Hathersage Circular via Bretton Clough and Eyam walk

Rolling hills, drystone walls, deep wooded valleys,the Hope Valley, Eyam and Hucklow ridges, mining industrial heritage, Eyam, peat bogs (on a good path)

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sun, 16-Aug-20 Sunday Walk - A Village in Lockdown: Hathersage Circular via Bretton Clough and Eyam [Hope Valley Trip] 20 low clouds with some rain
Sun, 19-Aug-18 Sunday Walk - [Peak District Trip] Hathersage Circular via Bretton Clough and Eyam 27 low clouds with some sunny breaks and some drizzle
Length: 22.2 km (13.8 mi) [shorter version possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 614m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 9 out of 10

From Sheffield: take the 09.14 Manchester Piccadilly stopping service via the Hope Valley (Dore & Totley 09.21, Grindleford 09.29), arriving Hathersage at 09.32.
From Manchester Piccadilly: take the 09.45 Sheffield stopping service via the Hope Valley (New Mills Central 10.13, Chinley 10.21, Edale 10.29, Hope 10.36, Bamford 10.39), arriving Hathersage at 10.43 (ie a good hour behind the other group).
Return trains from Bamford : 17.35 and 19.35 towards Manchester; 16.40, 18.40, 20.40 and 23.02 towards Sheffield.
Return trains to London: 16.44 , 17.31, 18.44, 19.31 and 20.44 (change at Sheffield or Manchester Piccadilly, from 3 hours 21 minutes total journey time).

Topical Lessons in the times of Covid-19: how a medieval village dealt with a localised outbreak of The Plague - through voluntary self-isolation!
“Centred on Hathersage, an attractive village in the Hope Valley surrounded by the ringed cliffs of the Stanage and Millstone edges as well as the ancient iron-age hill fort of Carl Wark and the distictive Higger Tor on Burbage Moor, this walks leads through some outstandingly beautiful scenery: delightful meadows with a jigsaw of drystone walls and other signs of small-scale livestock farming, rolling hills backed by open moorland and the deep wooded valleys of the Highlow Brook (one of the few remaining in the Peak District with the remains of ancient oakwoods) and the Bretton Clough with their fast flowing streams. You have magnificent views all day (weather permitting).
The middle part follows the geological fault line between the Dark and White Peak areas along the Eyam and Hucklow Edges with tremendous views into the Hope Valley and then descends through a wood into it, where you pass plenty of signs of its mining heritage: (now grassy) spoil heaps and fenced-off unstable ground suffering from subsidence.
You eventually reach the famous plague village of Eyam with its tea options. Rise up steeply from Eyam to cross the heathery blanket peat bog of Eyam Moor (along a clear path), and – after one last steep descent and partial re-ascent through a remote green valley – re-cross the Derwent River back into Hathersage”
Walk Options:
A Shortcut down from the Hucklow Edge to Foolow cuts out Great Hucklow, this cuts 2.2 km/1.3 mi and 61m ascent and the resulting walk is rated 8/10.
Buses from Great Hucklow, Foolow or Eyam to Sheffield or Hope enable a finish after 10.0 km/6.2 mi, 11.9 km/7.4 mi or 14.4 km/9.0 mi respectively: line 65 (Buxton to Sheffield Interchange, 7 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 3 on Sundays) and (from Foolow and Eyam only) line 66 (Baslow to Sheffield Interchange, 5 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 4 on Sundays) and (from Great Hucklow only) line 173 (Bakewell to Hope and Castleton, 4 buses per day).
Lunch: The Barrel Inn (7.3 km/4.5 mi, food to 15.00), The Queen Anne Inn (9.8 km/6.1 mi into the full walk, food served to 14.30), The Bull's Head (11.8 km/7.4 mi into the full walk (9.6 km/6.1 mi if walking the shortcut), food all day).
Tea: Plenty of options in Eyam and Hathersage, see the pdf for details.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.315
  • Sun, 16-Aug-20

    Of the 24 people hereabouts, 2 were on their way back home some time during the day and 2 went on a walk of their own, so 20 on the walk. Up to mid-afternoon we had very low clouds with only very occasional very short bouts of drizzle or rain, just enough to put on waterproofs and close all zippers to then take them off again. From 4 pm onwards though we had about half an hour of proper rain, low clouds with some rain .

    The weather couldn't detract from the beautiful landscape though: lush green pastures, a tight green valley, the odd wood, the odd steep climb. A first stop was made by about half the group at The Barrel Inn, while another group moved on past a landslipped bit of road and down a steep wood, then through a couple of picturesque villages to The Black Bull, where 4 of us had a wonderful lunch at a covered outdoor table. Some picknickers and some of the other groups stopped for a drink. We moved on to Eyam and had coffee and cake in the courtyard of Eyam Hall.

    One last steep ascent up to the Edge and across to the sea of purple that is Eyam Moor: heather in full bloom interspersed with blooming gorse, very pretty indeed.

