A funny one today. A 10 mile loop from Monyash, across numerous fields and stiles. Stiles. Squeeze and step – just working this out…squeeze a narrow stone post space though the wall. Step, slabs built into dry stone walls to climb up and over (right handed in layout). There was manicured scenery at the start: orderly village; neat phone box library (with a squeeze stile) and timetabled cows.

Changeable weather en route, a nativity scene and more unusually, cows. Love how the baby cheesus features more than cows on this blog. There was also a 90 degree stone staircase up the side of the valley which was a bit hairy with the Sidstar.

The walk took an interesting turn at the far end of Cathkill Dale. I mean, just look at these photos…

An eerie, waterfall and cave dotted path starts wide and accessible before entering a fairlyland of scarlett elf cup mushrooms and dense moss coated trees and boulders. There are two fenced off ‘natural’ sink holes where the overflow river water runs into a different channel under the river bed. The only kind in the country. And people made features as per.

In the Bulls Head pub after there was a buzz, good nosh and natter.

“I were born and bred in Monyash. We live in [Derbyshire village] now. Tiny place, middle of nowhere. My wife, she’s only just become deaf. I’ve been deaf since I was born. I can lip read, she can’t. We come here a lot to walk around and eat in the pub. Good food and drink here.”

“The pub is too noisy, there’s too much background noise.”

“Are you visiting the area?”

“No, we live in Buxton?”

“Buxton is cold, we lived there 12 year. It were cold. Where in Buxton?

“Brown Edge…”

“Ah, my sister lives there. Opposite the care home. Number 2023.”

Practicalities: Not sure about public transport, village car park and some road parking. Mixed dog walking in terms of on/of lead. Sid learned to manoeuvre step stiles on this walk so more on lead than off. Cathkill Dale is a nature reserve, dogs should be kept on a lead and not enter the water. Bulls Head pub does a good range of nosh with variable opening hours.