Lees Barn and Parwich to Bonsall and Matlock

The weather had turned warmer and I found today a harder day of walking than I had expected, but it took us through some glorious countryside - and we did it! I think part of the problem was that I was rather anxious about whether we were carrying enough water; we managed fine, but I can't deny the fact that I'm a worrier. We'd decided to start the walk from our holiday cottage, Shepherds Retreat at Lees Barn (SK157568), but we had to get a car in place at the end of the walk, which we had decided would be Matlock. Whether Matlock is actually on the official route of the Limestone Way seems to be open to some debate; the "through route" passes close to Bonsall, two miles above Matlock, and there is a well-signposted link route, so we decided we'd follow this to Matlock. This would also mean that we were in a good place to buy food for the rest of our holiday at the Sainsburys there, but for duration of the walk, we decided to leave a car in the large car park at Matlock Station, at SK296603 (£6 for a full day).

To get one car to Matlock and us back to the start of our route, we of course had to take both cars. The Maps app sent us by one of the more minor routes, via Winster, a most attractive village, complete with its historic Market House and a steep hill. However, the journey into Matlock was slow because of road works, so we weren't sorry when we were sent back by the sightly longer and more major route by way of Cromford and the Via Gellia, familar to me from regular trips between Manchester and Nottingham to visit family when I was a child. What I didn't know is that the name "Via Gellia" refers to a Mr Gell, who built the road in the 18th Century to service his family's mining and quarrying interests in the area. Neither did I know that the fabric Viyella, first made at a textile mill in the valley, takes its name from the "Via" in the name.

With a car in place at the end of the walk, we left the cottage about 9.35 am, and walked back along the Tissington Trail to the exit we had noticed when walking in the opposite direction two days ago, close to the point at which the minor road to Alsop en le Dale and Parwich leaves the A515. We left the former railway line here and took the path underneath it and so to the main road; it was a bit nettly, but otherwise a good route. We crossed the A515 and took the minor road; this was a really excellent route, with lots of shadow from nearby trees and very little traffic. We made rapid progress. Unfortunately, the direction of the sun and the fact that we were on the road rather than approaching over the fields meant that we didn't get any photographs. However, we have walked through Alsop en le Dale before, when on a circuit from Tissingtib with our daughter in 2007, when we did approach over the fields, as shown on the right.

We continued along the road, which was now in more open undulating country, past Parwich Lees and eventually we reached the village of Parwich. A noticeboard included a map of the village and it showed a shop, so we set off to find it so as to buy more drink. However we failed to find the shop and decided it must have closed; research on return home indicates that The Sycamore Inn maybe also acts as a shop of sorts, but they were closed for redecoration and don't open until lunchtime in any case - and the British Legion Social Club was also closed when we passed. Near the church, we rejoined the official route of the Limestone Way, then we left the village and climbed quite steeply, with good views opening up behind us. Towards the top of the climb, a walker with a laden rucksack asked if we knew of anywhere in the village he could get water. He didn't seem too bothered when we gave him our answer; he said he'd knock at someone's door. It turned out he had walked from Lands End to John O'Groats and was on his way back; an impressive feat. However, he seemed a little fazed that we knew some of the route he described, indeed we've walked a number of the paths he still has to follow!

We stopped for me to change my socks, particularly important given the heat. Then, now on a minor road, descended the hill we'd just climbed. We left the road and continued towards Ballidon, noticing a sizable quarry to the north. After crossing a road which would have been minor without the quarry traffic, we climbed past an attractive little chapel. The views behind us were lovely, but unfortunately we had no sooner reached the top of the rise than we descended again to the B5056, before climbing again on Pasture Lane. After a kilometre or so, the road turned to the right towards Brassington, but we continued on a track and continued to climb. Richard spotted a perfect lunch spot, on another footpath which left ours to the left, heading above some crags and with spectacular views back the way we had come.

The undulating landscape continued, with the turbines of a wind-farm peeping over the top of the craggy edges above Brassington. We could also see Carsington Water in the distance, though we never got a view down to Brassington itself. We emerged onto the road that runs between Longcliffe and Brassington, which was wider and busier than we'd expected from the map, probably because of quarry traffic. We were heading downhill on this road, but some cyclists peddling their way up the hill asked if we knew the way to the "Trail". We eventually realised that they were looking for the High Peak Trail, which we would be crossing soon; it is only another few hundred metres up the road the cyclists were on. We took a more circuitous route, but soon enough we crossed the Trail (the former High Peak Railway). This was a significant moment for us because the Midshires Way makes use of the High Peak Trail, and we are also walking the Midshires Way at presentt, though currently rather further south, on the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border. The High Peak Trail tracks close to our route for tomorrow, so we should have an excuse to come back to this glorious area before too long.

Back to today, and the Limestone Way, we became aware of an enormous quarry (hole in the ground) ahead of us, and as we got closer, the route was diverted around the edge of the quarry. However we were descending to Grangemill in the valley which is apparently called the Griffe Grange Valley (which is the valley through which the Via Gellia passes), and the views to wooded valley sides were glorious. We crossed the main road in Grangemill and immediately climbed up the other side, round the back of and above an older quarry. The map shows the route following the road, so that's what we did, but on the ground there was a signposted route which cut a corner off. We continued along the road through Ible. Just after leaving the road at the far side of the village we stopped for a break.

A couple of miles later, we reached Upper Town, on a hill above Bonsall. The continuation of the Limestone Way turns left here, but we turned right for the two-mile link to Matlock. The route to Bonsall was all descent, down a walled lane. We passed a father and child going the other way complete with school bag etc., so presumably they walk down to Bonsall every weekday morning and back again after school. The final approach to Bonsall was down some stone steps and took us Kings Square where the Kings Head pub and the Queens Head (now a private house) face each other over the Market Cross. Bonsall is an attractive place but like so many villages in the area, it has a thoroughly industrial history, with involvement in both lead mining and textiles.

The path from Bonsall to Matlock involves both ascent and descent, and the heat was starting to get to me, with a blister developing on one foot - and my gums were sore which didn't help. However, the route included a lovely wooded sunken lane and - later - superb views to Ripley Castle and down to Matlock. We were also entertained by a machine that was collecting grass which had just been cut, and the signposting was the best we'd seen so far. We had already seen signposts bearing the words "Limestone Way" and (usually older) signs with the outline of a ram's head. However, for the first (and almost only) time on the path, we noticed a signpost with both the words and the ram's head. Richard pointed out that we were descending by a route that would take us close to a cottage we have stayed in previously. At the time, we convinced ourselves that he was mistaken, but research on our return home confirms that we stayed at Masson Lees Farm in February/March 2016, which was extremely close to our route...and it is salutary to compare a photograph of our final approach to Matlock today (shown to the right) with a photograph taken in 2016 (by the following paragraph).

So we'd made it! We walked past the station and so to the car, and Richard rang his mother. Then we moved the car to Sainsburys next door, where we purchased both ice creams and ginger beer to refresh us and to celebrate the end of the walk. After eating the ice creams in the car park (perfect!) we returned to the cottage, again by the Winster route.

Following leg