White Peak Walks: The Southern Dales. Mark Richards
are universally orientated east/west because this is how the veins intruded laterally. In village houses and churches we witness how the local stone has yielded to man’s desire to transform it into something more than the merely functional (although most limestone rock is crushed and wheeled away on lorries for other purposes).
Hollins Hill escarpment (Walk 13)
Stile at Steps Farm (Walk 4)
The handsome spa town of Buxton would grace any national park, but limestone quarries to east and south sadly denied it any chance of inclusion. Nonetheless, the built environment and the rural landscape are by and large harmonious and the buildings are a fascinating part of the outdoor experience. Many people brought up on the doorstep of the Park – from Sheffield to Derby in the east, from Manchester to Stoke in the west and even down to Birmingham in the south – share an understandable desire ultimately to make their home in one of these distinctive communities. And this process ensures their reinvigoration and the restoration of many a humble cottage and the sympathetic conversion of retired barns.
From Protests to the Park Authority
The Peak District holds an exalted place in the history of the campaign for public access to wild places in England. It is a movement that can trace its roots to the formation of the Hayfield and Kinder Scout Ancient Footpaths Association in 1876. The years that followed were scarred with many bitter disputes and confrontations – some petty, some serious. The Sheffield Clarion Ramblers held the first mass trespass gathering in the natural arena of Winnats Pass in 1927, but five years later came a much more significant incident.
In 1932 local working class ramblers took a stand, or rather a march, en masse, walking over a forbidden heather moor, ascending William Clough from Bowden Bridge near Hayfield aiming for Kinder Downfall. This notorious ‘Kinder Trespass’ set off a bang that resonates still, and eventually unravelled the unjust exclusion of the public from vast tracts of open country. At last the soul of society was let free to roam the wild places. Twenty years later the national parks were established to meet the greater need, to recognise the importance of particularly cherished landscapes for the nation, and to introduce hands-on management, for with liberty comes responsibility.
Since its establishment the Peak Park Authority has gained an honourable reputation in defence of the intrinsic character of these uplands, frequently having to strike a delicate balance between serving the vital recreational needs of a vast urban population and those of the local inhabitants. No planning authority has a completely unblemished reputation and although a tiny proportion of the 40,000 people who live within the Park’s bounds do see the Authority in a negative light, it is clear that the long-term well-being of the resident population is their prime concern. It will only be through the continued fostering of a closer harmony of interest that the future well-being of the area will be secured. The Park Board does have a strong local composition to ensure a genuine care for the land and its economic viability.
Walking In the White Peak
In September 2004, following the implementation of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000, the map of the Park gained a fresh impetus for walkers: the valley system of the White Peak became Open Access land. Hitherto ‘wild’ dale rims and pockets of rough land became available to the wanderer, but with this liberty comes a shared duty of care. The many precious gifts of nature cling precariously in these places and over-exercising of these ‘rights’ can cause delicate plants and creatures unnecessary stress.
Be sparing with your visits and conscious of your imprint. Many walkers also eagerly bring their best friends – by which I mean their canine chums. Please be aware that you may well encounter farm stock on the paths so keep them on a tight rein and ‘lead’ them not into the temptation of running free.
Sheep talk at Rushley Farm (Walk 12)
Curious cattle at Weags Barn: ‘You ask him.’ ‘No, you ask him.’ (Walk 8)
The White Peak offers an amiable environment for walkers despite the vagaries of its climate. Lively streams run alongside verdant pastures grazed by cattle and sheep; blocks of woodland are dissected by countless walls; limestone outcrops fringe the dale edges and complete the interplay of green and grey. The villages fit perfectly into the age-old mosaic.
The one discordant note of recent decades has been the industrial extraction of stone, bringing lorries to the district’s roads in profusion. But once away from the roads the walker has an extensive and well-maintained footpath network to enjoy. Walkers can feel at ease and relaxed in their wanderings as in few other places in England.
Wolfscote Dale: a nonchalant resident grey heron, intent on food (Walk 17)
The River Dove at Washgate Bridge (Walk 13)
Walkers descending the lovely dry valley backing Wetton Mill (Walk 9)
The Southern Dales
These two companion guides to the White Peak have been divided along the axis of the High Peak Trail, between Buxton and the Cromford Canal, near Matlock. This recreational adaptation of the Cromford & High Peak Railway forms a high spine over the plateau and a convenient, if arbitrary, dividing line. The southern portion of the White Peak is shared between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, the boundary flowing with the twists and turns of the beautiful River Dove. The Rivers Dove, Manifold and Hamps are born in the west upon Staffordshire Moorlands gritstone draining from Axe Edge and Morridge. The Hamps takes summer leave on reaching the limestone. Sinking underground and bypassing the valley junction with the Manifold it careers by some secret under-hill course to emerge in the grounds of Ilam Hall. The Manifold, which too has a similar fear of summer sunshine between Wettonmill and Ilam, runs through delightful countryside below Flash and Longnor and is particularly enchanting along the sinuous course of the old railway trackbed Manifold Trail, with Ecton Hill, Wettonmill and Thor’s Cave the primary scenic moments.
The Dove captivates in all its dimensions from the excitement of Washgate and the Dowel Dale hills, by Pilsbury and Hartington and into the limestone gorge of Beresford and Wolfscote Dales, excitedly weaving through the wooded depths of Dove Dale to Thorpe. By Wetton and Alstonefield and eastwards from the High Peak and Tissington Trails the walks in this guide explore the beauties of the high rolling plateau and the seclusion of the side dales. They deliberate upon the historic secrets of Minninglow and Roystone Grange, Harborough Rocks and Brassington, Tissington and Ashbourne.
Hartington Hall youth hostel, the ‘bee’s knees’ in terms of modern YHA accommodation (Walk 17)
What to Take
Only joy and good cheer can flow from carrying and wearing proper modern outdoor gear. Patronise dedicated outdoor shops to get the best advice. It does pay dividends. Your custom is important to them and you are likely to get one-to-one treatment and years of value from your purchases.
Into a light daypack stow some measure of weather-protective clothing. This will come to your rescue should the elements threaten to conspire by wind, rain or intense sun to spoil your outdoor adventure. (The summer of 2008 when this guide was being researched was extraordinarily wet and the author was grateful for the latest generation of waterproof trousers, enabling him to laugh in the rain!) Take along