    One went off on a tangent (literally) to (successfully) locate the Wet Withens stone circle and a neighbouring large barrow.

    After walk drinks at The Plough for some.

  • Mon, 17-Aug-20

    Turns out that the 2 who did a walk of their own bumped into one off the main group in Eyam, who had dawdled to have a look at the Museum there, and they got drenched by one of the forecast thunderstorms when crossing Eyam Moor, at around 6 pm.

Length: 22.2 km (13.8 mi) [shorter version possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 614m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 9 out of 10
From the West , take the 09.45 Sheffield train from Manchester Piccadilly (New Mills Central 10.13, Chinley 10.20, Edale 10.29, Hope 10.36, Bamford 10.39), arriving Hathersage at 10.43.
From the East , take the 10.17 Manchester Piccadilly train from Sheffield (Dore & Totley 10.23, Grindleford 10.30), arriving Hathersage at 10.34.
Return trains to London: xx.43 until 20.43 (change at Sheffield, from just under 3 hours).
Return trains: xx.31 until 20.31, then 22.33 towards Manchester; xx.43 until 20.43, then 21.39, 22.43 and 23.05 towards Sheffield.
“Centred on Hathersage, an attractive village in the Hope Valley surrounded by the ringed cliffs of the Stanage and Millstone edges as well as the ancient iron-age hill fort of Carl Wark and the distictive Higger Tor on Burbage Moor, this walks leads through some outstandingly beautiful scenery: delightful meadows with a jigsaw of drystone walls and other signs of small-scale livestock farming, rolling hills backed by open moorland and the deep wooded valleys of the Highlow Brook (one of the few remaining in the Peak District with the remains of ancient oakwoods) and the Bretton Clough with their fast flowing streams. You have magnificent views all day (weather permitting).
The middle part follows the geological fault line between the Dark and White Peak areas along the Eyam and Hucklow Edges with tremendous views into the Hope Valley and then descends through a wood into it, where you pass plenty of signs of its mining heritage: (now grassy) spoil heaps and fenced-off unstable ground suffering from subsidence.
You eventually reach the famous plague village of Eyam with its tea options. Rise up steeply from Eyam to cross the heathery blanket peat bog of Eyam Moor (along a clear path), and – after one last steep descent and partial re-ascent through a remote green valley – re-cross the Derwent River back into Hathersage”
A Shortcut down from the Hucklow Edge to Foolow cuts out Great Hucklow, this cuts 2.2 km/1.3 mi and 61m ascent and the resulting walk is rated 8/10.
Buses from Great Hucklow, Foolow or Eyam to Sheffield or Hope enable a finish after 10.0 km/6.2 mi, 11.9 km/7.4 mi or 14.4 km/9.0 mi respectively: line 65 (Buxton to Sheffield Interchange, 7 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 3 on Sundays) and (from Foolow and Eyam only) line 66 (Baslow to Sheffield Interchange, 5 buses Mondays to Saturdays and 4 on Sundays) and (from Great Hucklow only) line 173 (Bakewell to Hope and Castleton, 4 buses per day).
Lunch: The Barrel Inn ( 7 .3 km/4.5 mi, food to 15.00) , The Queen Anne Inn (9.8 km/6.1 mi into the full walk, food served to 14.30), The Bull's Head (11.8 km/7.4 mi into the full walk (9.6 km/6.1 mi if walking the shortcut), food all day).
Tea: Plenty of options in Eyam and Hathersage, see the pdf for details.
For walk directions, map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.315
  • Anonymous
    Sat, 18-Aug-18

    I am hoping to come on this walk from the West if not raining too hard jfk

  • Sun, 19-Aug-18

    3 of yesterday's walkers went on other adventures today, but we had 2 new ones turn up, so 27 in low clouds with some sunny breaks and some drizzle . The route has plenty of ups and downs pre lunch, through tight wooded valleys or over rolling hills of pastoral land. The clouds kept getting lower as we approached the top of the Bretton Clough, to emerge on the edge of the big drop into the Hope Valley, with the Barrel Inn to the left. Half the group turned into the pub for a refresher (tables were all booked, so food was no option).

    On along the edge and through a hanging wood to Great Hucklow, with plenty of signs of the old lead mines en route, well info panelled. About a handful had walked the shortcut and had managed to book a table for all lunchers at the third pub, The Bull Inn in Foolow. From there through small fields (lots of stone slab stiles) to Eyam, the plague village.

    Lots of interest in Eyam, from plaques explaining the effects of the plague on individual houses' inhabitants to a real ale breweries' tap room to a café in the old buttery of Eyam Hall to preparations for a well dressing at the next weekend. The group had splintered into multiple sub-groups by now, and everyone made their way up to and across Eyam Moor at their pace. Heather, gorse, bracken and bilberries galore. A patchwork of colours with stunning scenery framing it: Higger Tor, Stanage and Froggatt edges, and the oh so green Hope Valley.

    A glorious descent and about 15 reassembled at the Plough Inn for drinks and dinner. Most of the others had a train to catch back south...