homepage - Daywalks Index 2022 - contact me at REV X

**2022.09.21 Tideswell Bus Station / PC - SK.151:756, ~NNE to Parish Church (Cathedral of the Peak), ~ESE steeply up footpath to join & follow Church Lane to reach Litton, then ~150m ~E along ‘main road / Mires Road’ to SK.166:752, over stile onto FP then SSE to SK.168:748 entering Tansley Dale, ~E down it to bottom of Cressbrook Dale SK.173:748, (diversion trip ~500m N to see Peter’s Stone & return). As it was dry (no river) followed bottom of C. Dale SE / S / SSW / S to Ravensdale Cottages (SK.172:737), ~S up narrow tarred access to join road turning SSE towards Home Farm & ‘Mill’ (presumably Cressbrook Mill ~SK.173:727), S / SE on Rd to ~SK.177:721 (before Upperdale Farm) and turn ~SSW to cross road bridge over River Wye, turn up SE on rough track to pass under Monsal Trail (SK178:720) & U-turn back to Trail to lunch at ‘train platform’

 NW along M.Trail for ~700m to Cressbrook Tunnel Portal at SK.172:724 but do not enter, take path ~NNW, path splits – {part to N to FB across River Wye (which has been closed for some years?)}, but TAKE path slightly up NNW which follows line of River Wye far below and then U turns ~ESE to cross back above the Cressbrook Tunnel, path then follows WNW & to the South & well above The Monsal Trail, visible below between the Portals of the Cressbrook & Litton Tunnels), cross NNW over the Litton Tunnel following the path again well above The River Wye & U-turning ~SW then W above and on the south side of the M.Trail, the path at end gradually descends to the Monsal Trail.

 Follow Monsal Trail W to FP at SK.158:730, this descends ~E then goes N to cross The River Wye, just to the West of Litton Mill. Follow road ~W to SK.157:731 (near Field Study Centre), then follow WSW then N up Tideswell Dale to the Car Park / PC SK.154:742.

 Follow path (initially under tall trees) ~N to SK.155:746 then W thru small gate & cross road above the Sewage Works,  join FP ~N then NNW to walk up back to start in Tideswell.

Note there is a ‘confusion of paths’ in the OAL above tunnels and well above the River Wye - all without direction signs – care is thus required.

 If starting this walk from the Litton Tunnel side do not know whether the same ‘starting’ path applies (is the exit path used?)

 3 on walk - very much a family walk with family visiting from Cape Town

2 view looking South from Church Lane - note quarry works at back of picture

5 Litton Edge

6 bright, probably un-edible berries

7 farm within the village of Litton

8 Wardlow Hay Cop at top

9 Litton Edge again

10 sign just off 'main road' pointing to Tansley Dale (reached by Public Footpath)

13 Wardlow Hay Cop seen above Tansley & Cressbrook Dales

14

16 Note on Cressbrook Dale

19 looking down Tansley Dale into Cressbrook Dale

20 a 'diversion to North' in Cressbrook Dale to Peter's Stone, before turning and going 'South'

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23 looking North down Cressbrook Dale
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29 as it was dry we had no difficulty keeping in the bottom of Cressbrook Dale and did not use a higher up route
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39 Ravensdale Cottages - Royal Mail delivers Post to this fairly remote spot
42 Ravenscliffe behind at top
43 Ravenscliffe
47 on the access road out from Ravensdale Cottages
49 on a road towards Cressbrook Mill

51

52 see the webpage - we did not see the affected areas on our walk

53 Cressbrook (water-powered) Mill - production stopped in 1965. now converted into living units

55 Upperdale Farm - we turned off to cross a bridge over The River Wye

56 looking downstream at The River Wye

61 crossing under The Monsal Trail (The once Midland Railway Line)

62 lunch on the remains of a once platform - possibly used by local farmers for sending milk urns etc

65 on the Monsal Trail walking towards The Cressbrook Tunnel when taking photo of Cressbrook Mill

66 The Cressbrook Tunnel Portal - we branched off to right and walked above tunnel and well above The River Wye in Open Access Land on rough tracks

68 A note on The Cressbrook Mill

69 a note on various parts of Cressbrook Mill

72 a view down to Cressbrook Mill

73 a path starting both down to Cressbrook Mill but then forking upward well above The River Wye then crossing above both Cressbrook and Litton Tunnels (see walk description)
75 looking down at Water-cum-Jolly Dale (see walk on 11th September 2022 when we walked along the bottom of the cliffes seen in this picture)
77Cressbrook Hall seen high up across The River Wye
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81 The Monsal Trail (with cyclists) above The River Wye between Cressbrook Tunnel and Litton Tunnel Portal. We followed the path above which does not descend to The Monsal Trail between The Portals. - Vehicles on maintenance tasks on Trail / tunnels
84 a longer stretch of The River Wye seen below
86 a long stretch of scree - various paths but not clear where they come from or lead to.
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93 On the path parallel to but above The Monsal Trail between the two Tunnel Portals (The East End Portal of Litton Tunnel seen here)
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97a cressbrook tunnel West End Portal seen here
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108 a short break
109 Litton mill seen ahead. The Monsal Trail (hidden by trees) is to the left well above it
111 Litton Slack above Litton Mill
115 Litton Mill
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119 We turned down toward the footbridge over The River Wye to Litton Mill before this Bridge (built for safe access over the once railway tracks)

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122 a note on Ash Die Back
123 The footbridge over the River Wye above Litton Mill which we went down to to get access to Tideswell Dale
126 The River Wye just before Litton Mill
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129 'Cottages' near Litton Mill
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132 The path starting up Tideswell Dale
133 Note on Tideswell Dale
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140 from the Parking area we followed a footpath up to Tideswell our walk starting point

homepage - Daywalks Index 2022 - contact me at REV X