Monsal Dale Weir

All 4 of us this week and with the grotty weather we thought of going on a trail with some hard surface so tried to avoid grassy fields because after all the rain they would be really wet. We called in at Shotters Spring to have a look at a pond there but it was really wet and not able to get to the waters edge. We ended up at Bakewell hoping to walk to Hassop via the old rail track but it just wouldn't stop raining. We sat in the car for a while and Rob just asked a question which one of the Derbyshire weirs was the highest so after a discussion we ended up in White Lodge car park on the A6 and set off for Monsal weir. We went across the road from the car park over a style and onto the footpath which went across an open field then through the woods and over a stream. The walk took us alongside the river Wye and through Monsal Dale with Fin Cop towering above us. We eventually got to the weir and it was in full flow after all the rain, a spectacular sight. After taking a few pics, Geoff decided to go back to the car and drive it to Cressbrook where he would meet us while we carried on the walk under the Monsal Head Viaduct and alongside the river to Cressbrook. On our travels this morning we saw a dipper on the river and a sparrowhawk drop from the sky into a bush and he came out a second later with his breakfast clutched in his talons.

Me at Monsal Weir

Our route through Monsal Dale

Don't know what these are

Shotters Spring

Ike

Geoff

Geoff ducking under a tree

The 3 wise men

Geoff

Footbridge over the Wye

First glimpse of the Monsal Weir

Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Rob at Monsal weir

Rob

Me at Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Top of Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Looking upstream from Monsal weir

Looking downstream from Monsal weir

Monsal weir

Ike and Rob

Monsal Head Viaduct

A couple of dogs enjoying the water

The Viaduct

Bridge over the Wye

Rob & Ike

Nice little plants growing in a wall

A Victorian letterbox

Having breakfast

Lovely views of stone walls

Peter's Stone and Cressbrook Dale

Peter's Stone

 This was only 2 miles but the weather dictated where we could go. On the way back we had a detour via Peter's Stone and rerouted around Bakewell due to traffic problems. Despite the rubbish weather it was still an enjoyable morning out. P.S. When we got back to Belper it had been bone dry all morning.
See you next week.