Hathersage: Gritstone, Meadows And Millstones.

Exploring The Ancient Landscape Around Hathersage And Stanage Edge.

It was a Sunday morning in July and I decided that it was time to get my gear together and once again head out into the World Beyond My Front Door. The only problem was that I had said the exact same thing the weekend previously, and the one before that. But not this time. I was determined to see it through. Admittedly, the weather was overcast but at least it was warm without being too hot. So, no more excuses, today was the day! The rest of the morning was spent digging out rucksacks, flasks, maps, camera bags and various other pieces of equipment.

By the time I had assembled everything and walked down to the train station, it was early afternoon. In a way this suited me, I had always relished finishing a walk in the Peak District in the early to late evening during the summer season, when the crowds of day-trippers, climbers, hikers, fell runners and others too numerous to mention had enjoyed their adventures, leaving me with the wonderful feeling of having the beautiful landscape all to myself. I bought my ticket and made my way to the appropriate platform. The carriages were only moderately busy and I was able to find a seat; I had expected them to be full to bursting point with standing room only. I suppose the summer season hits its high point during the school holidays in August. After a slight delay the train lurched away from the station and we rattled down the tracks. The adventure had begun.

A millstone in the landscape where it was quarried.

We soon entered the Totley Tunnel, I had forgotten just how long it is as we sat there in the dark; at its time of completion in 1893, it was the second longest railway tunnel in the UK, beaten by the longer and older Severn Tunnel. Now relegated to fourth place by the two HS1 tunnels that make up the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. It’s still impressive to think that it was blasted and dug out by hand. Abruptly we left the dark and emerged into the Hope Valley at Grindleford Station.

One of the reasons why it had taken me so long to get back out into the Peak District was a paralysis of indecision. I simply could not decide where to go for my first foray into the wilds, torn between exploring somewhere new or returning to familiar walking routes. I was finally able to narrow it down, it felt right to return to a place where I feel a personal connection and since I’ve already written about Edale and Kinder Scout so many times, Hathersage seemed to be the perfect candidate. I had gone Youth Hostelling in my teens all along the Hope Valley and I had returned many times over the years.

The train pulled into Hathersage station and I checked my watch. It was 14.30 and I had set my latest return journey as the 20.44 back to Sheffield. But for now the wilderness was calling! I hoisted my rucksack and set off for the village centre where I planned to arrange my gear and use the toilet facilities before heading off. My first impression as I left the station was of a pretty and prosperous little village surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills. The main streets were decorated with colourful bunting that completed the picturesque atmosphere. I arrived in the village centre only to find the old toilet blocks had been replaced by modern facilities set in a smart seating area.

The view down Main Road, Hathersage.

My planned route was to turn off the main street onto Baulk Lane, detour to take in St. Michael and All Angels church before doubling back on to Baulk Lane and following the course of Hood Brook all the way up onto the gritstone escarpment, popular with climbers, called Stanage Edge. From there walking along to a point named High Neb and finally returning to Hathersage by Coggers Lane.

The surrounding landscape has been inhabited since the Stone Ages, Mesolithic stone tools have been discovered below Stanage Edge and there is widespread evidence of Bronze Age occupation throughout the Hope Valley. According to an information board in the village, during the Middle Ages Hathersage had become one of the main routes for pack-horses carrying salt from Cheshire to Sheffield and beyond. The heavily worn tracks can still be seen in places. Millstones and grindstones were quarried from the local gritstone and also transported along these tracks. Hathersage is mentioned as Hereseige in the Doomsday Book, a survey of much of England and Wales completed in the year 1086. Later in the early 13th Century, circa 1200, it was recorded as Haurersegg; the origins of the name isn’t certain but it’s generally agreed to come from the Old English word ‘ecg’ meaning edge or escarpment. By 1720 button making had started in the village, followed by needle making around 1810. The last button factory in the village closed in the 1950’s.

I was by now eager to get underway, so I quickly found Baulk Lane and made my way down to the footpath that turned off and led to the church. Surrounded by gently rolling meadows and pastures, the path ran along a stone wall on my right, over which I could glimpse the village and an intriguing larger wall, inset with a mysterious door.

The footpath to St. Michael and All Angels church from Baulk Lane.

St. Michael and All Angels’ church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and is still recognisable and unchanged since my last visit, the only addition was a set of charming tables and chairs, a sign told me teas and refreshments were now available. I didn't linger, just long enough to photograph the tower with its spire and visit Little John’s grave. It’s claimed that in 1780, a thigh bone was found, big enough to make the owner over 8 feet tall; with so many local connections to Robin Hood, it obviously must be the resting place of Little John, Robin’s trusted lieutenant.

St. Michael and All Angels church tower and spire.

Turning away from Little John’s grave I made my way through the handsome gate that marks the churchyard's formal entrance, onto a lane called Church Bank. The map is marked here with an earthworks called Camp Green. Listed as ringworks, which is a Medieval fortification consisting of an area containing buildings, surrounded by a bank topped with a timber palisade and a substantial ditch. Only 200 ringworks are recorded nationality. Camp Green is thought to be a rare example of a ringwork with attached bailey, of which only 60 are known.

