derbyshire/staffs derbyshire 11 Parkhouse, chrome & hollins hills 12 Wolfscote & biggin dales MIDLANDS uDistance: 4¾ miles/7.5km uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Moderate MIDLANDS uDistance: 6 miles/9.6km uTime: 3 hours uGrade: Moderate e chrome and Parkhouse P lan your walk e P lan your walk see UR see UR hills from the south. EATage 32 EATage 32 F P F P on on Photo: Photo: tom bailey tom tom bailey tom route route s tart/parking s tart/parking Car park hollinsclough, sK17 0rG Walking in a wintry in centre of hartington, g r i d r e f s K 0 6 5 6 6 5 Wolfscote dale. grid ref sK128604 is it for me? field and hill is it for me? paths; steep (sometimes Clear paths, mostly level, chosen by… of school geography lessons slippery) on Chrome hill chosen by… centre of Hartington, start one gentle climb roger butler and their narrow rock-fringed and Parkhouse hill jenny walters walking south out of village stiles None The delights of tops were originally formed as stiles 2 The Derbyshire Peak on Mill Lane, passing Charles Dovedale are well reef knolls, at a time when the District is rightly Cotton pub on R. Soon turn L PlannIng PlannIng known, but just a few miles Peak District was probably famed for its dales, the into car park by information nearest town nearest town buxton bakewell north of Hartington the somewhere south of the river-cut gorges that wrap you centre and up steps to L of refreshments Pubs and refreshments hill country around the equator. Some say Chrome cafés in Longnor; pub in steep crags and forest as toilet block, signed for Pubs & cafés in hartington headwaters of the Dove still Hill resembles a stegosaurus; a t e a r l s t e r n d a l e they twist through the hills. Wolfscote Dale. Go through Public toilets feel off the beaten track. others think it looks like the Public toilets None This circuit from Hartington gate and curve R to follow Mill Lane, hartington Here, above the hamlet of back of an angry dragon! Public transport links two of the most scenic: path through fields to reach Public transport high Hollinsclough, the gritstone You could spend all day on None to start. Nearest Wolfscote and Biggin. The first gate with track beyond. Cross Peak 442 from buxton station at buxton to ashbourne calls at track and go through gate on of the Dark Peak meets the each these hills, with their maps Os explorer OL24; traces the River Dove before it hartington (at least limestone of the White Peak panoramic views down the Landranger 119 hits the crowds of Dove Dale other side to take path that seven a day, Mon-sat) and wild heather moors Upper Dove Valley and south itself, and the second is even curves downhill – waymarked maps Os explorer OL 24; suddenly merge into valleys towards the Derbyshire Dales. quieter, a magical place of with posts – and through Landranger 119 with bright green pasture. And look out for the leading E with Chrome Hill and rocky tranquility. And with one gap in wall. Keep with path, This walk explores both sides weathered limestone archway Parkhouse Hill both prominent gentle climb to finish – where passing through squeeze of the divide and takes in two near the top of Chrome Hill. ahead. Fork L on the farm you can look back across the stile by gate, and going ¾ mile/1.2 km eye-catching and energetic track/byway, by a stone barn, dale-slashed peaks – it might slightly uphill beyond – 2Follow path through limestone ridges as well as the Start after 400m and keep ahead just be the perfect winter walk. again waymarked with the woods to soon meet long whaleback of Hollins Hill. 1From the road junction in to meet the meandering posts – before dropping River Dove (water to R). Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill Hollinsclough, once a centre for headwaters of the Dove. Turn Start gently down and through Keep on L bank of river both deserve to be the subject silk weaving, take the lane R to pass through a gate and ➥ 1From the car park in the squeeze stile into woods. to footbridge, then cross ➥ 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 MIDLANDS derbyshire janUaRy 2019 derbyshire/staffs janUaRy 2019 12 Wolfscote & biggin dales 11 Parkhouse, chrome & hollins hills uOS Explorer map OL24 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL24 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop and continue downstream cross a footbridge next to a s art on R-hand bank. When you t ford. Continue through a pair spot next footbridge on L, of gateposts to the open lane. 1 turn and cross. On the other side, bear R as waymarked 1 mile/1.5km e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. e Survey. Media 001/19 e Survey. C and trace path along beside C 2Turn L for 200m and leave fence, following arrows to the unfenced lane to climb 5 rdnan Parkhouse Hill (Open Access rdnan reach gate. Go through, cross o o the small stream ahead 19 land). Veer R of a conspicuous 19 4 (ignore the footbridge to protruding rock and gradually 6 Date walke Date walke Date yright 20 the R here) and go through yright 20 climb path up the northern P P o o C another gate to arrive in flanks. An intermittent path C 2 Wolfscote Dale at National rises to the airy ridge, with 3 Trust sign. outcrops, and it is worth ©Crown ©Crown continuing ‘up and over’ to ©Crown D D enjoy the scenery and the 6 1½ miles/2.3km 5 3There’s an interesting unexpected sense of exposure. 2 cave if you want to detour Retrace your steps back to the a short way up the hill to L; lane, taking care on the steep s tart 1 otherwise, bear R to trace 3 grassy slopes and banks of time t the path down the dale, time t polished limestone. with the river to your R, for 1¼ miles/2km to a junction 1¾ miles/2.75km sharp R after the next gate. descent, SW through hawthorn with a fingerpost. aken 3Go R on lane and by cattle Follow permissive path L, bushes, to meet a track/ aken grid take stile on L to follow a keeping alongside wall to N bridleway which leads down 2½ miles/4.2km permissive path over pasture of Tor Rock. Join right of way to cross a fine old packhorse 4Turn L here, signed Biggin. and a low limestone ridge to a at track junction, by cattle bridge guarded by a couple This junction can be one huge gate in a wall by an isolated grid/stile, just N of Stoop of small gates. puddle, but there should be a tree. Climb the grassy spur Farm and continue, trending dry-boot way past on the rocks which now rears straight ahead SW, for 700m to reach lane 4 4½ miles/7km to the L. Follow the stony and to reach the crest of Chrome near Booth Farm. 6Continue SE on grassy often wet trail up through Hill. Continue for approximately path for 300m to small gate yo yo Biggin Dale for 1¼ miles/2km 450m and as the ridge begins 3½ miles/5.5km at lane just N of Hollinsclough. UR UR to reach another path junction 4½ miles/7.3 km down into Hartington. Turn L to drop N, pass eroded stone 5Fork L on track and take Turn L downhill to return to R R ating with a fingerpost. 6Turn L on this lane, then again at T-junction to return ating arch on R. Keep R towards the gate E onto Hollins Hill (Open start. very soon turn L again on track to start. end of the ridge and follow a Access). Climb E to meet wall 3¾ miles/6.2 km – labelled cycle route 548 – steep path, with some simple leading S along broad ridge. 5Turn L, signed Hartington, passing Dale End House on L, VIwe the walk on scrambling which can be easily Keep wall on R and follow VIwe the walk on © Country © Country going through gate and then and climbing gently on track OS MaPs onlIne: © Country avoided, to veer L to a gate. signs, walking S for almost OS MaPs onlIne: swinging R to walk along to big views across the hills. lfto.com/cwroutes 1km, with uninterrupted views lfto.com/cwroutes the floor of the dale. At the Continue ahead through w 2½ miles/4km to Chrome Hill and Parkhouse w alking January20 alking January20 next fork, keep ahead signed staggered crossroads of tracks, I N ASSOCIATION WITH 4Marker posts indicate Hill and the valley beyond. I N ASSOCIATION WITH for Biggin, passing through later passing farm building on the way forward on another The land drops steeply at the gate and on along base of L and curving R to hit a road. permissive path – go through end of the ridge and follow 19 the dale to reach road. Turn L on lane which leads OS maps 19 gate and keep ahead to turn fingerposts for a zig-zag OS maps ✁.