Date: Wednesday morning, 28th February 2007
Weather: Dry and bright after early morning rain. Breezy
Walkers: Celia, Audrey, Harry and Roger
Parking: Main Street in Birchover
The Walk:
The good thing about starting from a village main street is that there is always a good chance of there being a pub open at the end without having to go searching. Today we started from the Red Lion with high hopes of a decent reward at lunchtime. By the side of the inn a path runs between the houses and rises up some steps to meet an old well worn track coming uphill from the left . Turn right and the track climbs steadily upwards with the village below to the right. This is Dungeon Plantation with relics of old quarry workings overgrown with ivy. It's always good to get the hard work out of the way at the beginning and this is the walk to prove the point. Its 'heads down', no talking and plod upwards for several minutes until the road and quarry buildings are reached at the top. Quarrying has been carried out here for generations but has been the centre of much controversy over recent years as will be seen later in the walk. By turning left along Birchover Road the quarry is soon left behind to be replaced by open woodland on both sides. A footpath to the right leads over a stile and out onto Stanton Moor which is rough heather moorland around numerous disused quarries. These are little more than holes in the ground and have become quite attractive over the years as they are now all overgrown. This is a mysterious place even in good weather and it's definitely not a place to be in the mist or rain. The weather has carved exposed rocks into unusual shapes all over this moor and the first one we come across is the Cork Stone. In the 1930s handholes were carved into the rock to make its accent just about possible.
We turned left at this stone to cross the moor towards the birch woods half a mile away. It was on this path that we met a hooded figure with his dog Paddy. Just in time Celia realized that it was Gus – another escapee from the joys of education. The path leads on through open birch woodland until it divides left and right with a fence preventing any further progress northwards.
We took the path to the right as the left path takes you to the road or back across the moor. Our path quickly leads to the Nine Ladies Stone Circle. There is nothing too impressive about the construction of this circle apart from the fact that it has survived with little help from man for the odd thousand years. Nine stones stand reasonably erect about one metre out of the ground in a clearing in the birch trees. There is a sense of tranquility to this place but I am sure it would feel the same if the stones were not there. The circle must, however, have been a valued place until quite recently as this is one of the few parts of the moor which is unaffected by quarrying. Our path leads on to a stile after which we turn right, back along the edge towards the Earl Grey Tower. I am not sure whether this was erected to honour him for the Reform Act 1832 or his contribution to the tea trade, but either way it is an interesting stopping point and a good place for a break. On this occasion water and oranges had to suffice. The woods on the valley side below are owned by the National Trust and in recent years have become home to the 'Tree People'. These itinerants originally moved in to protest about the extension of a local quarry but seem to have decided to stop long after the battle has been won. This has become a major blot on what was otherwise an attractive area. From here the walk follows the edge passed several worn rocky outcrops before meeting Lees Road.
This is a quiet lane and the walk can be finished by following this to the right and back into the village. However we took a diversion to the left after climbing up the hill. This track leads down to the left of the Barn Farm buildings before turning right past the camping area and out along the drive and back to the road. A short walk along the attractive main street brings us back to the car on the road outside the Red Lion.
Hostelry: The Red Lion. This has changed hands in recent months and now has an Italian chef. There is a good choice of beers including Black Sheep and a mixture of Italian and English dishes at reasonable prices. Our only concern was that, on a busy day, it would have been appropriate to take sandwiches to eat while you were waiting!
Roger