As a teenager, I did a two-day hike with my family, travelling from Hartington down the Dove, overnighting at Ilam Youth Hostel, and returning by the Manifold valley on the second day. As part of my training program for the 29miler, it seemed like an idea to walk this route in one day. I have walked sections in recent years, so have a good idea of the route, and from memory it should be fairly flat. I mapped it out using a piece of software and at an estimated 20miles, it looked pretty good.
After a bit of a late start (not ideal), I parked up by the Public Toilets at Hartington, and followed the path down the side of the gents, and out of the village towards the valley.
The steep-sided wooded gorge had an air of magic about it. The river looked clear and clean, and there was a limestone spire rising from the water which wouldn't look out of place off the shore of somewhere exotic.
Heavy showers dogged progress as in my indecision I swapped layers, and during a downpour stopped to dig out my proper waterproofs. The rain stopped immediately, and the clouds gradually lifted.
I left the woods, and entered the top of Wolfscote Dale.
I left the woods, and entered the top of Wolfscote Dale.
Wolfescote Dale has steep grassy sides with occasional areas of exposed limestone and caves right from the off - classic white peak. The paths are well maintained, and I began to meet a few other walkers.
At the lower end of Wolfscote Dale there is another cave up on the left, shortly before the National Trust centre (and toilets!) at Milldale.
Milldale also brought coach parties, and the first major decision of the day. Do I head up via Shining Tor, or trudge along a road section?
I decided that given the distance remaining, I would conserve my energy, dodge the hills, and take to the road. As luck would have it, there was a good path (so not actual road walking), and I was actually closer to the river than before - only a low wall separating me from the River Dove.
I decided that given the distance remaining, I would conserve my energy, dodge the hills, and take to the road. As luck would have it, there was a good path (so not actual road walking), and I was actually closer to the river than before - only a low wall separating me from the River Dove.
After the short road section, I was into Dovedale proper.
Picturesque, and busy. Sort of like a scaled-up Wolfscote Dale, but with coach parties of retired Ramblers, couples walking dogs, and school trips.
I had been enjoying the feeling of solitude, and was sad to lose it. The bumblies were blocking the path, and I put the hammer down. I was struck by how much it was like driving. Slow vehicle blocks the road, possibly a convoy, but you excuse yourself past, and they suddenly have the need to race you. The middle-aged gent in jeans with the small dog gave up pretty quickly, but a couple of the kids kept running alongside. I was into my stride, and the walking poles were working well, so I had a huge advantage of sure-footedness over the brief steep, rocky sections. They did well. It was nice to see a large group of young folk from ethnic minorities. There has been a lot of press recently that walking is almost exclusively a recreation for the white middle-class, and it was good to see the kids bucking the trend, and clearly enjoying it.
After a while I came to the stepping stones, and found myself alongside Thorpe Cloud.
After a while I came to the stepping stones, and found myself alongside Thorpe Cloud.
I've done Thorpe Cloud before, so no guilt about passing it by without climbing it.
There was a queue at the icecream kiosk in the Dovedale carpark, so I bore right and took the path out into the fields and over towards Ilam.
Looking back, Thorpe Cloud looked more impressive than I remembered.
There was a queue at the icecream kiosk in the Dovedale carpark, so I bore right and took the path out into the fields and over towards Ilam.
Looking back, Thorpe Cloud looked more impressive than I remembered.
Ilam is a pretty little village, little more than a few houses and Ilam Hall.
The path runs up to the hall and across and around the left-hand side, joining the route of the River Manifold.
The manifold is an odd river. I found the riverbed dry and barren, an untidy path of rocks and plastic bags. The path along the river ran through woodland, so there were few views. I emerged from the woods at Rushley, and had a minor route-finding crisis. I walked here a number of years ago, taking the path North to Castern Hall. But on this occasion I was to join the Manifold Trail. There was a couple out walking having similar problems, but I was able to direct them up to the hall as I crossed to the opposite side of the valley.
The path runs up to the hall and across and around the left-hand side, joining the route of the River Manifold.
