Deep Dale, Taddington, And Monsal Head

Introduction

A glorious day to visit a classic White Peak area before the crowds arrive.

I headed out to Taddington Wood on the A6 between Buxton and Bakewell.

The traffic was kind for once, and I arrived in 50 minutes.

The walk is 7.5 miles with 1300feet of ascent.

It took 3 hours 30 minutes to complete, plus 15 minutes for lunch.

The walk is OK for dog walking as there’s plenty of fenced tracks and paths.

I walked in a clockwise direction.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map OL24.

I parked in the small car park at White Lodge Car Park on the A6, postcode DE45 1NL, W hat 3 Words ///differ.bearable.rats

Deep Dale And Taddington

At 10 o’clock, there was just one other car in the car park, as I left to make my way uphill towards Deep Dale. It was till only around 8 degrees C as the A6 quickly melted into the distance, and I was on my own!

I could soon enjoy the view back over the A6 to Monsal Dale.

After crossing a small stream, I entered Deep Dale. It is so deep, that the 10 am sun had not risen above its steep side., and with a brisk breeze funneling through, it was a little chilly

At the head of the dale, it turned left, and I was in the sun.

I’d walked steadily uphill, but to leave the valley , I had to climb its side. The view back into the valley was worth making plenty of rest stops for!

At the top, it was a typical White Peak landscape of tracks and minor lanes, dry stone walls, and sheep pasture, and views for miles.

I was soon heading down towards Taddington village.

Taddington To Monsal Head

The route just skirts the edge of the village, heads down the lane and over the A6 before rising round the end of a hill and dropping down to High Dale.

When joining the minor road at a hairpin bend, it took me a while to realise that I had to take the high road to pass Lower Farm.

Traversing the hillside gave views through the haze down to the River Wye and the A6, near to where my car was parked.

Further along, I got my first look at the Monsal Head viaduct, with the pub and cafe on the hilltop above.

I had to take great care as I descended, so as not to miss the path to the right, before reaching the disused railway line (Monsal Trail). My path took me across a bridge over the Trail, and dropped down to the footbridge over the river.

Now, I had to climb up the hillside path to the cafe. Part way up, there is a bench, so I stopped there for lunch, taking in the view of the viaduct, Monsal Dale to the left, and Upperdale to the right, where the footbridge is just visible.

The header picture for the blog is the iconic view from the cafe car park, and it must be one of the finest views in England. It was a battle for the railway to be built here, but I think we can be grateful that the Victorians did it.

Monsal Dale From Monsal Head To White Lodge Car Park

I have mentioned in previous blogs the decimation that ash dieback is causing to the wooded slopes of the Derbyshire dales. Here, a Natural England project called Life In The Ravines is fighting back. It involves felling diseased and dying trees to create clear planting areas, and planting lime, wych elm, aspen and yew as replacements.

A small bonus for us is that the clearance programme has created additional spectacular viaduct views.

The path drops down through the wood before crossing the river near a weir.

It can be really busy here in the summer, not so today, and it’s a pretty walk along the riverside back to the car park.

This is just a lovely walk in a very popular area. It is certainly one that I can recommend.

And Finally….

It was a different scene last Friday evening when we went to see Scouting For Girls in the unusual setting of Manchester Cathedral.

They played all their hits, and it was a great night of pop music. This is the classic Elvis Ain’t Dead.