Offerton Moor from Leadmills

It was noticeably warmer this morning as we set off from the bridge over the Derwent at Leadmills next to The Plough pub.
After a short walk next to the Hathersage road, we left it to follow a small lane and soon left that as well to follow a public footpath across a grassy field to a small stone-built bridge which crosses a small stream to another field which slopes upwards passing the large farm buildings at Hog Hall.
Leaving the trio of rams with curly horns which had been laying in the shade of a tree but then came over to see if we had anything interesting to eat, we passed through a gate and followed the tarmaced farm drive uphill soon reaching a small lane contouring along the hill.
From here we turned right to follow an unmettaled track passing another very nice farm house and outbuildings and continued onwards on the now flat and grassy track through more fields above a wood and after passing a small spring, we went through a metal field gate to arrive at a mucky path through the woods leading between two fences which led to a small ford and the junction of two streams with two wooden footbridges at Hazel Ford.
There is a stony track leading uphill from the ford and we followed this to arrive at open moorland and the track brought us down to a crossing of a small brook at Bretton Clough. Crossing the brook, by stepping over it, we had to navigate a series of parallel muddy narrow tracks and then dropped down a track with firmer ground bringing us to Stoke Ford and the junction of several paths.
We crossed the short wooden footbridge which is slumping on one side due to a crack in the wood, and had a short break nearby, having a drink of coffee from our flasks.
From there we chose the path rising through the woods signposted “Offerton” and after breaking out into a field at a stile, we crossed the field to another stile leading onto a minor road,
Crossing the road we started to follow the unsurfaced vehicle track leading to a farmhouse and then at a footpath sign left the track to follow more grassy field edge and had a short lunch break sitting on the grassy bank next to the footpath and looked out across the valley on our previous route below Bretton Clough and down to Stoke Ford.
After lunch, we continued on the footpath and after going through another field gate, we skirted around the boundary wall of the farmhouse and then followed the greener track which was the public right of way across this section of Offerton Moor, with much of the rest of the moor having had its heather and bracken cover burnt away.
The route across the moor reached a path junction and our route lay to the right and headed up the slope before dropping down the the short muddy section and wooden footbridge crossing Siney Sitch, the small stream which crossed the moor at this point. We paused for a moment to look at frog spawn. Some of the frog spawn had died, probably from a recent frost, but there seems to be plenty of small clumps of viable spawn left over.
Leaving the stream and its frog spawn we continued on the narrow footpath crossing the remainder of the moor. Usually from this point there are excellent views across Bamford Edge and the Hope Valley but today was very hazy after a misty start.
The path then led down at an angle from the moor to a small lane and after following that for a short distance, we stepped over a stile at the roadside fence and followed the narrow path which brought us to another farmhouse and other buildings and the public right of way passes across part of the farmyard and then follows a steeply-sloping field to a small gate in a drystone-wall and a path through woods.
The path left the woods at more grassy fields and then another small lane and after walking uphill along the lane we arrived at another farmhouse and across the lane was a gat leading in another section of field.

Following the route through the field and arriving at a stone stile in the high stone-built wall, the path led steeply down in a short distance to arrive at scrubby land following the River Derwent. This left a few hundred metres following parallel to the river to arrive at the squeeze stile next to Leadmills Bridge and we were back where we started.