Irene’s Chronicles
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January
7th Calton Houses and Derwent Valley. Start: Calton
Lees car park. Map reference: 259686. Walkers: Bob,
John, Catherine, Eric, Brian, Jenny,
Kate, Gerry, Mary and
Irene. Distance: 4
miles. On a bright sunny morning, we set off on our first
walk of 1999. We followed the track from Calton Lees car park, past
Chatsworth Garden Centre on the left, to the pretty, picturesque hamlet,
Calton Houses. After a short climb, along the track, we paused for
compass and map-reading instruction from Bob and set off to find the reason
for the “wiggly” bit on our maps. (all very technical!). Further on up the hill, past the first of many pheasants
feeding in the fields, we came to the crest of a broad, forested ridge. On
our right, we saw the “Russian Cottage”, a log cabin with gable ends and
intricately carved window frames. This, we were told, by Eric and Bob, was
built by the Duke of Devonshire to impress his visitor, Tsar Nicholas. After crossing the ridge, we emerged from woodland
to thrill to the magnificent view of Chatsworth in its spectacular setting
below Stand Woods. We had our coffee stop admiring the perfect setting of
river, trees and rolling hills, created by Capability Brown. We could see
Queen Mary’s Bower and the shooting lodge, which are the sole survivors of
the original Chatsworth, built by Bess of Hardwick in 1557. We descended through the deer pastures (we saw later
the deer were out of sight behind the wood), to the estate village, Edensor.
Bob told us that the church spire had originally been square, but was
redesigned when resited as part of the sixth Duke’s move of the whole village
out of sight of Chatsworth House in 1867. All the buildings, except one, were
dismantled and rebuilt on the opposite side of the road in today’s position. Inside the Church, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott to
include part of the original Norman structure, is a large monument, erected
in 1625, to two of the sons of Bess of Hardwick. At the top of the graveyard, we found the tombs of
various Dukes of Devonshire, together with that of Katherine Cavendish,
Marchioness of Devonshire and sister of John F Kennedy. We also saw the
plaque in commemoration of his visit to the graveyard in 1963. All the family
graves had evergreen crosses. Joseph Paxton is also buried here. Apart from
helping to create Chatsworth’s grounds, gardens and greenhouses, he also
designed Crystal Palace in London in 1851. As we crossed the road from Edensor, we noticed on
our right, the only building left in its original position in the former
village. We headed on up and over the ridge towards the
Derwent Bridge, designed by James Paine in 1761 for the fourth Duke. He straightened
out the Derwent and cleared away the 7 flood ponds created for Bess of
Hardwick. Just over the bridge, Bob pointed out Queen Mary’s Bower, where
Mary, Queen of Scots, was ‘looked after’ by the Earl of Shrewsbury. A short stroll alongside the swollen river, ended at
the ruined flour mill. This was built around 1760 and was in use till 1950,
when a tree fell on it in a gale. A short climb back up to Calton Lees car
park ended our walk. We adjourned to the Goose Green tea room in Baslow
for admin, hot drinks and excellent home-made cakes. January 14th Wye
Valley towards Haddon Hall. Start: Bakewell Old Monsal Rail Station car park. Map reference: 223689, Walkers: Bob, John, Catherine, Eric, Brian, Maggie, Kate, Gerry, Mary, Mike, Suzanne, Irene. Distance: 5 miles. It was another bright sunny morning, when we took the footpath behind Bakewell station to gather on the footbridge to visualise how it used to look in more glorious days. Bob told us that the line had been part of the Midland Railway, with this branch running from Bakewell to Buxton. There had been much opposition to the railway from local landowners, among them, the Duke of Rutland, who insisted that it should be neither seen nor heard from Haddon Hall. Fortunately, when the line was closed in 1968, the land was acquired by the Peak National Park and a very popular footpath was established. After a short climb, across the golf course, we had a sharp, steep and very muddy scramble through woodland to Ballcross Farm. We paused here to get our breath back and also to consolidate the compass-reading skills we learned last week. Gerry had brought along his new state-of -the -art gismo with its satellite connections to make our direction finding even more accurate. After continuing up the bridleway, we came to the terrace of Moatless Plantation ,with a spectacular view down to Bakewell. Bob and Eric told us the name was a corruption of ‘Motelowe’, the Saxon word for ‘meeting-place mount’. John pointed out the mound of the site of the iron-age fort marked on our maps. We walked on across the pasture, pausing to check the compass-bearing to the