Calver, Hassop, Pilsley, Baslow

Date : 30 December 2011

Area  :Peaks

Walk :Calver, Hassop, Pilsley

OS Sheet : OL24

Start Grid : 239 749 End Grid : 239 749

Distance (M/k) : 7.6miles, 12.25k

Ascent  (ft) :920 Descent (ft) :920

  

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map. There are a number of places to park ‘on road’ in Calver. From the crossroads on the A623, head through the village past Folds Farm, SE to Bramley Woods. Take the path SW across Bramley Lane, through Bank Wood to School Lane follow to Hassop. Take B6001 south past Home Farm to take path on left, SE to the A619, turn right, cross A619 to track to Pilsley. Pass through the village downhill to join the B6012 left to A619 into Baslow, stay on west side of the river, through Bubnell, take track on right, along the river to Calver.

Journey

After several months when we have only be able to get out for a very few short (5miles and under) local walks it was a pleasure to plan a proper walk again. Calver was selected as the start point because it is easy to get to and parking is fairly good. The Outside Shop has an outlet and café there, opposite them is the Peaklander Shop and a Garden Centre. Across the road is the Eyrie Arms a favourite end of walk drinking place, so plenty for everyone.

Our route took in sections of countryside we’ve walked before, new bits including a village we’ve not visited previously, but with a good pub for lunch.

The ridge walk through Bramley and Banks Wood is a delight at any time of year. The path undulates gently along between a moss covered dry stone wall and the steep wooded slope to the valley below. Chatsworth and Baslow can be seen to the east and the opencast mine workings to the west. iI walking northwards, however, the feel good feeling the walk creates, quickly fades when you have to tackle the slope down towards Calver. I have never managed to get up or down this slope without a lot of slipping, slithering and cursing. But I promise you it is well worth negotiating this mud bath (slight exaggeration) of a hillside to walk along the ridge.

In Hassop the track starts part way around the road to the south of Home Farm and goes through part of its yard, into the fields beyond and down to the Rymas Brook where the track crosses a ford. If you walk along this track, while you stand wondering if you can walk across the ford without getting wet, look upstream to where a small clapper bridge sits hidden among the reeds and bushes. I first spotted it one Christmas several years ago while walking back towards Chatsworth, just after I had struggled across the ford in six inches of snow, slush and ice then turned to take a photograph, there was the bridge.

A little further on, on the same walk I was nearly mown down by a bunch of 4x4’s, I only got out of their way by scrambling up a snow covered bank. Thankfully, from the condition of the track now, it looks as if 4x4’s may have been stopped.

After crossing the A619 a tree lined track climbs up the hill to Pilsley in a series of gentle bends and slopes. Here can be seen the damage wreaked by 4x4’s, deep ruts standing water, mud, loss of the stones and gravels that hold the track together, loss of natural drainage.  What was once a pleasant walk is now a nightmare of ruts, mud and water.

The Devonshire Arms in Pilsley was the perfect place to stop for lunch and timely as the first heavy rain of the day came in from the west when we were a hundred yards or so from the door.

The staff here were all very friendly and efficient, the food and beer were first class and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. This place and its partner over at Beeley, also called the Devonshire Arms, are now on our list of places to build into future walks. I highly recommend this pub

Due to the rain and the diminishing light, rather than strike out across the fields as planned we stuck to the road as far as Baslow and through Bubnell passing the weir below before finally turning off across the fields alongside the River Derwent back to Calver, stopping to talk to a nice lady and her Golden Labrador who amused us with stories of the dogs antics, bathing at the end of a walk and love of mud.

As I am being made redundant in a few months time this conversation was very interesting as Mrs G and I have been trying to decide what sort of dog we should get and Labrador is high on the list as is a Cairn. Which tells you how much argument there is to go before a final decision is made.

This was a very good, enjoyable walk, ideal for the time of year, the weather and our fitness levels. It explored a small very agreeable area of the Peaks that often gets bypassed. Unfortunately there were few usable photographs.