Lovers Walk and Willersley Castle

Robs hand is fixed  so it was his turn to drive today and it was another late start at 07:00. We didn't go far parking up just outside the entrance to Cromford Mill. It was still dark with the sun not rising until 07:37 and the light didn't get much better throughout the morning (that's my excuse for the sometimes dodgy pics). We walked a short distance along Lea Road then took the footpath up the lane and then across open fields towards Starkholmes. If the light had been good there would have been some fantastic views with all the autumn colour. We crossed the fields and into some woods before we eventually came out on the Starkholmes road where we found a war memorial. We have all been past this before but never even spotted it. From there the footpath took us downhill towards Matlock Bath and the footpath ended up outside the cable car station. We walked along to the train station through the car park and started on the Lovers Walk track. This meandered up and down and ended on the top of the cliffs that you can see when driving along the A6 opposite Gullivers Kingdom. We stopped there for breakfast with great views in front and the cable cars behind us. From there it was downhill through the woods to the riverbank where we came out in the grounds of Willersley Castle. Some great views of the Masson Mill with reflections in the still water above the weir. We eventually ended up at the castle where we went in to have a look at the famous light well and then back to the car and home.

This weeks route just over 4 1/2 miles

Looking downstream from the bridge next to St. Mary's Church

Off Lea Road

Looking across the valley you can see Willersley Castle to the right of the big tree in the middle of the pic.

Ike

These little hills are apparently old  ant hills grown over

Ike & Rob

Geoff getting over the style

This appears to be a young oak tree growing in an old gatepost.

Just liked the look of these grasses.

Just thought these were unusual trees

No idea what this is all about.

Mysterious old gate leading to nowhere

Starkholmes war memorial

Nice feature, probably a spring in the past

View looking down to the cable cars

This was going uphill

There was a few of these dodgy viewing area's straight over the edge of the cliff

Looking down onto the Fishpond and the Pavilion in Matlock Bath

Gullivers Kingdom

Great view back to the cable cars

Ike, rob & Geoff

Rockfalls from the cliffs above

Footpath down to the river.

Masson Mill built in 1783 by Sir Richard Arkwright is now part of the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site

Masson Mill and the weir.

This tree looks like a face

Beautiful autumn colours

The famous light well in Willersley Castle

Geoff photographing the light welll

This is a  stunning grandfather clock in Willersley Castle

Willersley Castle is a grade 11 listed building and was built as a mansion house for  Sir Richard Arkwright. Originally named Willersley Hall and built on the slopes of Wild Cat Tor. In 1791 a fire broke out before it was completed. Uunfortunately Arkwright died before all the repairs had been done and the building completed.

The Lodge at Willersley Castle

 A cracking walk this although the light levels weren't that good for pics we walked through a great variety of scenery and again the good thing was that we were only a few miles from home.
See you next week