Friday June 24th

 Eyam and Stoney Middleton

Jacinta chose a walk from Bradwell's "Longer Walks in the Peak District" so to travel to Eyam and Stoney Middleton was to seek out a walk very different from Wednesday's tramp from Wessenden. We parked opposite Eyam Museum with its minimalist but highly effective logo.

Eyam Museum- avoid this place like the plague

The first section of the route involved a walk up to Eyam Edge, passing pretty gardens, and with good views.

Lots of pretty gardens- this one with rampant sweet peas

A fair bit of (quiet) road walking took us to the Barrel Inn in the hamlet of Bretton, dated 1597 and the highest pub in Derbyshire. We stopped for a drink and talked to our waitress (aged 23) who was one of the many refugees from Ukraine who have come to the UK to escape the war in her country. After the pub, we made our way to the Sir William Hill Road, formerly the main turnpike across this part of Derbyshire. The views were good and David had a quick look at Eyam Moor where he'd done a part of his training for the NNAS Gold Navigation course. Leaving the Sir William Hill Road, we had sight of the Ladywash Mine- this mine did not fully close until production of fluorspar stopped. Google searches suggest that this was a mixed mine- both lead and fluorspar (fluorite) being mentioned. We diverted by about 100m to Mompesson's Well where we had lunch- a poignant reminder of the Great Plague.

Mompesson's Well

After lunch, we walked on to enter Hollow Bank Wood and then up to the Riley Graves of the entire Hancock family who died in August 1666.

The Riley Graves- the family of six all buried here

One of the great features of this walk was the variety of views- the next section had views of the Derwent Valley, with the gritstone edges of Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow on the horizon. We descended through more woodland and emerged on the edge of Stoney Middleton. This section was a revelation- we have driven through Stony Middleton, and David had climbed on the limestone cliffs, without realising that there was an ancient village on the upper level, which included a bath house enclosing baths attributed to the Romans.

The Bath House, enclosing Roman Baths. Built in Millstone Grit and not limestone

We also passed St. Martin's Church (500 years old) with its very unusual octagonal nave.

St. Martin's Church

There were reminders of all the miners, shoemakers and quarrymen who had lived and worked in the village- all made for a fascinating visit.

From Stony Middleton we headed up the hill (marked "The Cliff" on the OS map), stopping for a drink on the Plague Stone- one of the spots around Eyam were coins were left in vinegar-filled holes as payment for the goods that outsiders left for the quarantined people of the village. The vinegar was believed to kill the plague bacilli.

The Plague Stone

Holes drilled in The Plague Stone with present-day coins

We then walked on to Eyam's Town End, past the village church and the imposing Eyam Hall, dating from the 1660s. We ended the walk going past the green with its village stocks, back to the car park.

A very different walk from our usual ones, but worth doing as a journey back in time and a reminder of how hard life was for ordinary people.

8.2 miles, 418m ascent.


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