Chronicles of Past Walks
30 September - 21 October, 1999
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30 September 1999 - Fort and Church Walk Present: Bob (leader), Catherine, John, Irene, Mary, Eric, Enid, Margaret and Gerry. The main group met at Longshaw car park, OS Ref: 266801, Bob's car being left in Hathersage to pick up the drivers at the end of a 'linear' walk. Taking the path westwards from the car park we reached the drive to the Hall, turning right to find the path on the opposite side of the Nether Padley road, leading north-west towards Burbage Bridge. Nearby was the Toad's Mouth, a rock which appeared to have been 'dressed' to fit its name more exactly. Here Bob introduced us to the idea of erosion planes, this spot being an ideal point to view the phenomenon. From there we followed a path northwards, not immediately marked on the map, alongside Burbage Brook. As the brook turned eastwards we continued, climbing away from the brook, to reach the south-east Corner of Carl Wark, which we had visited before, on 12 November last year. After a brief inspection of the features of this (possibly) Iron Age Fort we retraced our path, of just under a year ago, westwards across Hathersage Moor and reached the large, stone-walled enclosure marked on the map as 'sheepfold'. Inside the western corner (OS Ref: 253816) a small iron-railinged enclosure once enclosed a water gauge, by which we took our refreshment break. Resuming our walk westwards to the road, Bob pointed out Callow Bank to the north (OS Ref: 252823), which had been a prehistoric settlement. The area was investigated by the same person who had investigated the stone-age house on Warncliffe Edge, which we visited on 15 July this year. Continuing westwards across the road, our path descended steeply towards Mitchell Field, where a farmhouse of Elizabethan origin had recently been sold. The last (corporate) owners had bought the buildings for a substantial amount (set against tax!), at auction, from the estate of the previous, deceased owner. At lot of work had been done to modernise, but keep the character, of the main dwelling. A carriage way, marked on the map as Dale Bottom, once ran from the house to Hathersage, but Bob thought that this was now impassable. A steep path descended into the narrow valley to ascend again to the road opposite but we took a track northwards for 200m before doubling back to reach the same point and continued westwards down the road until we reached a track heading north-east to Toothill Farm. On the ascent to the farm a number of caravans were noted in the surrounding fields, some of them quite decrepit. These had been placed on plots which originally held wooden huts used as recreational homes by people from Sheffield and built immediately after the First World War. One wooden hut on the north side of the track was still in situ. An examination of Toothill Farm buildings showed the stages of progression and improvement of the dwelling part of the farm which had started off in the middle-ages as a crude building, shared with the animals, through an Elizabethan section to the more recently constructed addition at the west end of the building, leaving the original range as barns. After passing through the farm yard an ancient 'deep way' could be seen descending the valley from the north-east and quite overgrown. Towards Hathersage, our path ran parallel to this for a short distance until we descended onto the original ancient way. Within 200m a well-metalled track from Carhead and the tarmac continued on to Hathersage, the ancient way becoming a modern road. As we approached the outskirts of Hathersage a grassy bank was noted on each side of the road, marked on the map as Camp Green, now enclosing a number of modern houses. The site is known to have been occupied in Norman times. At the west side there is no evidence of the enclosure remaining so it is impossible to say whether the parish church was inside or outside. We decided not to visit the interior of the church, which had been viewed during a previous walk on 24 September last year, but rested a moment in the church yard, observing that Little John's grave was apparently overlooked by a parking metre! It was actually used for collecting donations but we agreed that the location was unfortunate. Our walk was finished at the café above the Outdoor Centre where the party rendezvoused with the drivers after recovering their cars from Longshaw. 7 October 1999 - Ridge between Valleys Walk Present: Bob (leader), Catherine, John, Irene, Mary, Eric, Brian, Enid, Margaret and Gerry. The main group met at Mam Tor car park, OS Ref: 124833, Bob's car being left in Castleton to pick up drivers after a linear walk. Unfortunately, due to very low lying rain clouds, lack of visibility made it not worth carrying out the planned walk via the hill fort at Mam Tor to Lose Hill. It was agreed that we should take an alternative route into Castleton, via Rowter Farm. Following the A625 eastwards for 200m towards its severed end at Mam Tor, we reached a footpath which headed south-east across the fields. At this point Bob made a bad choice and we emerged onto the B6061 much further north than intended. Had we taken the right - right! - fork we would have avoided the road walking to reach the lane leading to Rowter Farm (OS Ref: 127827). Continuing south-east for 800m we reached a stile on the left. Moments after Bob remarked on Rowter Farm, barely visible through the misty rain, the mist lifted and, not only the farm, but the summits of Mam Tor and Lose Hill came into view! Standing at the stile we were able to appreciate several aspects of limestone country. Adjacent to the stile was a sink-hole resulting from the collapse of an underground waterway, marked on the map by a blue 'W' (indicating a well), whilst the surrounds were punctuated by hillocks which had once been the spoil heaps of numerous lead mines. 250m east of the stile we found on the right a large depression surrounded by a circular stone wall. This was marked on the map as a pond, which had since dried out, but we also noted that we were on the west of the boundary wall whereas the map showed the path on the east. Bob pointed out that our maps often displayed such features as they had been. In this case the farmer probably made the change for his own convenience. On our left was an old spoil heap with much evidence of rabbit burrows but also a number of pieces of interesting rock. Bob pointed out the fossil remains of shellfish in the limestone but also found a fragment of rock with a thin layer of galena - lead ore - surrounded by crystalline rock - calcite - and finally bounded by unmodified limestone. The structure had been formed by volcanic action, heat and pressure causing the crystallisation and condensed, invading gases forming the layer of galena. Continuing eastwards there was much evidence of abandoned lead mines. As we began to descend into the valley towards Castleton our route revealed many views of familiar landmarks from unfamiliar angles. We also had a good view of the Mam Tor slip area and the slump material below. On the left was the remains of a building, once associated with lead mining, which Bob remembered as a suitable place to stop for our refreshment, but it was more ruined and the adjoining enclosure more overgrown than when he last saw it so we found some slightly uncomfortable perches on a nearby wall. As we continued, the descent steepened but it could be seen that, unlike that shown on the map, the path headed towards the clump of trees in the cleft above Peak Cavern. Bob advised us that we could descend a steep, awkward path from that point but an alternative was to follow a roundabout, but less steeply inclined path westwards to join a lower way into Castleton. In Castleton we turned right to follow the stream up towards Peak Cavern to examine the entrance. The stream actually emerged from a low aperture just short of the cave mouth. The cave entrance itself had become more commercialised than people remembered, having a stone-built ticket office blocking the view inwards and, after a cursory inspection, we returned to the centre of Castleton to await the return of our drivers. 21 October 1999 - Escarpment and Valley Walk Present: Bob (leader), Catherine, John, Irene, Mary, Eric, Brian, Enid, Margaret, Susan and Gerry. The group met at Stanage Plantation car park, OS reference: 238837. Once again we were suffering from low lying rain clouds and lack of visibility. The rain did not cease throughout the walk. We left the car park at its north-east corner . . . ! |
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