Residential Trip to Dovedale

18th – 22nd April 2011

The spring 'OFS away trip' this year was a new venture, to stay at an HF house and have guided walks from the company's leaders, rather than in previous years asking for volunteer leaders from within the OFS membership. So in mid April in glorious weather seventeen of us arrived at Newton House on the busy road between Ashbourne and Buxton for three full days of walking in Dovedale. Our introduction to the leaders and other walkers, and the ethos of HF was made over an excellent cream tea, and then as a taster for the days ahead we had a gentle amble along the Tissington Trail which was literally on the back doorstep to work up an appetite for dinner. Each evening we were offered three choices of walks for the following day: easier, medium and harder, easier by HF standards around 7 miles with about 600 feet of ascent.

I selected the medium option each day, around 10 miles, and so walked with all of the three leaders who had superb knowledge of the history, geology, flora and fauna of the area and I can now spot the difference between wild garlic and three sided leek – feel the stems of the flowers, round for the former and the latter's name explains itself! The leaders also provided us with gentle entertainment each evening, a quiz to see how much we had listened to information given on the walks, darts and dominoes and, on the final evening, impromptu country dancing. The first day we walked from the house over fields, with HF sponsored stiles, towards Wolfscote Dale, with wonderful views and then descending into Milldale, with an ancient packhorse bridge across the river Dove, described by Izaak Walton in his book 'The Compleat Angler'. We then walked along the river Dove to Wolfscote Dale before returning on the Tissington Trail.

Day two was a walk from Wootton above the Manifold valley with wonderful views, then descending through fields to the river and into the park at Ilam.

Wolfscote Dale Wolfscote Dale Photo: Liz Adams

We lunched in the grounds of Ilam and then made our way past the Izaak Walton Hotel and along Dovedale, with its magical names describing the limestone rock formations: Thorpe Cloud, Jacob's Ladder, Shepherd's Abbey, Reynard's Caves and Lovers Leap. The length of the Dale was bustling with families enjoying the spring sunshine and children paddling in the water. We returned to Newton House via Milldale.

The third day was a walk from Froggatt Edge, a gritstone escarpment, along Curbar Edge with wonderful views and then dropping down to the lush Chatsworth Estate, again lots of people enjoying the estate grounds and groups of Duke of Edinburgh award school parties navigating their way, more or less successfully, ordinance survey maps in hand. After lunch break, on through the estate past Edensor (the village moved by a previous Duke because it spoilt the view) in very hot conditions and onto Bakewell for a very welcome cup of tea before being picked up by the coach to take us back to the hotel.

Looking down into the Manifold Valley Looking down into the Manifold Valley Photo: Liz Adams

In summary it was an unqualified success, for me it was lovely to see Sue Crisp thoroughly enjoying being one of the walkers rather than the organizer, but thank you Sue for trialing HF and giving us all such a brilliant few days away, I am sure I speak for all of us. I would love to go back to the area and explore a bit more, particularly in spring, it is such a verdant area, and judging by the numbers of twin and triplet lambs we saw, very productive for sheep.

Liz Adams