This is a wonderful short walk of about 4 miles amongst some of the best scenery that The White Peak has to offer. It is one of our most popular guided Nature Walks.
A good place to start is the green in the centre of the pretty village of Monyash. Dominating the green are the ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ trees, planted to celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1910. Next to the trees, look out for the war memorial, and a market cross, the base of which dates back to the 14th century when Monyash was granted a charter to hold a weekly market. The holes in the base of the cross are where miners used to test their drills after having them sharpened at the village smithy.
Walking out of the village we enter Bagshaw Dale where the green fields interspersed with limestone outcrops rise gentle on either side of our path. Very soon we are into Lathkill Dale. One of the first points of interest to take a look at are two dew ponds, newly restored to encourage wildlife such as great crested newts. We explore a disused limestone quarry before walking up the hillside for stunning views over the deep limestone dale. Lathkill Dale has been 350 million years in the making! The land was originally at the bottom of a shallow, tropical lagoon. Over millions of year, corals, mud, and the skeletons and shells of dead sea creatures have become the limestone that we see today. It is common to see fossils of sea creatures such as Crinoids in the limestone as we walk along.
It is fascinating that the river Lathkill rises in the bottom of the valley at differing points depending upon how much rainfall there has been. The dale is famous for it’s wild flowers with many rare species to be found such as Jacobs Ladder Descending back into the valley bottom, we cross a little footbridge and enter Cales Dale walking up past cliffs that were once coral reefs. We return to Monyash on paths and tracks through meadows that form part of the long distance Limestone Way.
This is a hilly walk on paths are sometimes grassy and sometimes rough and stony and there are a few stiles to be climbed over so good walking boots or walking shoes and comfortable outdoor clothing are important. The walk usually takes between 2 and 2 ½ hours and can be booked as a guided walk through our website Peak District Walking – Peak Walking Adventures – Derbyshire Dales/High Peak
Happy walking!