16/4/12 - Thanks to TED

Distance - 14 Miles
Geocaches - 5
Walk from - Trail Magazine, Sept 2004

Dove Dale and Manifold Valley

Alex has decided that he needs an adrenalin rush.  He is also savvy enough to know that hanging around and queuing for 2 hours for each ride is not going to provide said rush, so waits until he spies a quiet day.  As if 16 weeks holiday a year holiday is not enough for his Teachers, they also declare Teacher Education Days.  Suspicously enough, these are always tagged onto the end of national holidays and sure enough, there's one this Easter.

So we are off to Alton Towers.

We have been as a family a couple of times in the last five years, so having a nearly 18 year old daughter, we agree that I will take a day of work to be a taxi service, providing I can go walking.

Works out perfectly. 

Even more perfect, Alton Towers is 10 miles from the Peak District, so I hit my Trail back issues to find something suitable.  14 miles down Dove Dale hits the spot.

The drive from Alton Towers is jaw dropping on its own.  Stop the car to take a photo of Thorpes Cloud, in all its glory.

I'll have a bit of that

Park up at Alstonefield in an honesty car park.  Good job it is an honesty car park, as Alex has done a particularly poor job of hiding his iPod and headphones.  Boots on and out through a very pretty village, complete with a nice looking pub that I take a note of for later.

Across a couple of fields, inlcuding a rollercoaster style drop and down into Milldale.  I have walked this section down to Dovedale once before and it is a British Classic.

Milldale Bridge

Proof that I was here

The landmarks come thick and fast - Dove Holes, Tissington Spires, the Arch (known only as Natural Arch) and all too soon, I am down at the stepping stones under Thorpe Cloud.

Dove Holes - Great home for a Bond Villain

Thorpe Cloud and Stepping Stones

The Cloud is everywhere

I have the choice of an unecessary climb up and back down the same way of the Cloud.  Or I can go Geocaching on the other side of the water.  Cache wins, and it has a travel bug.

Cache 2 is soon found, on the way to Isaak Newton hotel and Cache 3 is a little nano in Ilam.  This one is retrieved right under the noses of three men digging a hole.  It was OK, I just pretended to admire the views and in this location, no one will ever question that.

There are a couple of very nice cottages in Ilam and then a couple that look like they have come off a council estate, strangely out of kilter with the grandeur of the place.  I head around and into the grounds of Ilam Park for Cache 4.  Its in a great location.

View from a cache

Out and across some fields before picking up Musden Woods for the lushest valley that I have ever been in.  The place is full of what I assume from the smell to be wild garlic.  There is an old fella in front of me picking them and when I get level with him to say hello, I swear it is George, offa George and Mildred.

70s sitcom to stealer of Wild Garlic.

This part of the walk is really the land that time forgot.  I would not have been surprised to see pterodactyls flying overhead.  I emerge at Calton for a steep decline to pick up the Manifold Valley.

Time for lunch, overlooking a quarry.  More picturesque than it sounds.

Time for lunch - Ham baps and a gourmet Sausage Roll

If Dovedale was beautiful walking, the Manifold valley is a chore.  Its runs on tarmac on the bed of an old light railway.  There is a cycle hire shop at one end and the tranquility is often broken by OAPs doing nohanders at 30 miles an hour.

On the OS Map, the River Hamps is shown as quite a body of water.  On the drive in, there were frequent news updates on Radio 6 about the Midlands officially entering a drought.  I think the reporter had completed this walk on the weekend.

Mappiman recommends stockpiling Evian

Manifold boredom is broken up by the gypsy caravan park, which has a motorhome with a sign saying "Shift Worker" on the side.  I walk past quietly.  And then there is the final Geocache of the day.

At Thor's Cave, I need to head uphill.  This is a hell of a geological wonder - a great big hole in the top of a rather large hill.  Lots of legends here and I can tell that it is occupied today, as someone is playing Echo games.  I have a choice, I can go into the cave or investigate the big blue pint sign in Wetton up the hill.

Thank god for Google.

I'll look at Thors house on line.

Wetton is a nice little place.  Walk up the main road and cannot find the pub.  Walk through the grounds of the church and there it is, the Royal Oak.  I'm 12.5 miles in and dryer than Gandhi's flip flop and debate what delights they will have.  Black Sheep, Timothy Taylor Landlord?  Or maybe an ice cold Stella is in order.

Guess it will be another slurp on the rubbery Camlebak

Not to worry, there's only a couple of fields to go until I am back in Alstonefield.  Then the phone goes.... its 3pm and they have done Air Twice (including front row), nemesis, 13, oblivion et al and they want to have a big sleep on the way home.....

Smorgasbord of geological wonders.  No lager.