On leaving the car park we were pleased to see four alpacas/lamas sharing a field with ten rooks before our leader Bob, indicated we should turn right towards Sheldon. Our way took us onto a grassy path boarded by nettles and purple thistles with green fields all around us. Steve stopped to stroke a honey-coloured horse which was busily chewing but we didn’t disturb the chestnut one and the white one nearby.
A gusty wind started to blow and clouds threatened rain as a German Shepherd barked a warning and we entered an overgrown path with rose bay willow herb reaching up to our chins. We crossed a road onto another very wide, grassy, path and the entrance to Lathkill Dale and then onto a pebble path shaded by hawthorn with various wildflowers – harebells, sedum, clover and blue geranium growing below. By 5.30pm we were deep in the valley surrounded by piles of limestone rocks and having to be careful as we negotiated our way around them but it didn’t rain and all was quiet and calm.
The walk opened up into a wide area with lots of thistles and small yellow flowers on spikes which we couldn’t identify. Bob led us to a large slab of limestone which was ideal for sitting on to eat our snacks and soon we were off again to walk over a wooden bridge, no water below, and saw what was above us – uneven steps of smooth rock rising steeply to the sky. With much puffing and the occasional prod from Steve’s walking pole, we emerged on a flat surface to see a field of shorn sheep, one with a beautiful pair of curved horns.
As we approached One Ash Grange, we passed a grotto with statues of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus and further on, a long line of unused pig sties. Outside the barn was a sign advertising ice creams for sale and inside Steve found a freezer full of ice creams and an honesty box. We saw chickens in a small hen hut and on our left, in a barn, four cows happily chewing the hay.
We scrambled through a gate and were met by a sign stating National Trust Fern Dale, Monyash House Farm and after walking along a rocky path, under a darkening sky, we passed a large pond and arrived in the village and at the car park.
We will meet outside the church gates for our next walk on Sunday 7th September at 12.30. New members are very welcome to join us.
Evelyn Lowe