WALKS WITH NELLIE ~ BY SALLY MOSLEY ~ DARLEY BRIDGE TO BONSALL

It seemed strange to return to the location of my previous walk as normally each issue has a very different whereabouts, as I randomly pick and choose where to go. However, this new series is definitely different to the norm and will feature both circular and linear walks and make use of some well-established long distance walking routes along the way.

Nellie seemed surprised when she emerged from the car to be back at Darley Bridge. I could swear there was a look of deja vue on her little face! Also, we were not alone for this one. My daughter-in-law and a granddaughter came along so that we could benefit from a two car set up.

We all headed past the Square and Compass pub. This still popular pub has for almost 300 years provided ale and sustenance to miners, packhorse men and travellers beside this well-used route that once formed part of a turnpike road from Chesterfield to Newhaven. The date stone of 1735 above the door incorporates the initials of Robert Clayton who had the pub built, whilst to the side of the door is a parish boundary stone now incorporated into the structure after having been moved long ago from nearer the bridge.

We headed over Darley Bridge, an ancient and important crossing point of the River Derwent. It is possible to see gothic pointed arches from the original narrow packhorse bridge and rounded arches from when the bridge was widened in the latter part of the 18th century.

Turning left we wandered along a stretch of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way to Wenslees, passing allotments where unpicked apples from this year’s glut were hanging from leafless branches like Christmas baubles. The gated road beyond was used by light traffic until only a few years ago. Now flooding has eroded it away to become an unusable track.

Arriving at Oker we walked up Aston Lane to a junction and then followed a footpath across fields to Snitterton with its tiny village green and bullring. We then followed part of the drive to pass Snitterton Hall, a fabulous Elizabethan Grade I listed property that stands on the site of a medieval manor house.

Going up the footpath to Jughole Wood we could look back over the Hall’s high walls to see a glimpse of its manicured gardens, and immaculately coiffured trees, shrubs and bushes. No Black & Decker hedge trimmer could create that magnificent topiary effect! I read somewhere that the gardens contain some of the earliest pink daffodils, cultivated over a hundred years ago.

It was now time for the first incline of my new series as we ascended Masson Hill to pass Jughole Mine which is a series of natural caverns altered and enlarged through mining, with grassed-over spoil heaps spilling down the hillside. At the top of the wood we stood by a little gate where the OS app on my phone showed we were directly at a point on the National Park boundary.

We then headed to the top of Salters Lane, its name a clear indication that long ago it was a salt way from Cheshire through Matlock going east. Crossing a couple of fields opposite we then picked up the Limestone Way for a lovely walk downhill to Bonsall.

We entered the village by passing a former weavers cottage with its row of windows on the top floor that would have brought in plenty of light to work by. This old workshop is a survivor from the days of cottage industry and framework knitting. From the 17th century stocking frames would have been rented from a hosier who also supplied the raw materials and then bought back the finished products. Records from 1844 show at that time 143 frames were still being worked in Bonsall.

We arrived at Bonsall Cross which sits atop thirteen circular steps, dominating the former Market Place and junction of roads. We took a few minutes to look at a fascinating information board on the wall in a seating area where we rested and ate our butties. Incorporated into the wall there is a carved piece of stone which is a modern copy of the locally famous medieval T’Owd Man.

The end of our walk was a stroll past the King’s Head of 1677 and down Yeoman Street, lined by characterful houses and cute little cottages, leading us to Fountain Square where we had left a second car in the parking area by the recreation ground. Should you want to see my progress on Facebook, please search ‘My Way Around’ and then click on ‘Follow’.

FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE: I’m a meat eater. I love beef, chicken, pork, lamb and turkey. The other day Mum gave me a bit of what she was eating and said it was ‘hot dog’. I was nearly sick! Does that mean I’m a canine cannibal now? Nellie xx