The footpath descended steeply down some earth-cut steps and I reached a familiar post covered in waymarks, pointing to the various rights of way that criss-cross this area. I selected one that would take me alongside a brook that led back onto Baulk Lane. The sky was grey and cloudy, more hazy rather than threatening rain but it was warm and very pleasant to be out and about in the countryside after so long. The meadows and pastures had been covered in flowers when I passed this way some years before, however that had been later in the year; all that seemed to be in flower now were thistles and foxgloves, while little tan coloured butterflies danced around me.

Once again I was on Baulk Lane as it passed by some well attended to allotments, the lane is broad and lined with dusty gravel that crunched pleasingly under foot; the land was open grassland, gently sloping up on my right and on my left, down to where Hood Brook flows, hidden by trees. In the near distance on either side, the landscape changed, the hills growing in size, with open pastures surrounded by woodlands.

First glimpse of Stanage Edge standing against the far horizon.

Presently, my attention was caught by a drift of dark nettles. As I drew closer I could see that they were covered in large, spiky caterpillars, completely black except for white dots along their sides. I didn’t know at the time but they are caterpillars of the peacock butterfly. I was thrilled to see so many.

The caterpillars of the peacock butterfly, Aglais io.

Continuing on my way, the pathway arrived at a gate between two oak trees while in front of me, I could see my first real glimpse of Stanage Edge, standing stark on the far horizon. The air was filled with the gentle buzzing of grasshoppers and more butterflies flitted over the long grass.

After a short while the footpath entered a narrow section beside a wall, lined with trees and shrubs, ending in a gate. On the other side of which lay a striking cottage, completely boarded up. According to my map I was in the vicinity of Brookfield Manor. Past the cottage the route crosses a tarmac road and continues over a tall stepping stile. A picturesque little cottage lay nestled a little further on up the road, called according to my trusty map, Bronte Cottage. This seems an appropriate point to mention that the novelist Charlotte Brontë stayed in Hathersage sometime in 1845 while visiting a friend; Charlotte was writing Jane Eyre during this time and many local names and places can be found in her work. Just visible through the dense trees, further up the hill above Bronte Cottage, I could see North Lees Hall, a 16th century tower house.

Bronte Cottage and North Lees Hall.

Once over the stepping stile, the footpath entered the cool shade of a wood, the only sounds were the babbling waters of Hood Brook and birdsong. Soon on the right, over a wire fence, an expanse of open ground covered in dense bracken and just visible, the ruins of a chapel. The trees and undergrowth grew more dense and increasingly encroached onto the path until I was ducking under branches and stepping over stones. Suddenly, I came upon a bridge crossing the brook and a sign indicating the routes of various rights of way. I picked the one for Stanage Edge.

Footpaths and a bridge that cross over Hood Brook.

The footpath gave the impression of being distinctly less travelled now and I was anticipating a chance to have some refreshment, and to this end, I already had a spot in mind a little further on. After a sharp turn right, where some stepping stones crossed the Hood Brook, I passed through a gate and out of the shade into an open area that presented a tough and steady climb. I had emerged above the ruined Chapel and was rewarded with a view of my progress so far.

I stood and reflected on the view for a moment; apart from the ruined chapel that possibly dates from the 16th century, I knew that a Romano-British settlement, thought to be a substantial farmstead, once occupied an area close by. It was strange to think that over the centuries other people had looked out on the same view I was currently enjoying, as they lived out their lives in this dramatic and sometimes harsh landscape.

The view over-looking the ruins of North Lees Chapel.

Once again setting off along the footpath, above and behind North Lees Hall, I passed through a gate into a small plantation of trees. It was cool and refreshing in the shade of the tall pine trees that lined the side of a steep ravine; somewhere below I could hear the fast flowing waters of a stream. The route would soon take me to the foot of Stanage Edge. I knew a public convenience was very close by on a tarmac road that brings in visitors to this popular spot, and it was there I planned on taking some refreshment, as I had done some years previously. When I arrived at the toilet block, I was disappointed to find them locked up, however, a comfortable bench was still open for business and I sat down; while I was enjoying something to eat and drink, the sun finally came out from behind the thick clouds. The landscape looked stunning in the bright sunlight.

Stanage Edge viewed from an area near the public toilets, and Stanage Plantation.

I carefully replaced my belongs back in my rucksack and crossed the road at a point not far from Hollin Bank car park and just below Stanage Plantation, a lonely patch of trees on the windswept flank of Stanage Edge. This section of the walk was going to be tough as the footpath winds its way up to the top of the gritstone escarpment, twisting and turning as it passes by large boulders and rock formations. The sun, although welcome, soon made the walk a sweaty scramble and I was glad of the shade from the trees in the plantation. Amongst the long grass, I was delighted to see cuckoo spit, a frothy ball of bubbles that hide the juvenile nymph of an insect called a froghopper, as they feed on plant sap. The adults are named for their prodigious jumping skills, leaping many times their body length.

