Hay Dale

Leaving the car at the small village of Wheston, Karen and I followed the minor road which forms part of the Pennine Bridleway and after a kilometre and a half we left the road to follow a dirt track and footpath leading to Dam Dale with patches of cowslips and early purple orchids next to the track.

Early Purple Orchid

As we followed some errant sheep and their lambs down the track, the sheep followed the track as it veered off to the right while we passed through a gate past the sign announcing the beginning of Hay Dale. Hay Dale is quite wide and leads to Peter Dale, then to Monks Dale which is quite narrow with slippery limestone rocks as you walk either in the dry stream bed or on a path next to it. The day had started with light rain with occasional breaks where it appeared to be about to stop. Just when you thought the rain had stopped, it would start again. Luckily because the weather had been quite dry recently, the ground wasn't sift and muddy despite the rain.

We arrived at a narrow passage leading past a church onto the main road through the village of Millers Dale. Following the road for a short distance then uphill along a narrow road past the old tin shack which used to be a café called the “Wriggly Tin”, we arrived at the old railway station which used to serve the train line which passed through Millers Dale which closed in the sixties and is now a cycle and walking trail.

 The "Wriggly Tin"

At the railway station we sat on a bench in the drizzle and had our lunch. Afterwards, we continued on a path leading via a green lane signposted as part of the Limestone Way long distance footpath. Following the green lane after pausing to let a group of Land Rovers to get past, we eventually arrived back where we started at Wheston.
I was wearing Contour Navigator boots, Paramo Cascada trousers, Paramo Third Element jacket and Osprey Kestrel 38 rucksack.