Tissington, Shining Tor & Parwich

Drove out to Tissington in very thick fog and even put a high vis vest in my rucksack, just in case - we had a road section later.  It wasn't actually raining really as we left the car park on the Tissington Trail, but we knew it would be later.  We followed the trail south, crossed the A515 at the top of Tissington Hill and then shortly after came to another bridge, where we turned northwest and headed off through a caravan park.  We saw a weasel on the track right near the buildings.

We dropped down between two stands of young trees to a stream, which we crossed and headed up the other side of the valley.  After some confusion as to our way on, which wasn't too clearly marked, we got out onto the road and followed it to a ninety degree bend, at which point we took a series of small steps up a bank and into a steep field, across another lane and back into the fields.  Across the fields a strange building loomed out of the mist, which we debated was a barn or quarry building.  I make have to go back for a closer look!!

The strange building, which appears to be for kind of storage.

As the rain began to arrive in earnest, we reached a magnificent lime kiln next to a quarry, where we managed to find enough shelter to stop for a hot drink and a snack.

The lime kiln.

From our snack spot, we continued out onto the top of the hill and followed the very top along to Bostern Grange Farm and from there near to Shining Tor with fabulous views up the Dove valley.

Dove Dale (left of centre) and our way on directly above Paul's head.

We dropped into a small valley, which leads down to Green Lane.  Having reached a sheltered spot, we decided to stop for lunch and had just got our sandwiches out and I'd commented on the fact that it was dry again, when it started snowing!!  After our break we followed the small valley down to the lane.  I remember plodding very slowly up this valley some months ago and thinking how long and steep it was, but I must have been very tired that day, because it really isn't!!

We followed Green Lane up to the A515, turned right and walked a short way along the grass verge, which was quite wide (I didn't need my high vis vest after all).  Then at a point on the road that I know well, which must catch quite a few people out because it's a blind high point with a bend thrown in for good measure, we left the road and hopped over a stile back into the fields and under the Tissington Trail.  The last section of our walk was across fields and into valleys and villages that I've often looked at from the A515 on my way to and from work and longed to explore.  Somehow it wasn't quite as exciting as I'd hoped it might be, but that may have been because of the rain, which started to come down in torrents for the last couple of miles of our walk.

The view across the valley from just below Parwich Lees.

The village of Parwich.

There was one deep, steep-sided valley between Parwich and Tissington, on the Limestone Way, that was really hard work, but the reward was a really dinky squeeze stile with a tiny gate at the bottom.

The squeeze stile.

The last section of the walk was along lanes back into Tissington village, through very muddy and wet fields.  The ducks in Tissington were having a wonderful time sploshing around in the puddles on the road, they didn't need the pond!!