Ascent/Descent:
614m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness:
9 out of 10
From the West, take the 09.45 Sheffield train from Manchester
Piccadilly (New Mills Central 10.13, Chinley 10.20, Edale 10.29, Hope 10.36,
Bamford 10.39), arriving Hathersage at 10.43.
From the East,
take the 10.17 Manchester Piccadilly train from Sheffield (Dore
& Totley 10.23, Grindleford 10.30), arriving Hathersage at 10.34.
Return trains to London: xx.43 until 20.43 (change at Sheffield, from just under 3 hours).
Return trains to London: xx.43 until 20.43 (change at Sheffield, from just under 3 hours).
Return
trains:
xx.31 until 20.31, then 22.33 towards Manchester; xx.43 until
20.43, then 21.39, 22.43 and 23.05 towards Sheffield.
“Centred
on Hathersage, an attractive village in the Hope Valley surrounded by the
ringed cliffs of the Stanage and Millstone edges as well as the ancient
iron-age hill fort of Carl Wark and the distictive Higger Tor on Burbage Moor, this walks leads through some outstandingly
beautiful scenery: delightful meadows
with a jigsaw of drystone walls and other signs of small-scale livestock
farming, rolling hills backed by open
moorland and the deep wooded valleys
of the Highlow Brook (one of the few remaining in the Peak District with the
remains of ancient oakwoods) and the
Bretton Clough with their fast flowing
streams. You have magnificent views
all day (weather permitting).
The
middle part follows the geological fault
line between the Dark and White Peak areas along the Eyam and Hucklow Edges
with tremendous views into the Hope Valley and then descends through a wood
into it, where you pass plenty of signs
of its mining heritage: (now
grassy) spoil heaps and fenced-off unstable ground suffering from subsidence.
You
eventually reach the famous plague
village of Eyam with its tea options. Rise up steeply from Eyam to cross the heathery blanket peat bog of Eyam
Moor (along a clear path), and – after one last steep descent and partial
re-ascent through a remote green valley – re-cross the Derwent River back into
Hathersage”
A
Shortcut
down from the Hucklow Edge to Foolow cuts out Great Hucklow, this cuts 2.2
km/1.3 mi and 61m ascent and the resulting walk is rated 8/10.
Buses from Great Hucklow, Foolow or Eyam to Sheffield or Hope enable a finish after 10.0 km/6.2 mi, 11.9 km/7.4 mi or 14.4 km/9.0 mi respectively: line 65 (Buxton to Sheffield Interchange, 7 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 3 on Sundays) and (from Foolow and Eyam only) line 66 (Baslow to Sheffield Interchange, 5 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 4 on Sundays) and (from Great Hucklow only) line 173 (Bakewell to Hope and Castleton, 4 buses per day).
Buses from Great Hucklow, Foolow or Eyam to Sheffield or Hope enable a finish after 10.0 km/6.2 mi, 11.9 km/7.4 mi or 14.4 km/9.0 mi respectively: line 65 (Buxton to Sheffield Interchange, 7 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 3 on Sundays) and (from Foolow and Eyam only) line 66 (Baslow to Sheffield Interchange, 5 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 4 on Sundays) and (from Great Hucklow only) line 173 (Bakewell to Hope and Castleton, 4 buses per day).
Lunch: The Barrel Inn (7.3
km/4.5 mi, food to 15.00), The Queen Anne Inn (9.8 km/6.1 mi into the full walk,
food served to 14.30), The Bull's Head (11.8 km/7.4 mi into
the full walk (9.6 km/6.1 mi if walking the shortcut), food all day).
Tea: Plenty of options in Eyam and Hathersage, see the pdf for
details.
2 comments:
I am hoping to come on this walk from the West if not raining too hard jfk
3 of yesterday's walkers went on other adventures today, but we had 2 new ones turn up, so n=27 in w=low-clouds-with-some-sunny-breaks-and-some-drizzle. The route has plenty of ups and downs pre lunch, through tight wooded valleys or over rolling hills of pastoral land. The clouds kept getting lower as we approached the top of the Bretton Clough, to emerge on the edge of the big drop into the Hope Valley, with the Barrel Inn to the left. Half the group turned into the pub for a refresher (tables were all booked, so food was no option).
On along the edge and through a hanging wood to Great Hucklow, with plenty of signs of the old lead mines en route, well info panelled. About a handful had walked the shortcut and had managed to book a table for all lunchers at the third pub, The Bull Inn in Foolow. From there through small fields (lots of stone slab stiles) to Eyam, the plague village.
Lots of interest in Eyam, from plaques explaining the effects of the plague on individual houses' inhabitants to a real ale breweries' tap room to a café in the old buttery of Eyam Hall to preparations for a well dressing at the next weekend. The group had splintered into multiple sub-groups by now, and everyone made their way up to and across Eyam Moor at their pace. Heather, gorse, bracken and bilberries galore. A patchwork of colours with stunning scenery framing it: Higger Tor, Stanage and Froggatt edges, and the oh so green Hope Valley.
A glorious descent and about 15 reassembled at the Plough Inn for drinks and dinner. Most of the others had a train to catch back south...
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