A Walk from Home to Stanton Moor

Again a quick trip to Monyash for breakfast at the café then saying good-by to Keith and Pete who were heading for home.

An Information Sign on Stanton Moor

Although the weather was good, Karen wanted to catch up on entering Slatcher family tree information into her Family History software package and I decided on a local walk, across to Stanton Moor then back to Winster via Birchover.

Alleyway opposite home

I got my walking gear on and closed the front door then followed the alleyway opposite the house into fields. There had been some heavy rain overnight and there was quite a lot of surface water flowing along the low point at the bottom of the valley between Winster and Birchover villages. I heard the noise of a bird of prey flying overhead and soon spotted it flying around and gliding in the wind – probably a buzzard but I'm not good at identifying birds!

View Across Stanton Moor to Winster

I followed up through the tiny Stoop Wood and spotted the ostriches on the nearby farm some distance away near Birchover. Crossing a lane I entered a very wet field also well churned up by cattle and followed the Public Footpath through a farmyard the a short way up the minor road to one of the access points into Stanton Moor.

Ostriches on Farm

Following one of the footpaths criss-crossing the moor, I headed for the Bronze Age stone circle of Nine Ladies, maybe not as impressive as Stonehenge, but at least only a couple of miles from our front door. The weather was quite good, but there were a few light showers of rain.

Nine Ladies Stone Circle

Leaving Nine Ladies Stone Circle, I followed another of the footpaths, passing a Trig Point with views back to Winster in the distance and the Bronze Age burial mound of Minning Low even further away. I passed the Cork Stone (a large piece of gritsone which has footholds and metal staples fixed to one side by Victorians to allow you to climb to its top about 4 metres off the ground) and continued onto another minor road passing part of Birchover Quarry.

The Cork Stone

Passing a view of Youlgreave in the distance, I left the road and followed a sunken lane down past old stone building ruins to reach Birchover opposite The Druid Inn. Passing the Inn and below Rowtor Rocks (which have strange engravings, carvings and hollowed-out boulders) I followed a lane towards Rocking Stone Farm then along a dirt track for a short distance to reach a grassy level path near a house.

Some Locals!

This path leads along the side of the valley with views back to Winster, soon reaching a farmyard with a narrow tarmaced lane leading down to the road from Elton to Winster. I followed the road back below Oddo House then through Winster Churchyard and around the corner to home.