Stanage Plantation proved to be a treasure trove of natural curiosities because aside from the cuckoo spit, I also stumbled upon an impressive mushroom specimen growing in the undergrowth; unfortunately I’ve struggled to identify the species. I think I’ve narrowed it down to either the edible when cooked, Blusher (Amanita rubescens); or the toxic Brown Fly Agaric also called Royal Fly Agaric (Amanita regalis). But then again, it may be another species entirely.

I continued on my way, eager to cover more ground, as by now it was past 17.30 and I had yet to reach the halfway point of the walk. Passing by the fractured towers of rock and boulders the size of large cars, I could understand why the area is so popular with climbers. In the early evening sun I was able to enjoy the freedom of having the wilderness to myself, the few people I did pass were making their way down, back to the car parks and campsites.

Progress was slow, mainly because I kept stopping to take in the panoramic view. On my left, Stanage Edge swept out in the direction of White Path Moss, Robin Hood’s Cave and eventually to Burbage, Higgor Tor and Carl Wark; while to the right, the line of the escarpment ran deep into the moors towards its highest point High Neb, 458 metres or about 1500 feet above sea level.

Distant climbers and people enjoying the view from the top of Stanage Edge escarpment.

Eventually, I made it up onto the top of the escarpment. I spent some time gazing at the pattern of the landscape which reminded me of a patchwork quilt; it was dappled with sunlight, that in places broke through the grey clouds. The view was certainly worth the effort.

I found a comfortable spot to rest and finish off the last of my provisions; consulting my map, I still had a distance to go until I reached High Neb, which I had mentally noted as the point at which to start the return journey back to Hathersage. There were some notable rock carvings which I remembered from a walk many years previously and I felt a compulsion to find them before turning back. Hoisting my rucksack, I paused and drew in a large breath, savouring the atmosphere of the wilderness before setting off.

Carved stones to collect rain water, circa 20th century. 

I reached High Neb in good time, and walked up to the trig point (trigonometrical point), also called a triangulation station; built by the Ordnance Survey (the national mapping agency of Great Britain) out of concrete and sometimes stone, these strange obelisks were used in the re-triangulation of Great Britain between 1935 and 1962. The resulting data was used to improve the accuracy of map making and from any one trig point, two others should be visible, although that is often no longer the case, given the passing of time since their creation.

High Neb is the highest point on the whole length of Stanage Edge and it provided a wonderful vista of the surrounding countryside; during the walk up the steep flank of the escarpment, I did wonder what lay beyond on the other side. Standing with my back to the trig point, an expanse of flat moorland presented itself. While towards the horizon, the landscape swept down dramatically, where barely visible through the blue atmospheric haze, lay Sheffield and its surrounding districts.

I had reached my objective and now it was time to think about making my way back to catch my train. I checked my watch: 1900. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to return to Hathersage, although the route follows quiet country roads, by now I was definitely feeling a little tired. A footpath led down the flank of the escarpment and I could see a dense tree plantation not too far ahead called Dennis Knoll, from there I would then follow a road called Coggers Lane all the way back to the village. Clouds of midges, tiny biting insects, provided ample motivation for me to pick up the pace.

All along this section, large millstones and grindstones protruded through the dense, green bracken that covered the uneven ground. They must have been quarried from the surrounding gritstone but then never made their way to the sites of industry so far away from this remote spot. I found it incredible that it was a journey they ever made at all.

Millstones and grindstones, so iconic that they're the symbol for the Peak District National Park.

I reached Dennis Knoll to find the landscape bathed in a golden evening light, the road was broad and I made good, easy progress. The moorland gave away to pastureland once again, I paused and looked back towards Stanage Edge and I could trace the path of my progress all the way back to Hathersage.

Hope Valley panorama from Coggers Lane.

This was the final stretch of the walk and I found the landscape so beautiful, it seemed to make my heart ache. I was profoundly grateful that there are still parts of Britain that survive like this. Sometimes the modern world can seem so ugly in its indifference. But on that evening, in the late evening sunshine, it felt like a magical, timeless experience.

The modern world and all of its turmoils seemed so agreeably far away in the evening's golden light.

All was quiet and peaceful. The country lane along which I walked was framed by dry stone walls, over which the most amazing views appeared. Occasionally the piercing call of a pheasant was carried on the breeze, which stirred the leaves and grasses in the hedgerows.

Feeling weary and aching slightly but also strangely uplifted, I reached the outskirts of Hathersage, and from my vantage point I could look down and across to the church, where I started the walk. As I made my way back to the train station, I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect end to the walk; I knew that the experience would stay with me for a long time to come.

Looking towards the church, the start of the walk.

Select References:

Historic England, Camp Green ringworks, viewed 21 July 2019, 

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1011200

Historic England, Church of St Michael and All Angels, viewed 21 July 2019, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1109793 

Historic England, North Lees Chapel, viewed 21 July 2019,

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020172

Peak District National park, The Peak District Millstone, viewed 21 July 2019,

https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/about-the-national-park/the-peak-district-millstone