Tissington, 30th November 2014

Today's 10 mile walk took us to the limestone villages of Tissington, Parwich, south of Ballidon and to Brassington and Bradbourne in an area of the White Peak rich in mining history.  It was an undulating walk crossing several dales with streams which drain into Carsington Reservoir.

We started in the Tissington Trail car park and walked through the village, past the duck pond ...

...  before diverting to visit Tissington Hall, an early 17th-century Jacobean mansion house ...

... then joining the Limestone Way.
 This excellent long-distance bridleway runs through the White Peak from Castleton to the Staffordshire border on the Dove, south west of Ashbourne.  It originally ran to Matlock, but was diverted to its current, longer route to join up with the Staffordshire Way.

We passed through Parwich ... 
 

... and continued on the Limestone Way until lunchtime in Brassington at the Norman St James's Church (or another establishment).
Brassington is famous for its lead mines, remains of hundreds of which surround the village (see here).  Lead mining ended long ago although barytes and caulk were still mined in the 20th century.  The Golconda mine dating back to the mid eighteenth century was the last mine to close, in 1953.

After lunch we passed through the Thankful Village of Bradbourne.  Thankful Villages are settlements in both England and Wales from which all their members of the armed forces survived World War I.


Then, a final coffee stop and some excitement at the ford below Tissington.



A good day out in Derbyshire with first rate conditions for photography.



Finally, this is today's GPS file plotted on top of OpenStreetMap and stored as a .jpg image. 



Bardney, 23rd November 2014



Famous for its position as a river crossing, as a railway junction and its nearby airfield (see village history)


One of nine monastries on the banks of the Witham!
The ruins - lunch at the abbey

St John the Divine, Southrey
Memorial to Southrey soldiers
Built around 1903 and fed by boreholes close by, disused after 1938.  (There are dozens of images of this and other water towers on the web - why??!!)


Tea time in the local Heritage Centre.  This is a watering hole for cyclists on  the Water Rail Way, an interesting 30 mile cycle path from Lincoln to Boston along the Witham

Fulbeck, 16th November 2014

Judging from the photographs I've been sent, the group never went farther than the pub today!


A taste of things to come - Tissington, November 30th 2014

The walk takes us to the limestone villages of Tissington, Parwich, south of Ballidon and to Brassington and Bradbourne in an area of the White Peak rich in mining history.  It's an undulating walk crossing several dales with streams which drain into Carsington Reservoir, is about ten miles long and will take 5 hours.




 
We start in the Tissington Trail car park and divert slightly to visit Tissington Hall, an early 17th-century Jacobean mansion house ...





... before joining the Limestone Way
This excellent long-distance bridleway runs through the White Peak from Castleton to the Staffordshire border on the Dove, south west of Ashbourne.  It originally ran to Matlock, but was diverted to its current, longer route to join up with the Staffordshire Way 

We pass through Parwich ...

 and continue on the Limestone Way until lunchtime in Brassington either at the Norman St James's Church or another establishment.


Brassington is famous for its lead mines, remains of hundreds of which surround the village (see here).  Lead mining ended long ago although barytes and caulk were still mined in the 20th century.  The Golconda mine dating back to the mid eighteenth century was the last mine to close, in 1953.



Hungarton, 9th November 2014



Ramblers remember

Leaving Hungarton, the group seems to have spread out a bit ....
... but is safely gathered in by the time it reaches Quenby Hall

Long Clawson, 2nd November 2014

For those who miss a walk, we will try to include on the blog a route description so you can still do it at a later date.  This means that someone with a GPS device on the walk must record the track as a .gpx file.  A recording with a distance interval of 200m is sufficiently accurate for most puposes.
Distance 4.9 miles, height gained 90m

Long Clawson windmill showing the characteristic Lincolnshire-style cap (white painted ogee-shape)

We are encouraged to talk to potential new members ...
.... but Bernard should really have gone to Specsavers

VBR AGM in Long Clawson Village Hall
Rab in the Chair and Mike handing over the Treasurer's responsibilities