Sixteen of us today on this 8.5 mile walk from Alstonefield. The journey in here was shrouded in mist and this persisted for the earlier part of the walk past St Peter’s Church and through fields down to Milldale. After that the sun broke through and we were blessed with a sunny and at times rather warm day.
This historic hamlet of Milldale is named after the corn mill that once operated on the River Dove. Its origins trace back centuries, and its stone cottages, many dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, were traditionally home to mill workers, farmers, and lead miners. A corn mill existed until the mid-19th century; its stables are now used as an information hut by the National Trust.
We took the ‘other’ riverside path towards Ilam Rock, and just before this we climbed steeply out of Dovedale wood to emerge into some wonderful views and a good rest and drinks before progressing further.
We then made our way across to Castern Hall, the Grade II listed early Georgian country house in the Manifold Valley, largely rebuilt around 1735 though it stands on a site with evidence of Roman and earlier activity. The house has been used as a filming location for numerous productions, including:
Agatha Christie's Poirot ("The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge"), Jane Eyre (1983), Far from the Madding Crowd (1997), Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988), Jonathan Creek: Frog Hollow (1999) and there are also legends of hidden treasure.
We moved along towards Wetton with some great views over the Manifold valley. We lunched along the ridge before going on to Wetton (probably named from the Old English "wet hill") and we then took field tracks more or less as the crow flies back to Alstonefield.
Derek Lowe