Walking from Wheatcroft's Wharf

Last day of the year and the sorting out of walks for a revamp of Teashop Walks in the Peak District continued ...

Parking at the Cromford Wharf car park, which should perhaps be renamed Wheatcrofts Wharf, I walked back onto the road and passed the church nearby. On the right just beyond the church is a fishing temple with the words 'Piscatoribus Sacrum' [sanctuary for fishermen] above the door ...

 What I didn't know is that just over the wall to the left of the temple in the photo are the remains of an earlier fishing chapel ...



One of the stones in the wall of the old road bridge here commemorates the leap of one Benjamin Heywood [or is it Hayward ?] on his mare in 1697 ...



Walking across the hillside I reached Castle Top Farm and beside that Sunnybank where Ron and Elizabeth live ...



 Beyond Sunnybank the path enters Bow Wood.

In the cool air the shadows of the trees cut across the path.





 I followed a convoluted course to Cromford Canal and had a coffee at High Peak Junction hoping I might see a water vole but today I wasn't so lucky.

Then it was along the canal back towards Wheatcrofts Wharf ...





Wheatcrofts Wharf is now a tearoom and shop run by the Arkwright Society. It's a good place for a stop ...



Date of walk ~ 31st December 2009

Length of walk ~ 3 1/2 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 130 miles.