stile to the right of the pond. Bob advised us, that, if we were doing this in poor visibility, we should bear either 5 degrees to the left or right of the stile, so that when we reached the fence, we would know which direction to turn to ensure we did not miss the stile. On reaching the pond, Bob pointed out that our maps showed the field boundaries passed through the middle and sure enough, there were the fences, sinking under the flood-water. As we headed towards the next stile, we spotted, in the distance, the ‘Russian Cottage’, we’d passed on last week’s walk. We stopped to check our current position with our previous bearing, which correctly was an additional 180 degrees. (So we now know how to make sure we can turn back to our starting point, if weather conditions deteriorate), We passed between the mounds of a tumulus and stopped to consider its disturbed appearance. John told us that many were ‘raided’ in Victorian times by grave-robbers in search of gold, silver and other valuables. A short walk through a plantation of Weymouth pines, led to the other side of the ridge and another splendid view of Bakewell, and, this time, of the Wye Valley. The ridge wall defines the boundary between Calton Pastures, within the Chatsworth Estate, and Manners Wood on the Rutland Estate, We aligned our maps to spot the landmarks of Bakewell Church, the new bridge over the Wye, Bakewell’s new market buildings and Cook Wood. As the wind was whipping across the ridge, we sheltered behind the wall for our ‘Mary/coffee-stop’. From here, we had a very muddy scramble down a woodland track to emerge to look over a typical ‘U-shaped’ glacial valley. Looking on our maps at the contour lines on Aaron Hole Plantation, Shadyside Plantation and at the head of the Coombs Farm Valley, Bob pointed out the ‘watershed’. We turned right, down the valley, past the now, at first sight, deserted farm. However, just as Bob was telling us bow much he’d like to buy this ideally situated property, a litter of kittens squeezed through a gap in the barn. Attracted by our voices, more and more cats kept appearing- all shapes, colours and sizes - all well-fed and tame. Could this be ‘Cat-a-Coombs Farm’? Soon after, we turned right, up on to the Monsal Trail, stopping at the Coombs Road Viaduct viewpoint, the eastern terminal. Coombs Road used to be the main road between Bakewell and Rowsley. We followed the Monsal Trail north, to finish our walk, back at Bakewell Station Yard. January 21st Rivelin
Valley. Start: Car park by dam at Malin Bridge end of Rivelin Valley. Map reference: 324888. Walkers: Bob, John, Catherine, Eric, Brian, Kate, Gerry, Mary, Mike, Suzanne, Tom, Rita and Irene. Distance: 5 miles. It was another gloriously sunny morning, as we set off for a fascinating introduction to Sheffield’s industrial past. After passing the first of many small dams, we turned right over a stone pack-horse bridge, and then immediately left along the woodland path upstream. From here, and all along our walk, we were accompanied by continuous birdsong. We soon saw the first traces of what had been for centuries, a hive of industrial activity, as the river Rivelin was diverted into numerous small damns. The water from these was fed along ‘goits’ to drive the water wheels for the cutlery workshops and forges which lined the banks. We soon learned, not only a new vocabulary, but also, thanks to Mary, Eric and Bob, the purpose of the ‘goyts’, weirs, ‘under-shots’, ‘over-shots’ and even ‘breast-shots’. Mary told us that, since the 19th century, the Rivelin waters had been used to drive shafting in mills for grinding corn, making steel strip and paper. Scythes and cut-throat razors were ground on wet wheels when the mills were working and spades were finished, ground and polished at Nethercut Wheel. At Wolf Wheel, one of the largest dams worked an over-shot wheel 15 feet in diameter and 6 feet 8 inches wide. This worked 17 table knife ‘troughs’ and 2 razor ‘troughs’. (Fortunately, a lot of archive material is still available, as all but 2 were included in Norfolk Estate records. Most passed to Sheffield Water at the time of the construction of the Rivelin reservoirs.) Working conditions must have been dreadful, in the confined, constantly wet, troughs. Disputes about water, between the ‘mesters’, were common as drought and overuse upstream affected businesses lower down. Eric also told us about the trouble caused by ‘rattening’ ie stealing the belts from the shafts to make sure no-one made more than their ‘quota’, thus keeping prices up. Even today, people tend not to have built houses down in the confined, damp valley. We saw many old lanes, on both sides, which the workers used from Stannington and Roscoe and many other townships. Unfortunately, none of the wheels remain, but we walked on past a progression of weir, leat, dam and wheel, repeated 20 times up the valley. The