Ashford-in-the-Water, Monsal Dale, Deep Dale and Sheldon

It was quite a dull morning when we left home, but it brightened up as the day went on.  We parked up in Ashford-in-the-Water, had a brief look at the Sheepwash Bridge...

Sheepwash Bridge and Fennel Street beyond.

and then set off across the fields and along a couple of lanes in the general direction of Monsal Dale.

The view back towards Ashford-in-the-Water and Bakewell.

Monsal Dale.

We emerged above Monsal Dale and followed the valley top along towards Monsal Head and then turned back along the valley side to drop down to the river and a large weir.

The weir just down river from Monsal Head.

Just down river from the weir we crossed a bridge and spent the next half mile or more following the river downstream to the A6 and White Lodge car park.  After a brief visit to their really rather nice composting toilets, we followed the path towards Taddington Dale and soon came across a stream, where there wasn't a stream the last time we were there!!

Water... where once there was none!

Demon's Dale Cave, which was completely dry on our previous visit.

After enjoying our sandwiches, we followed the path and entered Demon's Dale itself, a small ravine that leads into Deep Dale itself.  Although, strictly speaking, the path does not follow this ravine, we decided to see if we could make it through following the water.  As water levels were quite high, it was a bit damp in places, but much more fun than going over the crag above.

The lower end of Demon's Dale - it narrows considerably around the corner!

We had a bit of fun getting back onto the path, but once we had we followed the valley upstream.  The water disappears quite suddenly underground...

Water emerging from Hubberdale Sough.

as it emerges from Hubberdale Sough and just up the valley from there is one of the shafts into Hubberdale Mine itself.  The Orpheus spent a lot of time back into the sixties digging in the mine.

Paul peering down the shaft into Hubberdale Mine.

Shortly after leaving the shaft, we turned left up that side of the valley to a gate.

Looking back down Deep Dale.

Up here, we found several still deep patches of snow that persist even weeks after most of it has long gone.

Paul seems unable to resist standing in the snow drifts!

From the top of the valley we crossed several fields and entered to the southwest of the village of Sheldon.  One option here was to cross to the far side of the village and the site of Magpie mine, but having visited there several times before, we chose to walk down the main (only) street through Sheldon.  At the lower end, we turned left into the fields and passed to the right of the top of Little Shacklow Woods and followed what is probably an old miners' track, green and sunken across the fields down to the road.

 The sunken, green miners' path down to Ashford-in-the-Water.

A short distance down the lane we came to the A6 and turned right to return to Ashford-in-the-Water and the old bridge.