High Level Round of Dove Dale

Saturday 3rd November 2007

With the autumn well advanced all mountain walking was now on hold until the spring (I don't like really walking in the winter as the weather can get really bad this time of the year, however, I just don’t have any holidays left till Christmas), but I can still go for easy walks that are not far from where I live and the Peak District is always good for an easy walk. I got this walk from the Walking Britain website which is a good source of easy walks (well, easy for me) and is more importantly, free. The walk started from the big car park near Thorpe Cloud which I have previously vigorously avoided, mainly because you have to pay (but it was only £2 so what was the fuss about?). During previous visits to the area I have parked in the free car park on the other side of Thorpe despite needing to climb back over the hill at the end of the walk. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary for this walk.

Right at the start of the walk I climbed Thorpe Cloud, which is something I have not done on almost all my previous visits to the area, in fact I had been up Thorpe Cloud only once before and that was over twenty years ago when I was a child. The route I now took though was much rougher than the one I’d taken all those years ago as after crossing the footbridge I headed straight up the hill on the edge of the steep ridge. The rocks under foot were very slippery which made the going rather perilous and at the summit (if one can use such a word for a hill less than 1000 feet high) the rocks were very slippery so traversing the summit ridge was also rather tricky but this was easy compared with the descent.

There is a clear path straight down to the stepping stones that is very steep and rocky and in the damp weather it was almost lethal. Despite my utmost care I slid down the hill and at one point I slipped over; I’m sure most of the time the path is fine but on this day not only me but everyone else was finding it very difficult. I must say I was wearing old walking boots that I'd not worn since they split at the heel while on the Isle of Arran last Easter (and for some reason hadn’t thrown out). I was trying to see whether they were worth keeping and it could be said that the sole has actually worn out giving me no grip at all on the wet rocks (but did they ever?). At the end of the walk both my feet were soaked and not just from the slit at the back, so the boots are now in the dustbin.

Eventually I did manage to get down the hill to the famous Stepping Stones in Dove Dale and after a hop across, and back again, I proceeded along the valley. Soon I left the crowds behind and took a path up the eastern side of the valley onto a clear, but narrow path high above the valley floor. On reading the route description I had assumed I would be staying on the main path until I got to the Lover’s Leap and I only really took this narrow path because it looked more interesting. Re-reading the description it appears I was going the right way, but this path did not go to Lover’s Leap, which I believe is lower down near the bottom of the valley. My path came out onto open grassland and petered out high above Lover’s Leap, and certainly did not start at Lover’s Leap.

After admiring the view up and down the valley I headed further up the hillside towards Moor Barn which was clearly visible. As I approached the barn the gloomy, damp weather decided it had had enough and the clouds broke to reveal a lovely, sunny day for the rest of the walk. A concessionary path, signposted to Tissington, now materialised despite not being on the map so I followed this past the barn and on to a right of way (just as the description said) which I followed north through many grassy fields. I’ve got to say I didn’t find this section of the walk particularly interesting as walking through fields holds no interest for me. I prefer wild, uncultivated country where man's interference has been kept to a minimum.

Eventually I reached Shining Tor with its outstanding views of Dove Dale both north and south where I just had to stop and admire the views, so I also had my lunch. Onward I descended into Milldale where the crowds were so thick I quickly escaped up a path that was marked as dangerous. I think I would have taken this path even if it wasn’t on my route since the look of it was just too tempting to ignore. A steep tricky ascent carried me high out of the village before slowly descending back down into the valley heading south on the western side of the river, the opposite side from all the crowds. The path became very tricky when approached the river and would obviously be impassable following heavy rain, but I had no such problems on this walk as I gingerly made my way south.

Upon reaching Hall Dale the path improved and half way to Ilam Rock I left the valley bottom to climb steeply up the hillside. The route description I was following said that I would reach the Rock before climbing and the map seemed to agree, but that is maybe no longer the case as the path zigzagged steeply up the hillside on a manufactured path to the edge of the wood. There now followed an enjoyable walk just inside the wood high above the valley that all too soon ended at a gate that led me out of the wood. Again the map seemed to be incorrect as it claims the path descends steeply into the wood at this point, but instead the path maintained a level course below a farm track just above the tree line before swinging around Air Cottage and joining the farm track.

Arriving at Ilamtops Farm the route description claimed I would now see a signed right of way, but I saw none and when I followed the route indicated on the map I came across a locked gate. Firm in my conviction that I was going the right way I climbed this gate and proceeded on to Bunster Hill, and again I had to climb over a fence to get onto the Access Land. Give me Open Country any day. Passing over several tumuli I eyed the narrow grassy ridge of Bunster Hill and greedily decided that I would go over the eastern ridge to savour its delights. Oh dear. The southern ridge would have been better idea because the eastern ridge has a bit of a flaw as there is no route down from the end. Near the bottom the ridge widens before ending in rocky cliffs with bramble-filled sheer slopes. Of course all this still didn’t stop me and when I'd decided that I’d gone far enough I tried to descend the extremely steep bramble-filled south-eastern slopes. Why do I do this to myself? Eventually I made my way across the slopes (any direct descent was impossible) to the easier, though still very steep, south-western slopes. Descent was now quick and relatively easy with the car park only a short distance away. This was a good and even rather tricky walk, which shows that even the Peak District can throw up some challenges.