valley is reverting to a wilder state, with silt, water horse-tails and other plants encroaching into the water. This provides a wide variety of habitats for wildlife. We saw squirrels, coots, moorhen, wagtails, finches and tits. (We also spotted a variety of human life - joggers, cyclists and walkers in the playgrounds, paddling-pools, cafes and pubs en route). At Rivelin Mill, we turned right and crossed the road to walk behind King Edward Vii Hospital. Apparently, the people of Sheffield were so fond of the king, that, when he died, they raised money, in his honour to found this hospital. It is now derelict, and proposals from a number of builders have not yet gained planning permission. We walked up the ridge to Stannington, passing a new blot on the landscape in the form of a mobile phone tower, to bask in the sub-tropical temperatures in this valley for our coffee-stop. We soon approached old Stannington village, with Gerry greeting an acquaintance in Catalan - is there no end to this group’s talents? Mary pointed out the oldest house and the old Catholic school and told us of Stannington’s struggle with the Local Authority to limit new building. We walked on down Rivelin’s grit edge, through flowering gorse past the Rivelin pub and the quarry. After a steeper descent through woodland, we emerged again at the pack-horse bridge and back to the car-park. Mary had arranged a visit to Mousehole Forge, the only place in the valley where buildings remain. These have been converted by the present owners into a private residence. (A conservation award from CPRE confirms their hard work). They were on hand to give us a very interesting tour of the Forge, which used to make anvils. We toured the site of the weighing shop, the forge and the out-buildings. 1500 tons of rubble were removed to unearth the hearths, chimneys, wheels, mill-stones and anvils now on view. Most of the surviving Mousehole anvils are in the USA, and have been well researched by American enthusiasts. The site now provides a romantic, lichen-covered glimpse of times passed. January 28th Mayfield Valley Walk. Start: Old Chapel - Whitley Lane. Map reference: 303851. Walkers: Bob, John, Catherine, Eric, Brian, Kate, Gerry, Mary, Mike, Suzanne, and Irene. Distance: 5.5 miles. It was another bright sunny morning, when we met at the Old Chapel on Whitley Lane, a Unitarian Chapel founded by Rockley. We turned right down towards Whiteley Woods, stopping to look at the classical style monument erected in 1922 to the memory of Thomas Boulsover, the inventor of Sheffield Plate. From here, we could see his Wire Mill Dam, formerly known as Whiteley Wood Rolling Mill. John explained that Boulsover had discovered a process to roll copper and silver thinner and thinner till they bonded to produce Sheffield Plate, mostly used for small items eg buttons and snuff-boxes. After pausing to look back over the valley to the Old Sheffield Hospital Annex and the Psychiatric Hospital, we stopped at Meadow Lane Farm, where another Dissenting chapel had been built by the Bolsover family. It is now a farm building. We detoured to the site of the former Whiteley Wood Hall, where Boulsover lived from 1762 to 1788. There is no trace of the building, but Catherine had a picture from a local history book. Samuel Plimsoll is said to have met Disraeli here to discuss plans for the implementation of his innovation. It also had a tale of a romantic elopement, foiled when the young man fell off his horse and was tragically killed. The Brownies and Guides who now use the converted outbuildings as a field centre probably enjoy ‘seeing’ his ghost. We continued on up the valley, passed an open-air school where Mary had her first teaching post. Children from the poorest areas in Sheffield were brought here daily for rest, good food and fresh air. We crossed Ringinglow Road, a former toll-road, which Bob told us was wide to discourage highway men. Catherine told us this has been an important boundary over centuries – Northumbria / Mercia, Yorkshire / Derbyshire. Crossing a number of fields, and the most amazing steeple-chasing sheep, we dropped down into the Limb Valley. John told us this had been formed by a river delta, with the millstone grit having coal as the top measure and another coal layer below the limestone layer. The stream runs on Rivelin grit as the rock layers have tilted. We had our coffee-stop at the Limb Valley picnic-site, where Bob set next week’s homework on True and Magnetic Norths. At an awkward stile at the top of a short flight of steps, we saw a plaque commemorating JG Graves’ gift of the valley to the City in 1938. Near two stone gateposts, we stopped at the ruins of Copperas House. The local coal contained yellow crystals - iron pyrites - from which Copperas- ferrous sulphate- was made. This was sold in barrels to dyers as a fixer. We could see the disturbed ground- the result