Recently, I feel a bit like I’ve been bombarding you with posts about Scotland! While it’s one of my all time favourite places, I realise that for some people it’s a bit too much of a trek and therefore I’m shaking things up a bit, with a post about a walk we recently did in the Peak District. I’d bought a crash proof dog crate on eBay and needed to drive down to Chesterfield to pick it up, so we thought it was a great opportunity to stop off in the Peak District on our way home. It was the late May bank holiday and we were a bit wary of the Peak District being absolutely mobbed, so we made sure to arrive at the start of the walk by about half nine before things started to get busy – happily, this was early enough that most people still seemed to be in bed, or not there yet at any rate!
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After googling quiet areas in the Peak District and cross referencing with our trusty Pocket Mountains guide, we decided on a 6km circular walk from the pretty village of Monyash. Soon after we set off on our walk, I was starting to have doubts: the countryside was OK but not mind blowing, and we were passing an astonishing amount of people who were quite clearly on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition. I was feeling a bit ‘meh’ about the walk, especially as I was peckish and had left my snacks in the car (rookie error I know), but we soon arrived in Upper Lathkill Dale and all of my reservations went out of the window.
This limestone valley is incredibly pretty, and in late May with the hawthorns in full bloom and the sun shining it was even better. It reminded me a bit of Trollers Gill in the Yorkshire Dales, only wider and with more green. Sam gave up waiting for me to finish taking photos in the end and carried on walking, waiting for me to catch up later on!
Shortly before or after you reach the valley, depending on the direction you walk in, the path passes through a densely wooded copse – at times I almost felt like I’d round the corner and need a machete to hack my way through! This green tunnel lends the walk a very adventurous feel, as does the pretty wooden bridge which you use to cross the river, and by about the halfway point I was thoroughly enjoying myself (hunger forgotten).
As you walk, look out for the odd cave here and there – if you keep your eyes open you will see them lurking in the walls of the valley. Sam loves exploring this kind of thing whereas I am very happy to look from the outside only!
We finished up the walk by following the Limestone Way (not the whole thing) back to Monyash. This took us through a farmyard and then through pasture and quiet, enclosed lanes. It was a good thing we did the walk in this direction, as right at the very end we had to cross a field with cows, calves and a bull right by the path. If it hadn’t meant turning around and doing pretty much the whole walk again, I think I would’ve refused to go in! In the end though we skirted the field edge to give them a very wide berth, and they happily ignored us completely. I expect they’re probably used to lots of people tramping across their field everyday!
Generally, this walk should be manageable for most people. It took us a few hours but was mostly flat, with just a few short sections of ascent/descent and nothing horrendously strenuous. The path varies between grassy field tracks and clearly defined trails: just make sure you’re following the right one, as there are lots of different path networks criss crossing throughout this walk.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. We kept our dogs on their leads all the way around this walk: you can expect to see sheep and cattle, although you might be able to let your dog off along the enclosed lanes. There is a short section along the road at the start and end of the walk, and at one point you cross a busier road, where care is needed. Ours enjoyed walking along the river and the opportunity to cool off with a dip near the bridge, but other than this there is no water along the way, so you should bring some extra for your dog if it’s a hot day. We encountered a couple of stiles along the way, but these were mostly the kind built into walls which dogs can easily scramble over without needing to be lifted.
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