Picture Perfect Walk Around Monsal Dale
June 2018 Walk Every Day for a Week Challenge – Day 4
On day 4 of my monthly challenge I went to explore Monsal Dale in Derbyshire with Kev. I am loving this current heath-wave and I would love it to stay so warm with blue sky all summer.
The Walk
We parked for free on the road just opposite of Monsal Head Hotel. You can immediately see the breath-taking views of Monsal Head, getting an idea of what your walk is going to be about. We went left via the woodland path until we reached the Monsal Dale Weir waterfall on the river Wye. Then we continued through Monsal Dale towards Headstone Viaduct. We crossed the little bridge and through Netherdale farm. We walked until we reached Cressbrook Mill.
There is a signposted footpath in between Cressbrook Mill and the houses which leads you through the woodland along the river to Litton Mill. Just after Litton Mill there is an easily missed footpath on the right which leads you through a little bridge up to the Monsal trail. When you come to Litton Tunnel turn left, avoiding the tunnel itself, and go up the path along the ridge back to Monsal Head Hotel.
Me enjoying the Monsal Dale Weir Waterfall
And then I look up and all of a sudden, there was one cow, two, three, four cows in total. Where did they come from? 🙂
Monsal Dale is just so so pretty. I enjoyed walking through this calm, quintessential picture perfect landscape full of wildlife – just stunning on a beautiful sunny summer day. I imagine this must be a perfect spot for painters.
Headstone Viaduct
“A five arch masonry viaduct constructed to carry the Midland Railway across the Wye Valley at a bend in the river near Monsal Head in the Peak District National Park. It was designed by railway’s chief engineer William Henry Barlow (1812-1902) and opened in 1863.
Netherdale Farm, this would be my ideal place to live in. 🙂
Cressbrook Mill
“Sir Richard Arkwright built the original Cressbrook Mill in 1785, with a later building being constructed by his agent, William Newton in 1815. These buildings lay ruined for several years, they are now restored into attractive apartments and remain the most imposing feature of the village.”
Litton Mill
“Litton Mill is a small hamlet grouped around a former cotton mill on the River Wye. The mill was built in 1782 by Ellis Needham and in 1897 it burnt down and then rebuilt.
The mill was originally water powered but later in its history steam power was used. The boiler house chimney is situated up the hill behind the mill in order to increase the flue length.
In its early years it employed up to 400 people, most of them children, often orphans both local and from as far away as London. Cotton spinning was discontinued in 1930 although the mill continued spinning man-made fibre until the mid ’60s.
Litton mill has a shameful history, and in the nineteenth century its child workers were mistreated terribly. Food seemed to have consisted mainly of watery porridge flavoured with onion and the children were expected to work 16 hours a day.
Beatings and abuse were rife and at one point, so many were dying that the owner sent the bodies to other parishes for burial so the local authorities wouldn’t get alarmed by the number of fatalities.
The buildings were empty, disused and derelict until they were converted to apartments in 2003 and renamed ‘Phoenix Building’.”
Beautiful view onto a Cressbrook Hall. It was built in 1835 in a tudor style. The hall is not open to public but is available for weddings, fine dining and corporate events. It also has nine self catering holiday cottages.
We returned to Monsal Head Hotel where we enjoyed the views of Monsal Head once again with well deserved ice cream bought at the nearby ice cream van.
What a STUNNING walk! This must be one of the best walks I have ever done in the Peak District.
Thank you Kev for a good company and showing me around. If you have never been, go and see yourself, the photos just don’t do the justice.
I took quite a few pictures so I made a video. Enjoy. 🙂
