A Walk from Grangemill

We joined a group of about a dozen people on a Peak District Mines Historical Society walk led by Tony Wood starting at the Holly Bush pub in the hamlet of Grangemill at the crossroads at the top of the Via Gellia.
Leaving the pub we started on the bridleway leading from the crossroads through fields above Grange Mill Quarry, which is part of the Limestone Way. We could see the full extent of the huge limestone quarry which is still a working quarry and mostly not seen from nearby roads. Continuing on the Limestone Way route, Tony pointed out the small rectangular building on the skyline ahead which was a Royal Observer Corps lookout location from World War II. This was used to spot German bombers heading towards Manchester and when they had been spotted, they could inform anti-aircraft guns further along the flight path.
After crossing a muddy recently ploughed field, we crossed the High Peak Trail and arrived at Manystones Lane after crossing another field and following a farm track.
We walked along Manystones Lane towards Harborough Rocks and after a short diversion into the field with a Public Footpath to see some old mine workings and a large mine shaft covered with concrete railway sleepers, we returned to the road and walked as far as the track leading through the works again back onto the High Peak Trail opposite Harborough Rocks.
We followed the old railway track which carries the High Peak Trail, pausing to view the collection of four new wind turbines recently installed on Carsington Pasture. These were in view for a large proportion of the walk and raised a bit of discussion amongst the group mainly along the lines of the unwanted visual intrusion so that some individuals can make a lot of money and not make any real contribution to saving carbon dioxide emissions.
We next followed the access road for the works next to the trail which are sited by one of the shafts into Golconda Mine. As the works are running throughout the week we weren't allowed to approach the shaft top but we could look at the old winding wheel which was displayed on a plinth outside a small office building.
After leaving the works we found ourselves on a wide vehicle track which led northwards and after walking along the track for a short distance, we left it for a footpath through a field gate leading us down a small muddy and wooded dale known as Marks Dale which leads to the the road in the Via Gellia.
On the way we had a look at an old ruined coe (the small building located by mine shafts where the miners used to store their tools and get changed into work clothes) and further along, another coe which was larger and next to a small adit with a corresponding adit on the opposite side of the small dale. Some had a look a short way into the adit, but the adit on the opposite side had been blocked by a collapse of surface soil not very far in.

Further down Marks Dale we reached the minor road going through the Via Gellia next to a layby and from here we walked up the road for a bit and then turned off on the small road leading through the hamlet of Ible and then down again back to our starting point for a quick drink and a bit of cottage pie at the Holly Bush. It was nice in the snug bar with a warm fire burning to warm up on a cold and windy day.