Diary Walk               Sunday 29 January 2012              Weather, 4⁰ C. Cold.

Cromford Meadows CP     Depart 10 am        10 miles         Leader: Anne White

As we drove into the car park, we were confronted by a multitude of people, cars with boot lids raised; all the signs of walkers preparing for walking and indeed this was so. It turned out that Derby and South Derbyshire Ramblers group were also starting a walk from here at the same time, we ended up with twelve of our own, losing a few who decided to walk with D & SD instead. Their walk was also ten miles; though ours probably had a few more bumps to get over, around seventeen hundred foot of ascent in all. Both groups left the car park at the appointed time and, would you believe, both groups returned at exactly the same time; well. we may have been a gnats’ ahead of them. Their walk, I believe, was in the Matlock and Winster areas, while ours was Middleton and Wirksworth, finishing with Bolehill.

We crossed the A6 to go up and along Intake Lane, passing close by the entrance to our previous night’s venue, Alison House Hotel, where twenty-five of us gathered for our annual group dinner. Those of us who attended needed to burn a few calories and I am sure we used many in working our way up, across Cromford Moor, to Black Rocks car park, where we stopped for a drink and to use the facilities there. We moved on to pass the cemetery and on towards Middleton crossing the spoil heaps of old mines - in spring, this would be a place of beauty, a place renowned for Wild Pansies and Leadwort - today, the overnight frost had enhanced this somewhat bleak landscape. We followed our normal route, turning right half-way across, only to be confronted a little later by a locked gate. We decided to investigate this on another occasion, instead retracing our steps and taking the path to Middleton Church. Middleton was quiet this morning as we clumped and chatted our way along the deserted streets, turning near the chapel for the high track to Middleton Top and another toilet break, must be the colder weather!

Along the trail now, being wary of cyclists who always seem to approach from behind with us oblivious to their presence - if only they had a bell, ‘must patent that idea’! Off the trail and on course for Carsington water, passing through a herd of inquisitive young beasts before settling down for our lunch break, within touching distance of Hopton Hall, where we note that the snowdrop gardens and walks are open during February and into March. Lunch was taken seated on some prominent rocks, enjoying our snap and listening to a very noisy Great Tit in the tree beside us. Its incessant tweeting causing us to further investigate its position; once found, it duly flew off to hide in a tree on the other side of us. Next, on to the tarmac for a short road walk before taking to the fields and Summer Lane, the road traffic had caused the group to split a little and it happened that, although small in number, we ended up on either side of the same hedge; fortunately a couple of handy gates in Summer Lane allowed us to rejoin without too much difficulty. This was followed by a good downhill stretch into and through Wirkswoth, eventually walking up above the Railway station and on to the Hamlet of Bolehill where we paused for a rest before the biggest, steepest climb of the day, to the top of Bole Hill itself. The name Bole Hill derives from lead smelting, Bole usually a windy hillside that would aid ventilation.

Bole Hill conquered and a short break for a rest around the Trig point, admiring the views and the young marcescent trees near to us, before making a leisurely descent, literally all the way down hill into Cromford. A pleasant walk firstly through lunar-type landscape where the trees had been felled and a few cattle and sheep left to graze the scrub, then on through magical woodlands mentioned many times by me before, so I’ll not dwell on it again. At the end, no tea stop today as we all seemed to have some other this or that to attend to. A good day for clearing the cobwebs and losing a few calories which I  am sure we all did.