Derbyshire Chee Dale & Monk's Dale
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derbyshire suffolk chee dale & monk’s dale oulton broad to beccles 11 12 EAST MIDLANDS a uDistance: 7¾ miles/12.5km uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Moderate uDistance: 10 miles/16km uTime: 4½ hours uGrade: Moderate b e plan youR walk plan youR walk see UR EATage 14 F on p Photo: Photo: phoebetaplin philipthomas Route Route s tart/parking Miller’s dale s tart/parking oulton the stunning car park P&d (£4.75/day), Peace and quiet on broad south railway chee dale. grid ref sk138732, nearest the suffolk broads. station (oulton broad car postcode sk17 8sN park nearby), Nr33 9Ny, Is it for me? rocky grid ref TM519921 chosen by… repurposed railway’s riverside paths with chosen by… Start Is it for me? level tracks philip thomas impressive viaducts and stepping stones (can phoebe taplin 1From Oulton Broad South and paths, mostly well As blissful as they tiptoeing through its spooky flood), plus tracks, lanes The peaceful spaces railway station, take steps drained and easy to follow are breathtaking, tunnels. But if you’ve time and and a rough, narrow of the Suffolk Broads up from Platform 1, turn L stiles one woodland path. A few the leafy limestone dales of energy, climb north out of the have a powerful, primeval over bridge and walk down short, steep ups planninG the Peak District were carved dale and join the Pennine force. Sometimes there steps onto lane. Turn L and stiles 3 nearest town out by glacial meltwater and Bridleway as it traces historic seems to be no sound but immediately fork R onto track. lowestoft/beccles today feel like lost, primeval packhorse routes down planninG the sighing of the golden When track turns R, keep refreshments ivy house worlds. This adventurous (and to Monk’s Dale, via pretty n earest town buxton reeds, but, when the wind straight on narrow fenced path hotel, 01502 501353, easily adapted) walk explores Wormhill. This mossy and refreshments drops, you can hear the hum through chalets and caravans. ivyhousecountryhotel.co.uk four of these beautiful valleys, bewitching valley is part of Miller’s dale station and chirrup of the living Cross stile near Ivy House hotel New café in Carlton café and The Anglers rest Marshes in 2020; pubs, and keep straight. Go through setting off from the old station the Derbyshire Dales National (01298 871323) in Miller’s marshes. This bleakly beautiful cafés, chippy in beccles at Miller’s Dale – now a pit Nature Reserve and winds dale, plus blackwell Mill stretch of marshland with gate and turn R then L, Public toilets Carlton stop for walkers and cyclists south back to Miller’s Dale. Tuck shop wooded nature reserves and following Angles Way past Marshes visitor centre, on the Monsal Trail. Slinking Public toilets Miller’s dale reedbeds is connected by Carlton Marshes visitor centre. beccles Quay, beccles down to the River Wye, it Start Public transport buses an hourly train at both ends Market square delves upstream through From station buildings, turn 65/65A buxton-sheffield (every two hours on Sunday). ¾ mile/1.2km Public transport 1 (stagecoachbus.co.uk) or Trains between ipswich the deep-cut gorge of Chee R along Monsal Trail away from 66 buxton-Chesterfield Look out for muntjac deer, 2Turn R after car park on and lowestoft stop at Dale, where rocky paths and viaducts, signed ‘Wye Dale’. (www.hulleys-of-baslow. water birds including geese, track and keep straight on oulton broad south stepping stones bring you After 150m, turn L down path co.uk) to Miller’s dale ducks and herons, and Angles Way. When track splits, and beccles close to the clear waters. From (for ‘Miller’s Dale’). At bottom maps OS explorer ol24, murmurations of starlings fork R onto bank and keep maps OS explorer ol40; Wye Dale, you could walk the of steps, turn R over wall and landranger 119 over the old brick mansions going with reeds on either side. landranger 134 Monsal Trail back, crossing the follow riverside path signed for ➥ of Beccles at the end. At signpost, turn L beside River ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ MIDLANDS EAST suffolk jUly 2019 derbyshire j Uly 2019 12 oulton broad to beccles 11 chee dale & monk’s dale uOS Explorer map OL40 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL24 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop ‘Chee Dale’. Keep following riverbank at junction/ 3 footbridge after ⅔-mile. Ahead, 4 the path gets rougher and rockier, turning through the 5 e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. C C sinuous Chee Dale gorge. After 1 boardwalk, cross first set of 2 3 rdnan rdnan s art stepping stones and footbridge o o t 19 19 ahead, then re-cross river 6 4 further on. Cross next set of Date walke Date walke Date yright 20 stepping stones and continue yright 20 P P o fInIsh o C C under next viaduct. 2⅓ miles/3.7km ©Crown ©Crown ©Crown 2For a shorter, easier 5 D don’t miss... 2¾ miles/4.5km 7 miles/11.25km D walk (4¼ miles) keep ahead at 3Continue to follow grassy 5Continue along the river, junction/signpost with Pennine a 1 in beccles, path beside wide, winding past sailing club and under lternat Bridleway (PBW), turn L over s art look out for River Waveney. After another the A146 bypass main road footbridge at Blackwell Mill, 2 t I the interesting couple of miles, another path bridge into Beccles. Turn go L of bike hire hut up to ve time t old sign on the leads L towards the village of L beside the quay, R over time t Monsal Trail and turn L back Dutch-style gable Barnby through North Cove the footbridge, R again and, to start. But for the full 7¾ in northgate that nature reserve. Unless you almost immediately, L into miles, swing R on PBW, still reads: “wherries want to detour a couple of Fen Lane. aken zigzagging up and R to aken constantly attend miles here to Swan Inn, Mosley Farm. Go R of stone 5⅔ miles/9.1km 7¼ miles/11.6km the traders & steam keep going beside river. 9 miles/14.5km barn (with ‘footpath’ painted 4Turn R and shortly R again 5Here, either go R to road Vessels for conveying 6Keep straight along on side) to follow lane that over stile for the path/gate into and L to back car park, or L goods to and from 5½ miles/9km picturesque Northgate, swings L. Follow this lane Monk’s Dale. The ground ahead down to steps and St Anne’s the wharf.” 4Go on along the river. past a selection of impressive north towards Tunstead for can be waterlogged where a Church in Millers Dale. Cross Look out for brick Aldeby Georgian houses, some with another 1¼ miles. stream rises, flowing over the B6049 to follow road opposite Hall on the far side. Soon charming Dutch or Flemish- rough, stony path into the (towards pub) and take signed Waveney and follow the path afterwards, the path passes style gables. Turn L through 4 miles/6.4km trees. In places, fallen branches footpath R to footbridge over yo yo along the riverbank. You will the remains of the old Beccles the Market Square and R Shortly after dilapidated can obstruct the narrow path. River Wye and up to Monsal UR UR 3 be keeping the river on your to Yarmouth railway line. onto Smallgate. Turn L semis/phonebox, follow PBW After crossing a wall, take Trail. Turn R across viaduct R R ating R from here all the way There was once a swing along Station Road to ating R up track. Continue through either the higher or lower path back to start. to Beccles. bridge here across the river. reach the station. gate and up RH wall to pick up which reunite to emerge into gravel track to Old Hall Farm. an open part of the dale. V iew the walk on Go down through farmyard Ahead, take the higher path V iew the walk on to cross road. Turn R and in rising L (for a great view back) © Country © Country OS MAPS online: © Country OS MAPS online: lfto.com/cwroutes 50m, turn L to follow PBW above a crag and down into the lfto.com/cwroutes along old, walled packhorse dale. Keep following path along w I N ASSOCIATION WITH w I N ASSOCIATION WITH alking July20 track for another ¾ mile. L bank of stream (differs from alking July20 Descend grass slope down OS map) to cross footbridge R phoebe taplin to road between Peter and climb path uphill to wall. 19 19 Photo: Dale and Monk’s Dale. Follow wall L to corner. ✁.