YOULGREAVE WALK
THE WALK
Much of this delightful walk is along the banks of the Lathkill and Bradford; both rivers, flowing entirely through limestone country, are famous for the purity of their water.
After leaving Youlgreave, the walk crosses open countryside to Meadow Place Grange, where the farmyard can be very muddy. The original Grange Farm belonged to Leicester Abbey from the 12th century until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.
Soon after leaving the farm, Lathkill Dale is reached. It is well known for its aquatic life as well as being a trout river, and the banks teem with wildlife. The walk along Bradford Dale not only provides an opportunity to admire the scenery, but also to note the varying styles of bridges across the river. A steep climb up Hollywell Lane and back to the Village ends the walk.
LOOK OUT FOR
Route Point 1 The Old Hall and Old Hall Farmhouse at the rear have 17th-century origins. The former was probably built in the early part of the century, although the precise date is not known. Again, there is uncertainty as to whether it was the original manor house in the Village. According to local folklore, Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have stayed there and looked out through the ‘Oliver Cromwell’ window to check for the approach of Cavaliers from Alport. It is a Grade II listed family house.
Point 5 Over Haddon sits perched on a ledge with glorious views over Lathkill Dale. It is for the sheer beauty of the scenery, the wonderful walks, and the natural beauty of its wildlife that visitors come to the Village in droves at weekends and during the summer. The reason for visitors flocking to the Village in 1854 was quite different – a mini-Klondike Gold Rush took place following the discovery of gold in one of the lead mines. News spread fast, and soon the little Village was besieged by bounty hunters. A company was set up and hundreds of people invested money in the hope of a rich return; there was even talk of building a railway branch line to Bakewell. Unfortunately, the gold was so deep and in such small quantities that the venture was unprofitable. The company was closed and the investors lost all their money.
Point 6 Lathkill Dale Lathkill Dale is one of the most beautiful dales in England. The river, one of the purest in the country, rises in a cave near the top of the dale and sometimes disappears underground in its upper reaches before widening out below Over Haddon. A short distance down the river from Lathkill Lodge, a succession of eleven weirs creates a wonderful sight to look back on as you walk down the dale.
Point 7 Alport gets its name from the old Portway, which forded the river there before the bridge existed. It is an attractive village of old stone houses with pretty gardens, which lies at the confluence of the River Bradford and the River Lathkill. The oldest house in the Village is Monks Hall.
Point 8 The walk by the River Bradford from Middleton-by-Youlgreave to Alport, where it meets the River Lathkill, is one of the finest in the Peak National Park. Like the Lathkill, the river flows entirely through limestone country and is famous for the purity of its water.
Point 9 As you walk down Bradford Dale, you encounter three bridges which cross the river, one carries a minor road, another is a former packhorse bridge and an even older clapper bridge. A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found mainly on the moors of the English West Country and in other upland areas, including Derbyshire. Clapper bridges consist of one or more large slabs of rock resting on the banks of streams or on stone piers in rivers.
WALK DETAILS
Length: 5.25 miles.
Start: Youlgreave Car Park on the western side of the Village,
Location: From the A6 Matlock to Buxton Road, take the B5056 to the Village.
Terrain: Mostly easy walking with a short climb near the end of the walk. It is muddy in places.
Refreshments: There are three public houses in the Village. Nearby Bakewell offers a wide range of pubs, cafes and restaurants.
THE ROUTE
1. Walk to the left from the car park towards the village centre before turning left by The Old Hall, which faces Holywell Lane, and then left again into Moor Lane.
2. Leaving the Village behind, turn to the right along a rough, unsurfaced lane running between limestone walls. At the end of the lane, go through a stile by a gate and keep close to the wall on the left, cross two fields to reach a tarmac road.
3. Turn right and in 30 yards go over a stile on the opposite side of the road. With the wall close on the right, cross another two fields, heading towards the entrance to Meadow Place Grange farmyard.
4. Pass through the farmyard gateway and follow the signs across the yard between the buildings to leave by a gate into a field. Bearing slightly to the right, cross the field to a gate to enter Lathkill Nature Reserve.
5. The path drops steadily through an area of mixed woodland and, after bending back on itself, reaches the riverbank. Cross the river by the footbridge beside a ford with a road leading up to Over Haddon opposite.
6. Go to the right down Lathkill Dale until you reach Conksbury Bridge. Turn to the right to cross the bridge. When the road starts to climb, go through a gap in the wall on the left.
7. The walk continues close to the river on the left through several fields along a clear path to meet the B5056 at Alport.
8. Here you may wish to take a short diversion to explore this little Village before crossing the road to a stile by the gateway opposite into Bradford Dale.
9. Follow the path close to the river, and when you come to a road intersection by a clapper bridge, continue straight on by the side of the river.
10. On reaching Holywell Lane, turn right past the former tearooms up the steep lane, going to the left at the top to return to the start of the walk.
YOULGREAVE (YOULGRAVE)
