MILLERS DALE WALK
THE WALK
This short walk takes you through a particularly scenic part of the Wye Valley, with steep-sided hills on either side. But best left alone after heavy rainfall.
The pretty little village of Millers Dale sprang to prominence with the opening of the railway, when it became an important junction on the line. Some of the railwaymen’s cottages still survive down by the river.
LOOK OUT FOR
Point 1 – Monsal Trail – It was difficult territory to construct a railway line with tunnels, viaducts, and cuttings. More than half of this walk follows the former track bed of the old Midland Railway, a section of which Derbyshire County Council converted into a trail for walkers and cyclists to enjoy.
Point 7 – William Newton was the manager at Cressbrook Mill; he is probably better known as the ‘Minstrel of the Peak.’ He showed much greater compassion for his workers than that shown at Litton. Newton built a school and a row of latticed windowed cottages that look down on the mill, now converted to luxury apartments.
Point 8 – Water-cum-Jolly Dale, where there is a wide expanse of water, which is held back by a weir and mill stream that centuries ago would have operated a huge waterwheel. Tranquil and serene, the river at Water-cum-Jolly Dale flows through a deep ravine with rocky limestone crags.
Point 9 – Litton Mill is where Robert Blincoe arrived as a child from a London poorhouse. He later wrote a harrowing tale of the cruelty and inhuman treatment meted out to the mill workers, many of whom never saw their families again. The mill has been converted into apartments.
Point 10 – The rock face at Ravenstor attracts large numbers of climbers anxious to try out their skills. Higher up the hillside, Ravenstor House, a large Victorian country mansion that was given to the National Trust in 1937 by Alderman Graves of Sheffield. Together with the House came 64 acres of land, including a one-mile stretch of the River Wye and Tideswell Gorge. The house is open all year round as a Youth Hostel.
Point 11 – Millers Dale sprang to prominence with the opening of the railway, when it became an important junction on the line. Some of the railwaymen’s cottages still survive down by the river. The Anglers’ Rest has been a public house since 1753. The railway closed in 1968, and the line remained unused for twelve years before being taken over by the Peak National Park. The track has been converted into a walking and cycling route, which brings scores of visitors to Millers Dale every year.
WALK DETAILS
IMPORTANT NOTE: This walk is best avoided after heavy rainfall as Water-cum-Jolly Dale may be impassable; there is a diversion, but this entails a very awkward descent back to Millers Dale. The short walk avoids this problem, but both the descent and ascent from the Monsal Trail can be slippery. When the conditions are right, it is a most enjoyable walk.
Length: 3.25 miles or 5 miles, if the detour is followed.
Start: Millers Dale Station Car Park.
Location: On the Wormhill Road, off the B6061, which runs through Tideswell, linking the A6 and A623.
Terrain: Easy flat walking along the Monsal Trail and from Water-cum-Jolly Dale to Millers Dale. There is a short, steep descent from the trail on both the short and long walks. The ascent at Millers Dale to the Monsal Trail can be slippery in wet conditions, as can the descent on the short walk.
Refreshments: The Anglers Rest in Millers Dale is a traditional village pub in a delightful setting next to the River Wye. It is an 18th-century pub with a hiker’s bar. – The Refreshment Room is situated in the former railway station waiting room.
THE ROUTE
1. Leave the car park through a gate to the left of the station buildings and turn left along the Monsal Trail.
2. Continue along the trail for about one and a half miles, before leaving the trail, if you are following the short walk, about 75 yards after passing under a bridge with a tunnel a short distance ahead. 3. If you are following the short walk, turn left by an inviting-looking seat at a sign for ‘Monsal Trail via Litton Mill.’ Otherwise, continue along the trail and pick up the alternative route at Point 5.
4. Walk down a rough track that descends through trees quite steeply, bending to the left near the bottom to a footbridge over the River Wye. On the other side of the river, follow the short path to the road linking Litton Mill to Millers Dale.
5. Turn left and walk down the road to Millers Dale and follow the remainder of the walk from Point 11.
6. For the long walk, continue along the trail passing through Litton Tunnel; watch out for a listening post, which enables you to listen to railway stories from the past called Monsal Memories. A series of six 10-minute podcasts about people who worked on, lived by or travelled on the former Midland Railway.
7. A short distance further on, you walk through Cressbrook Tunnel, and once you reach the far end, take the path on the left that leads down the hillside. Continue along a rough gravel path with good views of the former Cressbrook Mill. As you reach the bottom of the hill, go down a flight of steps and then cross two footbridges in quick succession.
8. Turn left to reach Water-cum-Jolly Dale, with its towering cliffs. After heavy rainfall, the dale floods to make further progress impossible. You can divert through Cressbrook village, where you re-join the walk by following a diversion with a steep and often slippery descent – not recommended.
9. The path continues for about one mile through Millers Dale, before bending to the right at Litton Mill (now converted into apartments). Follow a concessionary path through the yard. Go up the steps at the end of the yard and walk across an area that has been tarmacked to the left of the gate.
10. Continue through Litton along the road, past Ravenstor, where climbers are often seen climbing the rocks. Ravenstor Youth Hostel is close by.
11. A few yards after passing the Angler’s Rest Public House at Millers Dale, turn left, first crossing a short, and then a long, footbridge over the river. Go to the left for a few yards before climbing steeply up a short, steep, winding path that can be quite slippery in damp conditions.
12. At the top, opposite a quarry and nature reserve, turn right along the Monsal Trail. A few minutes later, you arrive at Millers Dale Railway Station, where you keep to the right of the station to go through the gate into the car park, where you started your walk.
MILLERS DALE
