottom of the dale where it joins another larger dale.

Here turn left and follow the dale walking in the direction of the LaFarge cement works near the Cauldon Lowe quarry.

Presently the dale peters out and you reach a stile leading out onto a meadow.

Once across the stile and into the meadow walk across it heading to the left.

On the far side of the meadow there is a stile leading to a steep bank running uphill.

At the top you come to a meadow close to the cement works. Here walk straight ahead crossing the meadow heading slightly to the right.

Here to the left there is a cut through into a meadow. Once in the next meadow keep walking straight across and slightly to the right, approaching, but not quite reaching the derelict Middlehills Farm.

On the far side of the field there is a gate leading into a pasture right next to the cement works car park on the other side of a road down below.

Cross the meadow heading to the right walking down a slope.

At the bottom there is a stile which you cross. This leads out onto a lane.

Once on the lane turn right walking towards the edge of Waterhouses.

You follow the lane through Waterhouses eventually coming to the Ye Olde Crown Hotel on the main road.

Upon reaching the main road turn left, on the far side of the road you can see the bus stop from which you can catch buses towards Ashbourne.

This is where the walk ends.

Getting Back

Waterhouses has a fairly limited bus service. There are three buses a day (at the time of writing in early July 2023) east towards Ashbourne (where there are regular services towards Derby and Uttoxeter), the last at 16:25. There are also buses around four or five a day, west towards Leek and Buxton. The last of these being a little after 17:00. Service pattern on Saturday is similar, there are no buses on Sundays at all.