The High Peak Trail and Gratton Dale

Saturday 8th April 2017

At the start of my walk through Lathkill Dale, described last week, I walked along a section of the High Peak Trail which caught my interest such that just two weeks later I returned to the Peak District during another fabulous weekend of weather. This time, I caught the train to the station of Cromford and after walking along the road for a spell I came to the Cromford Wharf where the Cromford Canal has its northern terminus. As I made my way along the canal early morning mist lay in the Derwent Valley and it was gorgeous to be out walking again at this early hour through the peaceful tree-filled landscape. Soon the railway and the River Derwent came alongside as I continued this pleasant walk beside the canal until I reached High Peak Junction where the old Cromford and High Peak Railway started beside the Cromford Canal before climbing into the Peak District. Therefore it was at this point that I came off the canal and joined the start of the High Peak Trail as it sets off up the first of several steep inclines.

The Cromford and High Peak Railway was one of the first railways to be built, in 1831, and has many characteristics that were not repeated in later lines. The gradients on the line, required to get over the plateau of the High Peak, are exceptionally steep for a railway with this initial gradient at one in eight, and also since the line was built on the canal principle of following contours, it has many tight curves that were later to create problems for train operations. The railway has long since been abandoned, but it now makes for a great walk as I toiled up the steep gradients under leafless trees and onto the open plateau of the High Peak with cloudless skies overhead. The High Peak Trail takes a route just outside the southern edge of the Peak District past terrain that is largely unexplored by me, which I felt was a shame, especially when passing Black Rocks, a popular picnic location and prominent hill that overlooks Cromford.

The views into the Derwent Valley were great, though hazy, however some of the views from this section of the trail is of quarrying, past and present, but the view at my feet was fabulous with celandines and dandelions lining the trail with many other wild flowers and the promise that many other wonderous flowers would appear later in the spring and bring further delight. Eventually I passed into the Peak District and the scenery became the usual High Peak rolling hill and drystone wall which became rather repetitive after many hours of walking, so it was a relief when I eventually reached the car park at Friden that I had used two weeks previously and finally left the High Peak Trail venturing down Long Dale. This valley seemed to be full to overflowing with celandines that covered the grassy floor making for a pleasurable walk as I passed by the bare grassy sides of the valley. Upon turning into Gratton Dale trees now filled the valley and many more wild flowers decorated the scene and while the path through the valley had clearly recently been very muddy, fortunately the warm weather had almost solidified the ground sufficiently to ease walking.

This valley was a fabulous place to walk and I was disappointed when I reached Dale End where I took a track that took me through celandine covered fields to the village of Elton. After passing through the village I joined the Limestone Way where celandines continued to accompany me as I made my way around the village of Winster and over a hill to Upper Town and Bonsall where I left the Limestone Way and took a track around Ball Eye Quarry. This track also teemed with celandines especially on the steep descent into the village of Cromford. I seemed to have been overloaded with celandines on this walk and lining this path above Cromford there must have been more than anywhere else. Unfortunately by this time I was getting concerned about getting to the station in time to catch the train, so I almost ran down the hill barely noticing all the celandines as I rushed past and through the village of Cromford, but I actually got to the station in plenty of time to catch the packed train.

I must have covered a long distance on this walk, at least twenty miles, and through maintaining a brisk pace for much of its duration I completed the whole walk in eight hours. There were some great sections of this walk, but there were also other moments like the second half of my time on the High Peak Trail where the time seemed to drag. I love walking at this time of the year if only because of the wild flowers that can be seen, and this walk was especially spectacular for wild flowers. I must have seen millions of celandines and is the defining characteristic of the walk and what I remember most about it.