WALKS WITH NELLIE ~ BAKEWELL ~ BY SALLY MOSLEY

This is not intended as a walk guide

This is one of my favourite short walks, perfect for an early morning amble as the day warms up.

I parked at Bakewell Station, built in 1863 in an architectural style similar to buildings at Edensor with the Paxton ‘touch’. However, this station’s design is evidently attributed to a man named Edward Walters from Manchester.

Local landed gentry had an input into the siting of stations on this former Midland Railway line, with the Duke of Rutland using Bakewell station for boarding and alighting. Only a mile or so to the north is Hassop Station used by the Duke of Devonshire from Chatsworth, whilst a little further along the track towards Buxton was Longstone Station close to Thornbridge Hall. One particular resident of Thornbridge that did not wish to mix with hoy polloi villagers whilst awaiting a train reputedly had his own waiting room and platform constructed just a few yards away from the public one.

Everywhere is currently tinder dry at the moment, grass verges beside the trail looked dull and desiccated with an overall covering of dust that was enveloping my boots.

The last time I walked this way for the Peak Advertiser was in January of last year when I came to see ‘twitchers’ stalking out and taking photographs of waxwing. Dozens of these attractive and characterful birds were temporarily resident here on a stopover staycation. A gathering of waxwing is said to be called an ‘irruption’, and that certainly described the Monsal Trail that day which was busier than the busiest time I’ve even seen it!

Now into May, I couldn’t help but admire the impressive ‘guard of honour’ made up of a wedding avenue of hawthorn bushes in full flower either side of us, their petals soon to be confetti on the path beneath.

Wafts from the kitchen of Hassop Station smelt like cakes baking and bacon frizzling, and if I hadn’t already feasted on bran flakes before I left home, I could have popped in for a breakfast brunch.

At a crossroads of paths with toll cottage away to our right, Nellie and I went left through a gate to follow the bridlepath over Cracknowl. We ascended the dry path to high ground where huge meadows of pasture were spotted and dotted with cows, calves and a big bull. Thankfully there were fencing and walls either side for protection, although I did notice a few gaps!

This elevated path provides lovely views of a pastoral panoramic landscape around Bakewell. Wooded slopes to the east hide a miniature gritstone escarpment that could be described as being Bakewell Edge, whilst to the west; drystone walls of limestone define the geological contrast between the two different sides of this valley.

We began to descend, aiming for the spire of All Saints that spikes up toward the heavens as a waymarker, guiding us back to the town. There has been a house of worship on that site for more than a thousand years, although the original structure would have been much smaller, little more that the size of a chapel.

Fields either side of us were pockmarked with old workings and beneath my feet and Nellies paws are deserted tunnels of Holme Bank chert mine. Having passed through a gate at the top of woodland, we now walked steeply down beside the disused site of Holme Bank Quarry and then Holme Hall, a listed Grade I manor house built in 1626.

On the end wall of Lumford House to our right before the packhorse bridge, was a blue plaque to Richard Arkwright Junior (1755-1843) who was put in charge of his father’s cotton spinning mill built in 1778, located on a site just a short distance upstream.

Nellie was grateful to have a drink from the river in the former ford by the side of the quaint little 17th century packhorse bridge, much to the disgust of a goose family floating nearby.

We then walked along Holme Lane as far as the lodge before crossing Wynn Meadows beside the Wye. During carnival week at the end of June this should be the launch site of the famous raft race - if there is any water to raft on!

At the bend we headed up steps, crossed over the road and ascended through houses on Castle Hill to return to the car.

Sally Mosley

FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE: I’m back! Have you missed me? Mum literally got dried up and I’ve been overheating during weeks of unstinting sunshine. We’ve been on hardly any adventure walks and have both spent ages either chilling out indoors or gardening up the allotment. Now that mum’s got it neat and tidy with row upon row of produce growing, perhaps we will find time to go further afield for a change to garner a few new Sally’s snippets and Nellie’s Tales to tell you about. Sniggers and slurps xx