The manifold is an odd river. I found the riverbed dry and barren, an untidy path of rocks and plastic bags. The path along the river ran through woodland, so there were few views. I emerged from the woods at Rushley, and had a minor route-finding crisis. I walked here a number of years ago, taking the path North to Castern Hall. But on this occasion I was to join the Manifold Trail. There was a couple out walking having similar problems, but I was able to direct them up to the hall as I crossed to the opposite side of the valley.
The path rose steeply out of the valley and out onto open fields. This felt like a steep pull, and a few cars were coming past as I walked up the single-track road. Walking poles are a Godsend. I was hauling hard on them as the incline steepened.
Looking back as I crested the climb:
Looking back as I crested the climb:
After a short distance, the ruins of Throwley Hall appeared over the horizon. There is a farm here and a Bed and Breakfast.
Crossing through the farmyard, the ground dropped steeply back down towards the valley, heading directly for Beeston Tor.
Crossing through the farmyard, the ground dropped steeply back down towards the valley, heading directly for Beeston Tor.
I spent a couple of minutes watching Climbers on Beeston Tor, then pressed on.
At Beeston Tor the path returns to the bottom of the valley, following the river bed. This is cyclist country. Flocks of them sweeping past at speed. I was feeling tired by now, but resisted using headphones, as I needed to keep an ear out for them approaching from behind.
I managed to motivate myself by thinking about having a cup of coffee and a kitkat at Wetton Mill.
Before long, Thor's Cave loomed high on the hillside up to the right. I recently visited the cave on a walk from Wetton, so felt happy about not climbing the 1000-or-so feet up to join the walkers on the top.
Just before Wetton Mill, the road forked. Taking the left branch, I was able to walk down to the point where the Manifold vanishes into underground caves. From this point on, I was walking alongside river again.
The river vanishes into a couple of holes between the rocks, the entrance to an underground cave system.
Wetton Mill has a cafe below some caves. Absolute lifesaver. After the best cup of dodgy coffee I have ever drunk in my life, a KitKat, and a few bottles of water back into my hydration system I was feeling a lot happier. There was another school trip here, a gang of about twenty girls laden down with camping equipment. They seemed pretty pleased to get to the cafe, and attracted all the wasps in the area with an orange Calippo.
I followed the Manifold trail up towards Ecton. The Manifold Way and Manifold Trail separate on this stretch, so the cyclists were all down on the other side of the valley, giving me some peace and quiet.
Ecton is an old mining town below Ecton Hill, with a church with a bright blue/green, presumably copper, steeple.
Ecton is an old mining town below Ecton Hill, with a church with a bright blue/green, presumably copper, steeple.
Afer Ecton the landscape opens out, and I left the valleys for open fields.
I followed the Manifold Way signs through Hulme End, and after a short road section bore right onto fields behind Hayesgate and over to Townend.
There was a group of Scouts at Townend taking a breather on a grass verge. They'd been out since 09:30, and covered the best part of nine miles. They seemed amazed that my GPS was reading twenty at this point.
Another brief excursion over farmland, and I could see Hartington.
I was imagining that the smoke was rising from the fireplace in the Pub :)
There was a group of Scouts at Townend taking a breather on a grass verge. They'd been out since 09:30, and covered the best part of nine miles. They seemed amazed that my GPS was reading twenty at this point.
Another brief excursion over farmland, and I could see Hartington.
I was imagining that the smoke was rising from the fireplace in the Pub :)
I passed the site of the old Cheese Factory, as I remembered coming this way when I was a teenager. Sadly the factory is no longer in business, but the buildings remain.
Before long I was back at the car.
GPS software says 22.7miles, but it had a bit of a strop when I stopped at Wetton Mill for a coffee, so I think it's probably nearer 22.
It was a long day, but (barring the stretch from Ilam along the dry river) a very enjoyable one.
Before long I was back at the car.
GPS software says 22.7miles, but it had a bit of a strop when I stopped at Wetton Mill for a coffee, so I think it's probably nearer 22.
It was a long day, but (barring the stretch from Ilam along the dry river) a very enjoyable one.
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