Matlock Darley Dale RFM Blue Line

 

Matlock Darley Dale 

RFM Blue Line 

08/06/26

The car journey over to Darley Dale was dominated by continuous rain. The forecast said it would move to the east so I continued on my way but was expecting to have to wait in the car for it to pass. I arrived on the hill above Darley Dale and the rain stopped. It did not rain again all walk. Great forecast.

There is  not much in Darley Dale but it is nice and peaceful. It is surrounded by pretty steep hills. I immediately found myself on a country lane leaving the village and passed a couple of friendly dog walkers. The weather still looked threatening and it was cool.

The paths were well defined and really good surfaces to start with. It was a gentle hill up to Two Dales,  

The Ladygrove Mill was a flax mill but now houses a variety of businesses. 

I had a slight detour into Ladygrove Woods as I thought the route was blocked but I saw later it wasn't. This wood was dark, wet and very atmospheric. It also became steep in places and required great care as the paths were littered with trip hazards mainly tree roots and rocks.

There were 3 reservoirs Fancy Dam, Potter Dam and the other unamed on the OS map.

The path became steep and broken and wet. I enjoyed the water cascading down this natural stone wall.

This noisy waterfall was particularly pleasant to see and I watched it for a while. The paths here were stoney and steep. 

I was drenched not from the rain as it wasn't raining but from the vegetation crowding the path so that in places I had to bend double to get through or just force my way through the over grown path. In other places it was dark and badly overhung with bushes. The picture on the right was like a dark tunnel with the vegetation wetting my back as I bent over to get through.

After the climb up the gloomy Sydnop Valley it was a pleasure to start the steeper climb through the open land and fields above the woods.

As ever, as I climbed the views got better and longer. The steepness of this path is not apparent in the photos but it was really tough going. The weather was still dark and stormy looking.

The panorama shot today gives an idea of the conditions rather than the views.

I reached Farley Lane and was pleased to be atop the first hill as that had been a tiring climb. Look at the elevation graph of the route, for the first hill and you will see what I mean. I could see Darley Dale below in a very pleasant field and wood covered valley. Farley Lane itself was very quiet with only the occasional car.

Looking in the far distance I could see the rain and clouds on the hillside. The brown feature looks like a quarry, I think it is Hall Moor Quarry. 

I descended along the road to Farley, a pleasant little village with some expensive looking new builds. The path out or Farley was easy to find and well defined and I was glad to leave the tarmac.

The way into Matlock across this beautiful wood lined meadow and then following a couple of dog walkers across the well maintaind football fields was a very pleasant walk.

In contrast the descent down to the centre of Matlock was through a dark wooded valley with very slippy sets of steps and slippy stone paths. It was a dangerous route and I passed no one on it, not surprisingly.

It was quiet in this part of Matlock before I started the descent to the shopping area. I had a quick chat with a dog walker about the steep slopes and his required fitness. Not sure what the building on the right was.

      

I started down the hill but soon paused to have a break with a local chap sitting on a bench. We discussed the town, Barnsley, the weather, changes in society, changes in our towns, generally putting our worlds to rights. 

I really like Matlock. There were plenty of cafes and eating places, gift type shops and regular shops in this busy area on the town side of the bridge over the River Derwent. I was tempted to have a coffee and a bun but I didn't want to stop again.

The substantial old bridge was a great viewing point for the river.

The railway station is just for the heritage line which is a pity as this is a busy little town and deserves to connect to the regional rail network. Pretty station though very quiet as no trains running today.

Then my route passed through Sainsburys carpark and along the main road to get to the path next to the railway.

This was another dark, wet and dismal path with the river on one side. I crossed under the railway and headed along the river valley.

The path had felt dark and dismal but then the sun came out and it was bright and cheerful. The site behind the fence was a demolition site for the old limestone crushing plant that once quarried the stone and supplied it by rail to the cement works in the Hope Valley. I know this because I passed a guy who told me. 

I was heading across the fields near Snitterton in sunshine but still with some dark clouds around.

The thistles in this field were epic, just look at the size of them. I followed the road past Ashton Farm.

Then it was up the hill past the horses who studiously ignored me, the flimsy electric fence keeping us apart. They were very handsome horses.

The second really steep hill of the day and the views got long very quickly.

It was a real trudge up that hill in the last of the 3 photos from the hill you can see the tiny horses at the bottom of the slope. Then it was through a small wood to Oaker.

I think Oaker must be the name of the ruined building on the hill. It was only a small ruin so did not seem to fit.

I crossed the ridge and down through the woods above the road. It would have been easier to stay on the road.

Then it was through a sheep field and across the road at Lobby Farm. The route should have gone through the farm but the gate was chained up so I decided to go along the road instead and forget Wensley.

At a row of houses I met a man tending the wall of his garden and after a discussion he pointed out a good way to get to Wensley across the fields so I decided to take it.

As a kicker he said there were 12 bullocks in the field and I should be wary as they had chased him a couple of evenings ago.

As I entered the field the bullocks were having a quiet snooze over to my left and were totally chilled out so although I did not hang around I decided it was safe to proceed.

Leaving the bullock field the valley up towards Wensley was very pretty. It was a slope but not enough to match the slope on the graph.

Looking back down the valley on the very far horizon I could just see the outline of Riber Castle.

The slope from the valley up to Wensley was very steep but happily stepped in places. It was my last real hill of the day and I was glad to reach the village at the top.

Wensley was a bit bigger than I expected and had a nice little square and loads of cars around. This place was designed for people walking not driving. This is quite a high village and I would think a car was essential.

I walked down the hill on the roadside path as there was no realistic country path to take. It wasn't too busy so it was ok. At Cross Green this roadside church was quite impressive.

I could see from the view beyond the school that I was still pretty high up.

Descending into Darley Bridge this wonderful row of substantial Victorian houses was a sight to see.

Reaching the valley bottom I crossed the River Derwent again and then after following the road across the valley floor I passed Darley Dale station and entered the town itself.

I noticed on the map that the park was adjacent to the road so I detoured through the park and back to my car and home.

Over 11 miles and an ascent of nearly 2000 feet is a tough walk. What made this even harder was the steepness of the 3 hills that make up the walk. I have so many miles in my legs now that the 4 hours passed relatively quickly and the speed of 2.83 shows I took the hills in my stride. 

Apologies for fingers on the lens as I forgot my camers so used my phone today.

os map

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/32378826/matlock-rfm-blue-line?lat=53.15027&lon=-1.60389&zoom=14.4907&style=TopoAuto&type=2d