The Queens Walk

A short walk within the village for the Jubilee celebrations on 5 June.  It can be done in two halves.  There are 25 points of interest on two loops, 11 on one and 14 on the other.  

Start:  both walks start at the phonebox

Finish, the Bishop’s pavilion.

Distance:  the northern route by Padley Chapel, 2.14 miles 225 ft elevation

Distance:  The Southern Route, by Fair Flora, 145 miles 150 ft elevation

PLEASE NOTE THE WALKS ARE DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK.  No part of the walk is very high but it could get slippery underfoot.  There is one river crossing, and one potentially boggy patch, although you can avoid both of these by retracing your steps.  These alternatives are indicated in the instructions.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE that those living in the houses along the route have not given permission for anyone to enter their house or garden.  Please respect this – thank you!

Northern route.  Leave the phonebox and walk in the direction of the bridge.  (1)  

Cross the bridge on the right hand side. Walk 30 metres to the Church (2) 

and Community Shop (3).   

From there continue to walk up the footpaths, crossing as necessary (with care – the road is extra busy because of the Froggatt Road closure) until you reach Nether Padley Farm on the left hand side (4).  

Continue on up the path until you arrive at the Maynard Arms (5) on the side.  Stop off here for refreshments if you wish, or stay on the left hand side of the road and walk down Station Approach to the Spring (6), a small walled enclosure, now very overgrown.  This is just before the Station Café (7), on your right.  Walk 10 metres further onto the bridge and look over the right hand side to see the Totley Tunnel (8).  From the left hand side of the bridge you will see the station (9) below you.  Beware of traffic crossing the bridge.  Continue along the road, which will go over another bridge.  The road turns into a track here, and the building on your right with a wheel on the wall is Padley Mill.  This was renovated around the turn of the Millenium by Peter Blundell Jones, the same architect who designed the nearby bridge.  Go straight on at the wooden barn and past the Conservation Garden, now overgrown and not accessible but with an interesting information board, past Brunts Barn on the left and on to Padley Chapel on the right (10).  From here on the track, look across the railway line and you will get a good view of the signal box (11).  Continue along the track and soon afterwards take a left turn over the railway.

If you would rather stay on the roads, turn round before the railway crossing and retrace your steps to the main road.  Cross over, turn right and follow the path to the church, where you will pick up the route.

OR

If you continue over the railway crossing, follow that path down the hill until you hit the river path.  Fumble and fettle your own route.  You are looking for a concrete bridge over the river.  When you hit the river, turn left along it, and continue until you regain the main road directly opposite the Church.  Cross over, taking care, and turn right. 

Picking up the route here, cross back over the river by the bridge, then cross by the lights to arrive at the Pavilion.

Southern Route.  Leave the phone box and walk away from the bridge but before you do so, look left (if you are facing the phone box) towards the Jubilee Gardens (A).   The building immediately behind the phone box is the Old Post Office (B).  Continue along the footpath towards Calver until you get to very ancient Bell Inn Cottage (C) opposite the junction signposted to Hathersage.    Crossing carefully, remembering the extra traffic on the main road at the moment, take the footpath up the hill, by Lane End Cottage (D) and the side of the school (E). 

(At this point, if you feel like taking a detour to see the Grindleford Model Laundry, then instead of turning up the Hathersage Road, continue along the main road towards Calver.  After 200 metres or so you will see the Laundry on your left.  

If you take this option, turn round at the Model Laundry and come back again, to the Hathersage junction by Lane End Cottage, and walk up past the school, picking up the route.   

Once you have passed the school, the Sir William Hotel (F) is the next building on your right.  Cross over here, and you will be at the War Memorial (G) and The Green (H).  To the left of the War Memorial is Sir William Hill Road; start to walk up there. On your left is first the Methodist Chapel, the Pinfold (I), and the Old Youth Club and Rose Cottage (J).  30 metres higher and you will come across Adlington Lane on your left.  Take this lane, and after 15 metres more you will see a footpath turning to the left in front of a mock Tudor house.  Take that pathway, and go through the kissing gate at the bottom.  Bear slightly right and walk across some fields, behind the Mount Pleasant houses; the views are very fine.  At this point the path will start to descend steeply to some stepping stones. 

If you wish, you can turn round here and retrace your steps as far as Sir William Hill, picking up the route later.  The alternative road route via Eyam New Road is not going to be part of this walk because the road is currently too busy and too fast to cross safely.

Once you are over the stepping stones, taking care on the slippery surfaces, ascend the steep bank above you.  Go over the stile and bear left along the lane.  You will see a gate on your lefthand side with a short stretch of dry stone wall – this is the bargain stone (K), a rare survival.   Continue a little further until you come to the last house on the left.  Directly opposite this is a gap in the wall, and up along that way stands Fair Flora (L).  She is on private land so you won’t be able to see her directly, but there will be a photograph of and some information about her for you.  The rest we leave to your imagination.

Turn round at this point and retrace your steps over the stepping stones and along the path until you regain Adlington Lane and then Sir William Hill.  

Turn right onto Sir William Hill Road.  Walk down it and cross over to the Sir William Hotel.  To the left of the hotel the road (Commercial Road) will take you to a path at the bottom, which will lead you down a flight of steps (don’t go down the pathway to the far left, running along the high wall and down a jinnel).  As you walk down the steps, you will see on your right the old dentist’s (M).  Once you have regained street level, turn left and go past the old Red Lion Inn (N).  A little further on and you will see the new dentist’s, now a holiday home, and Tommy’s Cottage.   A little further on still and you will turn into the gate of the Pavilion.