Cressbrook Mill & Water Cum Jolly Dale

Geoff's turn this week to drive and just 3 of us again and this time we went up to Monsal Dale and parked down by the River Wye. It was still quite dark when we got there at about 07:15, the sun had only been up a few minutes and it was that horrible low cloud with a bit of moisture in the air. We set off along the road and its not far to Cressbrook Mill, once a thriving cotton mill built by Sir Richard Arkwright  c1785 and now luxury residential apartments. We walked through the mill complex passing the construction site for the new Hydro scheme and into Water-Cum-Jolly Dale, a steep sided valley with massive limestone crags and overhangs. The track now runs alongside the River Wye until we got to Litton Mill which was t was set up in 1782 by Ellis Needham and Thomas Frith and notoriously they used child labour for a workforce. We crossed the river via a small footbridge stopping to look at the trout in the river. Then it was a bit of a slog uphill until we reached the flat trackbed of the Monsal trail.  We turned left onto the Monsal trail and soon came to Litton Tunnel, a long curving tunnel where you couldn't see the ends. There is a short distance out in the open air before going into Cressbrook tunnel this has a double curve almost in the shape of an S. Emerging from Cressbrook Tunnel there is a bench overlooking the mill complex in the valley below and that was where we had our breakfast. There is a lot of activity on the Monsal trail these days walkers, cyclists and joggers, one group of joggers had a baby in a pushchair of some sort and they were really moving, a lot quicker than the usual joggers, don't know what the baby made of it. Anyway we soon came to the footpath led lead us off the trail and back down to the road where the car was parked. We passed under a bridge that seamed to be accumulating stalactites from the limestone dripping from above. 

This weeks route alongside the river Wye

Cressbrook Mill

Cressbrook Mill

Water-Cum-Jolly Dale

Water-Cum-Jolly Dale

New Hydro Scheme just behind Cressbrook Mill

Water-Cum-Jolly Dale

Water-Cum-Jolly Dale

Water-Cum-Jolly Dale

Remains of a small water wheel

Little weirs everywhere

Litton Mill

Litton Mill

Litton Mill

Litton Mill

Litton Mill

Litton Mill

GR Postbox

Ike

Track up to the Monsal Trail

Geoff

Geoff emerging onto the trail

Looking down onto Litton Mill

Litton Tunnel

Litton Tunnel

Litton Tunnel

The end of Litton Tunnel

Looking down onto the River Wye

Cressbrook Tunnel

Cressbrook Tunnel

Cressbrook Mill Complex

Cressbrook Mill Complex

Breakfast stop 

Chatting to another walker

Joggers

We had to go under this bridge

Stalactites

Crossing over the Wye on the footbridge next to this house

VR Postbox

Monsal Head

 Another cracking little walk only 3 miles but took in some very varied scenery. A lovely walk alongside the river and ending up on an old railway trackbed with stunning views over history from the industrial revolution, what more could you want (apart from a bit of sunshine)
See you next week