Sparklow to Hartington Station on the Tissington Trail

5 of us this week and we travelled in 2 cars, Rob had me and Ike while Geoff had his Grandson Sam with him. We set off as usual for this time of year at 07:00 and drove in convoy to the car park at Hartington Station. It was very misty on the way up Via Gellia and occasionally the sun got through. At Hartington Station we all transferred into Geoffs car and drove to Sparklow. We then got booted up and set off on the 4 mile journey along the Tissington Trail back to Hartington Station. We met a chap with his dog and it was carrying a very long stick, just like the one on the TV advert. I think his name was David and he used to live in Milford. It was still misty in some places along the track but made for some interesting photos. We stopped at Parsley Hay which was half way for our breakfast and had an interesting chat to the two lads that worked there in the bike hiring section. From there it was back to the car another 2 miles and then we all piled into Robs car and took Geoff and Sam back to their car at Sparklow, then off home.

Route following the old railway track from Sparklow to Hartington Station.

Mist in the valleys

Sun breaking through the trees

He wouldn't let go of the stick 

David and me

Sam, Ike & Geoff

Standing stone in the middle of a field

3 joggers

Lovely little memorial

Istrian Stone Shelter a gift from Croatia

Some special bikes for disabled people

Sam, Ike, Geoff, Rob & me

2 of the lads from the cycle hire centre

Geoff & Sam

Plenty more lambs about

This is where the trail splits with the High Peak Trail on the left

Rob & Ike

This is what all these tyres are covering a silage store.

A cracking walk on a spring like day, we even had to take our big coats off it was that warm. Met some interesting people and for once didn't have any hills to climb being on an old railway track, just a slight gradient.

See you next week

Friden and the Tissington Trail

Ike's turn to drive this week and we went to complete another section of the Tissington Trail. We set off as normal at 07:00 and parked up in the car park close to the DSF factory in Friden. We walked to the A515 until we got to the Biggin junction, down towards Biggin and got onto the Tissington Trail via the path from the bridge. We carried on until we reached the Hartington Station Car park then got off the trail onto the B5054. At the entrance to the car park there is lime kiln built into the rocks which was obviously used with materials from the quarry just behind it. After walking up the hill on the road for a while we came to what must have been an old drovers road and this carried on until we crossed the A515 and eventually got onto the High Peak Trail (Midshires Way) and back to the car park.

From Friden onto the Tissington Trail and the High Peak Trail

Just arrived in the car park and greeted with this

Fabulous sun beams in the woods

Just look at the ends of the legs on these chairs

Just consulting the map

Cows at the watering hole

Fields were full of lambs already

Milepost

The Tissington trail runs over the bridge

Bit of railway relic

That's Ike and Rob off in the distance

Wolfscote Hill on the horizon

Breakfast stop in Ruby Wood

Geoff, Ike & Rob

Old railway cabin at Hartington Station.

Lime Kiln

A really tidy Dew Pond

We've got the Lime Kiln, the 3 arch bridge and the Dew Pond 

Huge farm buildings

This is the old drovers road (on the map its marked Green Lane)

Geoff

Rob

Geoff

Rob going to investigate this huge water container

Mooooooo

Clever image on the wall of DSF.

A cracking walk of around 5 miles combining the Tissington Trail and the High Peak Trail. Some lovely light early on especially coming through the trees softened with the mist. Every time i walk on these trails I'm blown away by the engineering done by these guys either building embankments or cutting through tough rocky area's. 

See you next week.