Churnet Valley – Alton and Brookleys Lake

Saturday 5th March 2022

After bad weather in February it was a relief to finally be able to go walking again at the beginning of March, so I quickly headed back to the Churnet Valley and parked at the Ramblers Retreat. This is an Inn that I’d passed by on several occasions over the winter but I had never parked there until now and I found that the small car park fills very quickly. I set off along the route of the Staffordshire Way on a heavily eroded path up to a track above the valley floor, but soon I realised that I had left my walking poles behind so I had to retrace my steps all the way back to my car to retrieve them before starting the walk all over again. At the end of the track, beside Holm Cottage, I climbed again, briefly, up a narrow path and at the top I saw some little green plants scattered beside the path that I realised must be very young bluebells. When I had previously been in the Churnet Valley it was still winter, but now I had this early promise of spring and that spurred me on. I am eager to see how the Churnet Valley is transformed by the coming of spring when the woods become covered in wildflowers and should be a fabulous sight. Further along the path, I passed some rock formations that I couldn’t resist climbing and beyond that I came to a lookout point where I had tremendous views across the valley with the morning sunshine and blue skies adding to the scene.

Returning to the path I slowly descended into the village of Alton and keeping to the Staffordshire Way I meandered through the streets and onto muddy, grassy fields as the walk deteriorated with the views now becoming bland and the landscape a farming monoculture. On reaching Saltersford Lane it seemed I would have to wade through thick mud, but soon I discovered there were flagstones on one side of the lane that provided me with a firm, though not necessarily dry, surface underfoot as I made my way along the lane. This slowly descended into the broadening Churnet Valley whose slopes were now much gentler and less dramatic than in my beloved parts of the valley upstream. Beyond this point the River Churnet meanders excessively before joining the River Dove just south of Rocester, so I would consider this the end of the Churnet Valley. Turning back upstream I walked along the route of the old railway that used to run through the valley and at this point is lined with trees that provided me with an enjoyable walk in the sunshine.

As the valley narrowed and the sides became steeper, the landscape became wilder and it was tempting to stay on the route of the dismantled railway all the way back to Ramblers Retreat, but this would have resulted in a very short walk, so in an attempt to prolong the walk I turned off the track onto a path that heads back down the valley. I wasn’t sure where I was going here except for a vague idea of exploring the area to the north of the valley, so for now I just stayed on the good path that became a track and after passing Crumpwood Weir became a private road. As I emerged into the more open area I took a path out of the valley, but with a choice of routes and not knowing where I was going I blindly chose one that was directed by a distinctive arrow that was very different to the local council signs. This took me through young woodland around the testing site for JCB whose world headquarters is nearby in Rocester. Fortunately there was no activity in the testing site when I was there, so I was able to wander safely around looking for the path until eventually I came to the clearly artificial Brookleys Lake.

The public footpath goes up the western side of the lake and when I reached a junction of paths, I turned uphill through established woodland and eventually left the JCB test site behind. A wide track now took me above an escarpment beside a high fence beyond which was the Alton Towers Resort and the twisted roofs of the enchanted village. I could see on the map a reference to Ina’s Rock so after passing the resort hotel I descended off the escarpment edge and onto a path below that led me to a large outcrop that must be Ina’s Rock. I spent quite a while exploring the rock and Joe’s Cave inside while waiting for the sun to come out so I could take a good picture until eventually I tore myself away and descended the hillside back onto the course of the old railway, which I followed all the way back to Ramblers Retreat. I enjoyed exploring the area around the JCB test site principally because it is a complicated area that I had never been to before and I had no idea where I was going. It was cold which prompted me to wear gloves most of the day, but it was sunny, which always helps and the signs of spring were really encouraging. Despite having now been everywhere in the Churnet Valley, the coming of spring is all the incentive I need to return again to this fabulous area.