Bonsall is a pretty little village just up the road from Cromford. It was the centre point for my final Limestone Way walk. First I walked one way, back towards Ible, then I walked the other way to Matlock.
I started at the fountain and climbed up to a tree in which a mistle thrush was singing loudly (helpfully identified by the Merlin app). A few fields took me across to the hamlet of Slaley. Then there was a pleasant walk through the woods, which dropped steeply to my left down to the Via Gellia. At Dunsley Springs the stream went right over the edge.
I made my way down more gradually, and then was faced with the long climb up again to the point near Leys Farm where I was rejoining the Limestone Way.
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| Tree down! |
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| Rejoining the Limestone Way |
Once I'd reached the top, it was a very pleasant walk across dry grassy fields. There were signs of old mining activity, which suddenly made the ground feel less solid under my feet - how many holes were hiding under the turf?
Back at Bonsall, I admired a shed with a mammoth collection of signs attached to it, and found a bench with a view for lunch.
A roughly paved path took me back down to the centre of Bonsall. The pub was hung with a Derbyshire flag but hadn't updated its sign from Charles II to Charles III. Do you suppose our present king has made it onto any pub signs yet?
Then it was uphill again. Technically I was on a restricted byway, with some quite nice stone wheel tracks, but a fallen tree and some wall collapses meant it would have been difficult to get any kind of vehicle up there now.
Suddenly the views opened up to the north. I could see for miles! Up the Derwent Valley and over to the hills beyond. I was so glad I'd saved this walk for a sunny day. To the west, Matlock appeared, with the distinctive landmark of Riber Castle to the south of the town.
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| looking north |
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| Riber Castle dead centre |
It was a lo-o-ong downhill to Matlock. Great fun to descend, but I was already calculating how much of this I would have to go up again to get back to Bonsall. And when I reached the sign marking the end of the Limestone Way, my first thought was, "That would be a killer of a start, going up that hill!" My second thought was, "25 miles to Castleton? That's only a couple of days' walking. Tempting..."
Matlock to Castleton was the original route; it was later extended to Rocester. I'd just walked the extension, from Rocester to Matlock, which is why I finished at the start. Does that make sense?
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| path through holly trees |
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| almost there! |
I now retraced a short part of the climb before heading for the Heights of Abraham, above Matlock Bath. I passed the church of St John the Baptist, built above a spring and owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches. At the Heights of Abraham, it was too early in the season for the cable cars to be running. The site stood peacefully, waiting for visitors.
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| spring at St John the Baptist... |
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| ...and the church above |
There were some uphill stretches, and a bit of mud, but nothing too bad. At Ember Farm I came out on a small lane which I followed back to Bonsall. St James' Church boasted "Jimmy's Cafe" with an impressive array of cakes. I settled for a coffee, admiring my surroundings as I drank it. The cafe tables were squeezed in around the pews, and there were plenty of heaters to keep customers warm.
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| steps up to the chancel |
The church is built into a hill, so the chancel is five steps up from the nave - an arrangement I'd never seen before.
From the church it was a short distance to the car park (£2 in an honesty box) on the wonderfully-named Clatterway. I'd finished the Limestone Way. Derwent Valley Heritage Way, here I come!
(Although, if I disappear for two sunny days, I'll be walking from Matlock to Castleton. Don't worry, I'll get the train home.)
Near Ible - Matlock, 3 March 2025
8.8 miles, 14.5 km
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