of digging and tipping coal. Stepping stones led across the marshy ground to Ringinglow,(a burial place), where the first building on the left had been a chapel, founded by the good members of Fulwood Church as a Mission. The octagonal Round House was built as a toll-house in 1795 and the Norfolk Arms, with matching castellations, a few years later. There were several coal pits nearby, a wire-mill and Brown Edge Quarries. After a short, flat walk along the road, with wonderful views across the moors and down over Sheffield, we turned down through Porter Clough, with its wooded slopes of Scots pine and beech. A left turn across very muddy fields, brought us into the Mayfield Valley, where we could see Fulwood Hall and David Lane Farm. This had been known as the Hole in the Wall, in the days when farms took out licences to sell drink to the workers on the Redmires Dams. John pointed out that there are no overhead electricity cables in the Mayfield Valley. We passed workhouse cottages to come to David Lane Environmental Centre, which Catherine told us had been Fulwood Board School. In its heyday, it had 195 pupils, boosted by the nearby orphanage. We turned right to Upper and Nether Corn Mill, where Boulsover used to get his buttons buffed, and Butterbrig, where local farmers used to sell their produce. Back down by the riverside, Catherine pointed out the iron-coloured ‘chalybeate’, known locally as ‘ochre-water’. Forge Damn was busy as usual, the dam being almost completely silted over. The coots, mallard and moorhen were paddling rather than swimming! Some of us had butties and cakes at the café, with ‘musical’ accompaniment from a much used mechanical horse. February 4th Loxley Valley Walk Start: Wisewood Cemetery. Map reference: 308899. Walkers: Bob, John, Catherine, Eric, Brian, Kate, Gerry, Mary, Mike, Suzanne, Tom and Irene. Distance: 5.5 miles. It was a very blustery day when we met at Wisewood Cemetery, for another glimpse back in time to Sheffield’s industrial heritage. We set off down Black Lane, past the sports ground for Sheffield Telephone Exchange, a relic of the days when Sheffield, as all cities, had an independent system. Gerry told us that ‘ley’ meant ‘forest clearing’ and that there is disagreement about Robin of Loxley being Robin Hood. We stopped at Low Matlock Wheel, one of the last operational wheels in the area, as well as one of the largest examples to survive. The wheel is overshot and once drove a rolling mill, which is still operational today. Gerry told us about the Great Flood of 1864 and pointed out the plaque on one of the cottages which marks the high point of the flood as 17 feet 6 inches. We then walked up through Matlock Wood, created by a local dignitary, along the lines of Matlock spa. He laid out woodland, cataracts and caverns to cheer and gladden the minds of the local Sheffield people. So says a Latin plaque on the imposing building at the top of the slope, which is discovered to be a popular pub, on turning the corner. Along the muddy lane, following the top of the ridge, we passed a bungalow, where Mary’s job-share partner lives. Whilst thinking of her hard at work, Eric pointed out the ‘eyebrow’ window in her roof. We paused to look down over Olive Hall, before scrambling up to Knowle Top. A left turn up Spout Lane took us past the largest horse trough in the locality, where we stopped to look over at Dyson’s Refractory chimney. Gerry told us that this was started here as a result of local mining of ganister, a form of silica rock used in the manufacture of firebricks. These firebricks are used to line the furnaces of the Sheffield Steel industry. Eric told us that coal was also mined out here, and, in 1922, during a strike, the unemployed miners would come out here to gather the coal, which was near to the surface and easily extracted from the drift mines, to sell in Sheffield. Further on up the hill, we turned right, pausing to check whether our map reading skills, on which Bob had tested us earlier, were proved correct. Sure enough, the ground from here towards Storrs Bridge was gently undulating, with a spur ahead to the North West. We sheltered in behind the Unitarian chapel on Storrs Lane, while Gerry told us its history. The wind had become very fierce by this time, so we sheltered in a hollow for our coffee stop, missing out Gerry’s proposed loop to Dungworth. As we battled our way up the hill, we sheltered behind a house to admire the views back down the valley to Sheffield. We could see Shirecliffe College on its hill and even Don Valley Stadium. The hamlet had yet another two non-conformist chapels now converted to houses. Thankfully, we turned downhill into the more sheltered valley. Approaching Storrs Bridge, Gerry told us about the compensation dam, for use in times of low water, to ensure the mills and forges kept going, and that it is fed by pipes all the way from