The White Peak – Calver and Hassop; Coombs Dale, Bank and Bramley Woods

Introduction

Following last week’s enforced self isolation, it was a joy to be out on a glorious summer’s day today.

The weather was very pleasantly warm, the skies mainly clear, temperature perfect with a light, warm breeze. A simply perfect day.

This walk is just a few miles from Chatsworth Estate and Eyam (the plague village), both of which attract visitors away from this walk’s quiet beauty. The walk was around 7.5 miles with a total ascent of 1245ft, 380m, taking about 3 and 1/4 hours to complete. I added a long lunch break, so with the travelling I was out nearer 6 hours today, rather than my target of 5.

The drive is around 55minutes each way.

For dog walkers, the walk is good. Coombs Dale and both woods are fenced off from livestock fields, so only the middle section would require use of a lead.

OS Explorer MapOL24.

Hassop Road at Calver is a wide B road, and parking on the side of the road well above the A623 junction, opposite a house called “The Mount”, was fine. This meant I started the walk on a path further up the road than shown below, and walked through Calver Low initially.

Coombs Dale

I headed up the drive of The Mount, left, then right and onto Calver Low below some old quarry workings. I already had a good view down into Calver.

After navigating around The Low I descended into Coombs Dale, taking care not to join the path at the top of the woodland, and going down to the bottom of the valley. Coombs Dale is heavily wooded and has a small stream. The path up it is tarmac, and surprisingly good.

I noticed Sallet Hole Mine on the map, and the right hand picture above leads to this:

It seems this was a working fluorspar mine until 1998, hence the quality of the path. I googled the mine and found this website, detailing and photographing a visit inside the mine. It looks so scary!

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/sallet-hole-mine-derbyshire.123729/

After the mine, the path was narrower and rougher, but still good. As I emerged from the wood, the classic steep sides of a Peak District dale came into view…… along with a few redstarts, all females – the classic bird of this area; the female is “just another dull brown bird”, until you see the brilliant orange-red tail and rump, especially in flight.

Over The Hills

Black Harry Gate is at the top of the dale. (Black Harry, it is said, was a highwayman of the 18th century who preyed on the travellers of that time). I took a left turn, and a track alongside the bridleway, soon rumbled to the sight and sound of this:

Quarrying is still big business round here!

Having left the track behind, I reached the high point of the walk, and approached Longstone Edge. There were panoramic views all around.

I settled on a tussock for a leisurely lunch, with this view.

The descent of Longstone Edge was a challenge. The high ferns hid swathes of nettles, and wearing shorts didn’t seem such a clever idea during this section.

Through Hassop

Continuing on over the fields I was pleased to find a path retained through this wheat field by a considerate arable farmer.

I took the roads through Hassop, and was disappointed that the Old Eyre Arms wasn’t open. School Lane took me down and over a stream then up the opposite side of the valley. A left turn led into the top of Bank Wood.

Bank Wood and Bramley Wood

The path ran along the boundary of the wood and the fields to the east. Bank Wood is a mixed woodland, whilst Bramley Wood has mature trees, but the lower levels are overwhelmed by rhododendrons. More lovely views are revealed through gaps in the trees. The right hand picture gives a view back down to Calver.

Looking southeast from here, the view stretches out across the Chatsworth estate, with the House at the centre of this frame.

The path ends at a T junction from where a left turn took me back to the village.

Wild Flowers

There were many wild flowers on this walk. Here’s a few for you to enjoy.