White Peak Walks: The Southern Dales. Mark Richards
Wading through the bracken come to a stile and keep along the edge to the ridge-end, where you meet up with another path and descend the nose of the ridge to a stile and flagstone bridge over the side stream just before its confluence with the Dove. The path clings to the wooded edge of the Dove gorge, towards the end accompanied by a fence to a wicket-gate into Washgate Lane.
Axe Edge from Wolf Edge
Turn right downhill. The name Washgate confirms that this was once the site of a sheep-wash – wool cleaned before shearing featched a higher price.
The sadly disturbed cobbling of the ancient track here is all too evident – the result of ‘for fun’ off-road vehicles over the last dozen years. In September 2008 the stone inserted earlier in the year at the start of the ford to block vehicular access had already been maliciously uprooted. The intention of the National Park Authority is to reinstate the cobbling now that the ‘road’ has officially been redesignated a footpath only.
The route turns acutely left immediately on the south side of the bridge. (The map shows a footpath climbing the steep bank ahead but it ain’t worth following!)
Keep to the packhorse way, and avoid fording by keeping tight to the bank. The rock-stepped lane shows more evidence of tyre tread before levelling and capturing rainfall in deep pools. Where the lane emerges on the road at Tenterhill Farm a large boulder bars all vehicular traffic, the apparently temporary ‘road closed’ sign contradicting the permanent ‘bike and car’ sign, which has yet to be removed. The farm’s name comes from ‘tenterhooks’, which were once set on frames here to stretch woollen cloth.
Follow on up the road to Golling Gate, ‘the road flanked by marsh marigold’. At the junction turn right at the footpath sign into what becomes a narrow green lane. As it bends left it looks more like a stream than a path and water is quite awkward to dodge. After a hand-gate switch acutely right up to another hand-gate and continue within a sunken lane, walling largely absent on the left, rising to a hand-gate onto the road on the upland pastures of Colshaw.
Turn left, following the road unswervingly to the junction with a rising road. If your thirst and hunger can bear it no longer go right to visit Flash Bar (pub and adjacent tearoom). Go straight across through the wicket-gate, left of a renovated stone shed. Cross the paddock to go through a second wicket-gate, now bearing half-right over a lost field boundary to a recessed hand-gate with access land sign in the fenced field corner. Contour forward along the bank top overlooking the Manifold valley with lovely views back to the upper Dove hills and Hollinsclough Moor. Slipping through light gorse descend on a clear path to the farm track at Nield Bank. Follow the open access track, which duly crosses the youthful Manifold and sweeps uphill on tarmac to a cattle grid where you once more cross the A53.
Two stiles give entry into horse pasture. Keep the wall close on your right. Two further wall-stiles lead onto a track and galvanised gate. Keep up to the right of the large barn, following waymarking through the farm buildings. Walk behind the stone buildings of Northfield Farm in a lane below the churchyard. At the end turn up right to end the walk conveniently at the door of the New Inn.
Nield Bank in the upper Manifold valley
WALK 2
Morridge and Upper Elkstone
| Start/Finish | Rey Memorial on Morridge |
| Distance | 8km (5 miles) |
| Time | 3¼ hrs |
| Terrain | Hilly, with tracks and field-paths and at least one bog to cross in the dell below Upper Elkstone |
| Refreshments | The Mermaid Inn, in an isolated position on the Morridge ridge-top road |
| Parking | (GR 028596) A hugely popular scenic viewpoint, surveying the beginnings of highland Britain, with The Roaches and Hen Cloud gritstone scarps prominent |
Simply told, the central limestone plateau of the White Peak is flanked to east and west by gritstone moors. But they are not mirror images. The scarp/dip formation of the eastern edges fails to materialise on the west. On that side the millstone grit was subjected to pressure, which created a folded structure. The outcrops that do occur do not face east despite the north/south axis of the folding. In the main, this is moorland country: the domain of grouse, curlew and sheep, a splendid place to wander. Far-ranging views, obtained particularly from the Rey Viewpoint, Merryton Low and Royledge, complement serene moments experienced when delving into the attractive headwaters of the Hamps and Warslow Brook valleys. Morridge (‘the moor ridge’), that long arm of high ground extending south from Axe Edge, discreetly defines the southwestern limits of Peakland, a horizon between the populated plain and the lonely heartland. The walk explores the source catchment of the Hamps, visiting two fine viewpoints – Elkstone Hill and Merryton Low – whilst not forgetting the start point itself, a popular casual viewpoint of motorists. The road section during the latter part of the walk is ameliorated by the wider views of heather moor and accommodating verges.
The topograph, a splendid epitaph for any true lover of the great outdoors, is dedicated to a man of Hanley: ‘Paul Rey – rambler and world traveller – who inspired so many with his love of the countryside’. The situation is quite breathtaking and an inspiration for visitors, commanding the most remarkable view over the birth of upland England, with attention focused upon the striking escarpments of Hen Cloud and The Roaches. In context with this guide’s companion volume this viewpoint overlooks the beginnings of the Dark Peak.
From the lay-by walk back to the road junction and bear left and left again over the cattle grid signed to Upper Green Farm onto the open road leading east. Passing a roped down thorn bush the tarmac ends, and the track continues as regular farm access. Cross a second cattle grid, heading on down the gravel track and through a gateway into a hollowed pasture with evidence of wall-stone quarrying. At the new barn branch right over the cattle grid and continue down the middle of the field (with yet more evidence of old quarrying) to enter Upper Green farmyard. Bear right by the corrugated sheds to a gate and muddy access to a pasture field. Traverse the field to the far wet corner; cross the wall-stile to enter a fenced passage with integral horse jumps. The fenced passage swings right to a stile onto a fenced farm track.
Hen Cloud and The Roaches from the Morridge road
Turn left down by the stone barn and through the gate into the tidy farmyard at Lower Green, equine in every way. Bear right, seeking the stile down in the dip ahead to join a further fenced farm track. Turn left to cross the Hamps via the footbridge and galvanised hand-gate tight to the right of the farm bridge. The youthful leaps of the Hamps are temporarily hampered by two ponds immediately downstream. The river’s name is identical with the Welsh hafhesp, meaning ‘summer-dry’, which is true about the river’s passage below Waterhouses, but not here!
Ignore the inviting open farm access track, cross the plank footbridge and head up the soggy pasture bank ahead. Climb to a wall squeeze-stile where perhaps you’ll be tempted to step onto the track, but the target is a further wall-stile to the right, and above this a wicket-gate where the footpath correctly joins the ridge-top road. Cross over by the facing stile and clamber onto the top of Elkstone Hill (425m/1394ft) with its white-painted Ordnance Survey pillar sited upon a Bronze Age tumulus.
Discriminating walkers (reader of this guide amongst their number) can discover the merit of this location as a viewpoint with an eastern bias, down the Warslow Brook valley to Ecton Hill and the Dove Dale hills about Wetton and Alstonefield. The distinctive bedraggled clump of trees on Minninglow, 10 miles distant as the crow flies, is visible on a line directly above the Ecton copper mine spoil (Dutchman Level), slightly left of Johnson’s Knoll clump. To the southeast Hazelton Clump, 7 miles off, also claims attention above Ilam.
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