Nelson's Monument to Wellington's Monument

It was my turn to drive this week and we headed north to park up in the Robin Hood near Birchen Edge.
The route this week took us past some familiar places but also onto some new ground that Geoff hadn't even been on.

The route marked in red

It was a nice steady walk up through the lower section of Birchen Edge we passed Nelson's monument and it was a different view from below it for a change. From the top the vista looked like a South African grass plain. The ground was a bit boggy in some places and even though  there isn't a footpath marked there is a couple of slab bridges over the brooks. We walked down to the cross roads then past a couple of old friends the Stoops. Walking past the stoops continued onto Wellingtons Monument, from there down hill through the woods to A621. We found an old pack horse bridge over the Bar Brook where we had our breakfast. After breakfast it was over the road and up through the birch woods with some more great views over towards Baslow. After reaching the top of the woods it was downhill to the Robin Hood.

Debris from the recent wind

Nelsons Monument

Geoff, Rob & Ike

We go this way???

A grand vista

Rob on the slab bridge

The sun just about to rise over the distant hill

Bridge over the Bar Brook

Looking south over Bar Brook

The old stoop

The modern stoop

Another view of the modern stoop

Wellingtons Monument

Geoff  using the trees to navigate down through the steep woodlands

A mini cairn

Lovely leafy path through the woods

It must be a tight squeeze for the sheep 

Breakfast on the old pack horse  bridge.

A small waterfall on the Bar Brook

The Bar Brook with the elevated driveway to the Cupola

Pack Horse Bridge over the Bar Brook

You  just cant see the woods for the trees

Rob & Ike getting tangled up in branches of the tree

Rob looking through the keyhole

View over to Baslow

Rocky outcrop

Moorside Farm with Birchen Edge in the background, you can see Nelsons Monument and the 3 ships  on the horizon.

This was a cracking walk with some unexpected gems turning up. Although the track was muddy in some places it was on the whole surprisingly dry underfoot. Although it was a tad over 4 miles there was quite a lot of ascents and descents especially through some of the steep sided woods. A grand morning out.
See you next week

Breedon on the Hill

It was Rob's turn this week and we headed south again to the district of North West Leicestershire to visit Breedon on the Hill.

The Priory church of St, Mary & St. Hardulph

We parked in the tiny hamlet of Wilson and from there we walked along the old railway track to Tong and then onto the top of Breedon Hill. We past a couple of interesting buildings on the way with the railway track tacking us past the Tong and Breedon Railway Station, now converted into a residential dwelling. There were some great views of the church on the hill from Tonge.

Boot time

This is one of Robs short cuts

Geoff  being very careful over this fence.

This is Ike's photo stance

Ive got no idea what these are for.

The old Tonge and Breedon railway station.

Geoff snapping the bridge

A great door decoration in the hamlet of Tonge

The main street in Tonge

The Priory church of St, Mary & St. Hardulph

The Priory church of St, Mary & St. Hardulph

Breedon is notable for its Carboniferous limestone hill that rises 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level in a generally low-lying landscape and affords distant views across several counties. A large portion of the hill has been cut away by an active quarry now operated by Breedon Aggregates.

Looks like a gateway to nowhere

The village lock up { The Round House} in the foreground was built around 1793 where offenders were kept until they could be moved into the town prison. It was last used in 1885

On the track up to the church

The Priory Church of St Mary and St Hardulph was originally a monastery founded in about AD 676 on the site of The Bulwarks, an Iron Age hill fort. It was re-founded as an Augustinian priory early in the 12th century. Before becoming a monastery it was a hermitage.

Geoff sitting quietly in the church yard having his breakfast

Sun Dial on the church wall

The ministers off to work

The Breedon Beacon

Ike checking out the construction of this house wall

The main street in Wilson

This was another cracking little walk of 4 miles in nice warm conditions for this time of the year. None of us had previously had a good look around this area although Geoff had been on the railway track when there was actually track on it.
See you next week