Blackburn Meadows. From the bridge, we had a lovely view, in the sunshine, of a heron fishing. We followed the path along the waterside past the fishing-lake at Rowe! Bridge. Fishing appeared to be a very dangerous pursuit from the number of warning notices displayed. The worst danger was from low overhead electricity cables, with the fishermen warned to keep their casts low- or frying tonight! As on last week’s walk, we passed tail goit feeding into darn, some now completely dry. (Made a note to come back in Spring - Mary says the Marsh Marigolds are particularly good here.) The path had been widened and improved along here, with Braille signing at strategic points. Gerry told us this had been supported by David Blunkett, during his time as Leader of the Council. However, a viewing area and information plaque at Old Wheel had, unfortunately, been vandalised. Some of the sites are still used today, with water power now replaced. There used to be a wide range of industrial activities - grinding wheels, tilt forges, wire mills, glass, cloth and paper mills, corn mills and clay-crushing mills - but now refractories are what remain. We finally passed along Olive Terrace and back up Black Lane to our cars. Throughout the walk, we saw wonderful rainbows, as the weather conditions constantly changed. February 11th Wye
Valley and Magpie Mine. Start: Sheldon - Cock and Pullet pub. Map reference: 174688. Walkers: Bob, John, Catherine, Gerry, Suzanne, Jenny and Irene. Distance: 4 miles, It was snowing steadily when we met, so we paused only briefly for Bob to give us some handouts and to show us some illustrations of the fossils we were likely to spot on this first walk in typical White Peak, limestone countryside. These included corals and the famous Derbyshire ‘screws’ - sea-lilies. Treading carefully, as it was icy underfoot, we crossed several fields till we could see the chimneys and buildings of the Magpie Mine. Bob had given us a handout about the Magpie Lead Mine, and after pausing on the path in to the site, to look at the Powder House explosives chamber, we headed for the shelter of the Agent’s House for Bob to give us more details. The mine was operative for about two hundred years between the 1760s and the 1960s and a local heritage society is restoring the remains, so that there is an extensive site to explore. The original Magpie Founder lies behind the Agent’s House, and it was from this mark that all the miner’s shares, or ‘bars’, were measured. The mining rights were owned by the Duke of Devonshire, but anyone could mine here, as long as they paid their dues and 1/13th of their find. Throughout the period, the mine had difficulty proving viable - veins ran out and water levels were a constant enemy - so disputes were rife. They were settled by a ‘Bar Moot’, a committee of local experts, but desperation led eventually to three murders in the mid 18th century. A Cornish man then brought his expertise and sank deeper shafts, built bigger winding engines and the Sough to drain away the water down to the Wye. Bob had also provided a handout of the Geological section, so that we could see where the lead veins lay in relation to the limestone. This also showed a bed of Rosewood marble, excavated further down Netherdale, which we would pass later. We had a good look all over the site, testing the depth of the shafts and imagining what working conditions must have been like up on this icy plateau. We took a different footpath back to Sheldon, passing the first new lambs of the season, to cross the road at Lower Farm. Here we spent several minutes discussing the eco-friendly sewage system on the left-hand side. This provided its own energy from a pipe dropping the effluent into a shallow bucket, which, when full, tipped its contents down three spread pipes with two holes in each. The energy from the tipping, and the back-spray from the holes, was enough to drive the whole, in a circle, spreading the liquid on to stones which act as a filter. Little Shacklow Wood led us down to the Wye, with remains of the marble mines easily seen. On reaching the river, we turned left along the bank, noting the meanders, to another picturesque abandoned mill. This operated till the 60s as a crushing-mill. It had all the features we are now familiar with, and, in addition, an extra water-wheel, to pipe water from the Wye back up to Sheldon. (Bob had told us earlier that building the Sough had dried up the water-sources for Sheldon village.) We had a short coffee stop, sitting on the bridge, then followed the river to the Sough outlet. Gallons of water still pour into the Wye. Bob told us that the tunnel had collapsed recently and further on we saw where digging had cleared the blockage. Soon we turned left up a very steep slope to a spectacular view of Fin Cop Settlement across the river. We looked at our maps and Bob explained the ‘elbow-bend’ in the Wye at this point. Passing lots of abandoned mine-shafts, we made our way back to Sheldon. The Cock and Pullet provided welcome refreshment for some, at the end of a very interesting walk. June 17th Low
