Sunday 9th April 2006

A walk that takes in both a wide variety of dales, all unique in character, and a piece of our economic history.  The weather threw just about everything at us today. We had hailstorms, rain and snow showers and yet we sat eating our lunch at the bottom of Tansley Dale in warm sunshine. As the school Easter holidays are now in full flow there were plenty of people about at the start of the day making the most of the views and the relatively easy walking to be found in this area. By the time we returned to the car, having cut our planned walk short due to the snow storm only a few walkers were to be seen and the ice-cream van was suffering from a lack of customers.

Start: Monsal Head car park (SK 1843 7148)

Route: Monsal Head car park - Upperdale - Cressbrook Dale - Tansley Dale - Litton Dale - Tideswell Dale - Litton Mill
            - Miller's Dale - Cressbrook - Upperdale - Monsal Head car park                  

Distance: 8 miles     Ascent: 475 metres     Time Taken: 4 hours 30 minutes   

Weather: Sunny, rain, hail, sleet & snow. We had it all today.

Pub visited: Stable Bar, Monsal Head      Ale Drunk: Timothy Taylors Landlord

Upperdale, from the car park at Monsal Head, showing our route
 out across the viaduct and our route back along the road.

Monsal Dale from the viaduct.

One of Arkwright's first mills at Cressbrook.

Looking back along Upperdale from the descent to Creesbrook Mill.

Cressbrook Dale.

Cressbrook Dale, our route had followed the path down the hill to the left.

The stepping stones across Cressbrook Dale with the start
 of Tansley Dale and our lunch spot visible to the left.

From the top of Tansley Dale,  Cressbrook Dale forms the limestone summit
in the foreground with Eyam Moor and it's radio mast on the horizon.

Tideswell Dale.

 Near the start of Tideswell Dale we came across these two carvings.

Litton Mill, once described as one of Blake's: "Dark Satanic Mills" 
very recently converted to apartments.

Miller's Dale during a brief pause in the snow storm tha
 had made us alter our route to include this dale.

The viaduct across Monsal Dale that now forms part of the Monsal Trail.

The Stable Bar at Monsal Head, with it's log fire and excellent beer,
 it was busy as usual.