Stanton Moor

Monday 28th May 2018

On the Bank Holiday Monday at the end of May this year I decided I would do a walk in the Peak District so after catching a train to Matlock I headed out of the town on the Limestone Way. I had walked part of this trail the year before after walking along the High Peak Trail, and on that occasion I had come off the trail in the tiny village of Bonsall, but now I was heading to Bonsall. First, I climbed out of Matlock through gorgeous wildflower meadows that were full of buttercups and red clover, as well many other wild flowers. It was misty and overcast overhead, but already quite warm so I was sure this mist would soon burn off. Contouring around Masson Hill I began to descend through lovely woodland on a track that seemed like it had been around for centuries. It was lined with cow parsley, red campion and yellow archangel and provided me with a grand entrance into Bonsall that I had passed through the previous year. Now on more familiar ground I climbed back out of Bonsall on the Limestone Way, through Upper Town and as I crossed the eastern slopes of Blakelow Hill blue sky began to appear overhead as the clouds slowly thinned with the warming of the day, although it would remain misty for another couple of hours.

At Luntor Rocks I finally came off the Limestone Way and headed down into the village of Winster where I picked up some lunch from the local shop before continuing north down the hill, across the usually boggy head of a valley that was now dry thanks to the recent hot weather, and steeply up the hill opposite. On reaching the road near Birchover Quarry I was very close to Stanton Moor, which was the target of my walk, and where I had previously visited just once before way back in 1999. This had been a very short walk, not worth talking about, centred on the moor, so nineteen years later I was finally returning to Stanton Moor on a longer walk that would take me all day. Entering the moor I turned left and followed clear paths through the heather moorland until I reached the Cork Stone, which has metal loops built into it that would enable someone to climb all the way up to the top of this large rock, but I didn’t give it a try. Instead I headed out onto the moor passing large groves of rhododendron before reaching the trig point that is situated at the highest point on the moor.

After lunch I headed back past the Cork Stone onto the main path north through Stanton Moor before starting to wander around for a bit coming off the path to simply see where the branch went. When I realised I was back at the trig point I retraced my steps and continued north until I reached the Nine Ladies Stone Circle where once again I wandered through the now wooded landscape looking for the King Stone that is marked on maps. Eventually I gave up and turned around only to find the King Stone right next to the Nine Ladies. Heading east I sought a tower that lies on the edge of the moor, however, I have no idea what it was built for so I headed north and eventually came out of Stanton Moor. Entering Sheepwalk Wood I followed a path that was probably not the right-of-way but did take me through the usually boggy woodland all the way to the northern end where there are some fabulous crags that are clearly the remains of quarrying. On coming onto a road I followed this all the way into Rowsley while overhead the cloud and mist had finally cleared leaving a warm sunny day.

On leaving Rowsley I joined the route of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way, which at this point also follows the course of the old railway through the Peak District between Matlock and Buxton. This was a lovely section running alongside the River Derwent through woodland that was full of the sweet smell of wild garlic until all too soon I reached the northern terminus of the preserved steam railway of Peak Rail. Even though nineteen years ago I had taken the steam train and there was a train waiting in the station now I continued to walk down the valley through dreary farmer’s fields, and soon regretted it as the train passed me by. Instead I walked through dull fields in the hot sunshine until I reached the railway station in Matlock a couple of minutes too late to catch the train.  With an hour to wait for the next train I decided rather than sit around in Matlock I would continue walking along the Derwent Valley Heritage Way passing out of the town and climb steeply up High Tor. This climb was very exhausting in the hot weather so I was relieved when the path finally levelled off and I diverted onto a fabulous traverse across the face of High Tor cliffs.

I previously took this path in 2011 during a family visit to Matlock Bath and was keen to revisit this vertiginous path that is perched on a ledge high above the Derwent Valley. I love terrace paths such as these even though I am not great with heights, possibly because they give me a little thrill of exposure, but little chance of falling from the wide ledge. All too soon I was past the worst of the terrors and back on the main path descending far too steeply for my poor knees that were still recovering from the hammering they had taken in the Lake District at the beginning of May. The path eventually brought me into the busy tourist trap of Matlock Bath where I got some chips and finally caught the train. This was a lovely walk to Stanton Moor from Matlock and back, although I preferred it when it was overcast and cool as the weather got rather too hot for walking in the afternoon. It was great to finally return to the fascinating Stanton Moor having wanted to return for many years, and I especially enjoyed the walk over High Tor, even though it was unplanned, as I have wanted to walk from Matlock to Matlock Bath ever my visit in 2011.