and High Bradfield. Start: Public Car Park-far side of cricket pitch. Map reference: 263920. Walkers: Bob, Gerry, Brian, Mary and Irene. Distance: 4.5 miles. From Low Bradfield’s car park, we crossed the brook to the cricket pitch to turn right to the former blacksmith’s forge, now a garage. With the forge on our right, we followed the track a short way to some very steep steps up over the fields to High Bradfield. Up the steady incline, we stopped to admire the views over Damflask reservoir to the right and Agden to the left. We eventually emerged on Moorfield Lane with our first view of the magnificent St Nicholas Church. As we walked up Moorfield Lane, Mary told us that the village had only recently had mains sewerage laid, paid for by the sale of several houses owned by the church feoffes. As a result, new owners have prettified the cottages and the village has changed somewhat. We passed the old church hail at the top of the lane, and turned left into the village, passing the Old Horns pub - very popular for bar meals - to read the Information Board. Directly across was a large house, built in 1745 for G Fox, with Labor Omnia Vincit cut above the door. A paved road to the church passed a line of 3-storey houses, relics of the days when Bradfield had been a hive of industry, with spinners, weavers, fullers and tailors, The upstairs rooms were where the spinners worked, with 5 weavers required to keep each spinner supplied. The fullers used stale urine to soak the wool and make it thicker. As we passed the old Poor House, now the Stables, Mary told us that much of the village would have been employed in supplying this large house. The poor themselves worked eg during the American War of Independence, when the supply of bark for dye was interrupted. A good day’s scouring the moors for lichen could be profitable. We passed Heavens House, a former pub and at the church gates, the only surviving Watch House in Yorkshire, built to deter grave-robbers. Pausing to look down over Bradfield Dale and the path we would follow, a red painted shack screamed across the landscape at us! Inside the church, built in 1487, on the site of an earlier building, Mary told us about the Saxon Cross, found at Low Bradfie!d and the Norman Font, given by the Cistercians at Roche Abbey. There were intricate brasses eg to John and Grace Morewood , dated 1647, depicting them with their 16 children. The valediction on a stone memorial caught our eye:- “Serene he sits amid the flowers And only counts life’s sunny hours For him dull days do not exist The brazen-faced old optimist” and the memorial to the 240 killed in the Dale Dike disaster on 4 March 1864. Back at the church gate, we turned left past the Watch House, through the graveyard to Bailey Hill. Its origins are doubtful, but there is dramatic evidence of a motte and bailey. The path descended steeply, through mixed woods - oak, holly, beech and silver birch, to the road around Agden. We turned right to follow the road to Smallfield, where we turned left on to the Easy Going Trail to Agden Bog SSI. Nearby, we picnicked in the bright sunshine. We crossed over a sandy path to wind uphill, then around an inlet to the reservoir, with evidence of a former goit. Uphill again to a stile, where we turned right past Wilkin House Outdoor Pursuits Centre, to meet the Mortimer Road. We turned left, and after a few yards took the Public Bridleway to the left, with views to the right to the folly above Strines and left, to Hurkling Edge. Downhill, over a stile, right turn, and immediately left, over a stile brought us to the memorial and Information Board at Dale Dike. We followed the path round to the bridge, an idyllic setting with the rhododendrons out and the birds singing in the sunshine, over the bridge to the thundering overflow, up steep steps to the reservoir head, where many ducks and geese were bobbing in the waves. The sweet scent of meadow-sweet accompanied us as we walked beside the reservoir to turn left over the wall, to follow the track between 2 walls through the wood, We turned left at the junction, past another Information Board to emerge on a road, where we turned left again and soon had good views of St Nicholas Church and Hurkling Edge. A highly scented honeysuckle, was admired just before we passed that red house, then at the Doe House, we turned right, over a stile, on to the footpath back to Low Bradfield. We emerged on Mill Lee Road, to turn left past the old Water Works and Methodist Chapel, now a private house. At the old bridge, we turned right, past the picnic tables by the river, to cross the cricket pitch and back to the cars. |
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