If you enjoy beating yourself with birch branches or any other form of masochism, then the first part of this walk is for you! The good news is that the later part of the walk nearly makes up for the hardship of the early stages.
Weather : Dry and very warm – good weather for a shady woodland walk
Date: September 2006
Car Park: Millers Dale pay and display (not expensive).
Walkers: Audrey, Celia, Harry and Roger.
The Walk: We left the car park by the access road and turned left, following the minor lane up towards Wormhill as far as the first sharp left-hand bend. We left the road on the right and followed the track due northeast in front of Glebe Farm – this leads down into Monks Dale. A path to the right should be avoided as this takes you down to the main Tideswell Road. At the start Monks Dale is a pleasant enough walk and at no time throughout all its length is the path steep or challenging. It just gets more and more unpleasant as you progress up the valley. The path is defined well enough, so there is little chance of getting lost and, for the first kilometre or so, you are on the edge of woodland with views of the limestone escarpment above. Soon after, however, the path descends to the wooded floor of the valley and "path" becomes a misleading description.
The way forward is over rocks and around boulders, which must be wet and greasy for most of the year. If there were a view, you wouldn't be able to look at it, as nearly every footstep has to be planned. The trees are little more than scrub and are covered in moss and lichen. This is a gloomy, unforgiving and primeval place. Every bend gives you hope of escape but time after time you are disappointed. Eventually the light level increases, the trees give way to pasture and you are out! We could only think that Monks Dale got its name as a place where the monks came to do penance for their worldly sins.
We kept on the track up the valley and made a short diversion across the road and through the pasture into Peter Dale. This is a pretty place! Like Monks Dale it is a Nature Reserve but the difference is remarkable. Low cliffs stand on either side of the valley and in spring this area is covered with cowslips, orchids and numerous other gems. A good place for a welcome break! In summer the pasture between the Dale and the road is a botanists dream whereas in winter this area is often flooded and can become virtually impassable. We retraced our steps to the road and turned right towards Buxton. We left the road after about 100 metres, taking a stile on the left and followed the path, which lead quite steeply up the hill.
We were now on an ancient footpath to Wormhill. From this path the views across the hills are stunning. This is a quiet corner of Derbyshire and is all the better for it. Our path crosses several fields before joining a track towards the village. This track can be followed all the way to the main road but we took an alternative path to the left, which takes you into the village past the church. Wormhill is an unspoilt farming village built around Wormhill Hall. In Norman times it was one of the administration centres of the Royal Forest. In Victorian England it was the birthplace of Thomas Brindley the famous civil engineer. We walked south down the main street past the village well and past Wormhill Hall. Paths leave the road to the right at the next bend, at Hassop Farm, but do NOT take these or you will finish up in Great Rocks Dale, which is the largest limestone quarry in Europe! Instead keep on round the bend for another 100 metres or so before taking a path to the right leading due south and down a steep valley side.
The river Wye runs along the bottom and at this point it emerges from the dramatic scenery of Chee Dale. This is a popular picnic site where several paths meet, with a footbridge over a river teeming with trout.
We followed the River down the valley. This is a well-worn path, which has now become the Monsal Trail. The old railway viaduct soon looms ahead and you have the choice of climbing the steps up to old railway or keeping along the riverside as far as the road in Millers Dale. Either route eventually gets you back to the Car Park.
Comments: Next time we do this walk we will walk through Millers Dale on the Tideswell road and follow the Limestone Way northwards past Monksdale Farm. This will cut out all of Monks Dale and give extensive views from this much higher route.
Hostelry: We were well looked after at the George Hotel next to the church in Tideswell. However we have also been advised that the Horse & Jockey is once again worth a visit.