The Hermit's Walk - Part 01
w/e 30 April 2017
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
It's bluebell time! We know that as they're growing
in our garden but the best place to see them is in the natural
setting of a wood. and there are several locally. On this occasion
we opted for Hermit's Wood at Dale Abbey.
The wood can be reached by a path from the village or through
a gate and across a field from where Woodpecker Hill meets Dale
Road from Stanton By Dale and Potato Pit Lane from the direction
of Risley.
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As we crossed the field it stuck me that the route we were following
was the same as the one described in a Groundwork/Ramblers/Derbyshire
& Erewash "Country Walks" leaflet titled "Hermits
Walk". That walk of three and a quarter miles begins at
Pioneer Meadow in Kirk Hallam but as it is a circular route it
can be picked up anywhere on the circuit. We are now at Point
5 on the circuit.
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Zooming in across the field we can see the ruined East Window
of the Abbey (which is Point 6) that was dissolved in 1538 thanks
to Henry VIII.
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The path across the field runs at the foot of a sandstone escarpment
and bluebells from the wood overflow beyond the fence into the
field.
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A gate across the path provides access to Hermit's Wood.
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Once in the wood a flight of roughly hewn steps leads up to the
Hermit's Cave - this is from about half way up.
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The cave carved out of the sandstone is now a Scheduled Ancient
Monument.
A board at the cave informs about its origin and more can be
learned from the Dale
Abbey Village Trail series from 2005 on this site.
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Another flight of steps leads back down to the main path through
the wood and from the bottom looking up the steps the cave can
be seen. As the season progresses however the increasing leaf
cover will probably obscure the cave.
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But it was bluebells we'd come to see and the hillside was covered
with them.
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There are two main types of bluebell - the Spanish variety that
is upright to a spike with flowers on each side of the stem but
these are definitely native bluebells with flowers on one side
and gently bowing their heads to all who pass by.
Magnus Magnusson coined the catch phrase "I've started so
I'll finish" on a TV quiz show some time ago and as we've
started the Hermit's Walk, we may as well carry on.
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