Clough Wood and Greatclose ...

Clough Wood is less than a couple of miles from here but by car and indeed on foot it's half as far again as you have to cross the bridge at Darley Bridge to get there.

After crossing the bridge you follow Oldfield Lane to get into the wood ...

The enormous chimney which rather spoils the view is part of the Enthovens' complex.

Leaving the old lane a short stretch of path brings you to the remains of Millclose Mine ... 

 

Beyond the old leadmine the path leads into Clough Wood itself ...

 

There was no one about ...

 The path I was following was heading west towards Winster but then it split and I took the line that turned sharply back into the wood and which, initially, headed east. It then slowly swung round to head for Winster ...

   In these fields was a farmhouse known as Greatclose. I remember not so many years ago walking through its ruins but in recent times all the stone was taken away until now all that remains is what may have been an orchard ...




Living at Great Close Farm as it was called in 1901 were George Swindell aged 41 ~ a farmer and lead miner ~ and his wife, Elizabeth, aged 45. Also living there [according to the 1901 census] were George and Robert, their sons, aged 13 and 12 respectively, and their three daughters,  Martha, Mary and Kate. They were aged 8, 6 and 2 respectively. 

They were still there in 1911 according to the census taken that year.

Now there is no sign of what had been their home. 

The path leads into Winster ...



No sooner had I reached the road than I turned left along it for 300 yards and took another path heading back into Clough Wood again.



This takes you over an unnamed stream. At least it's unnamed on my OS Map.



By now the afternoon light was beginning to fail and my camera gave the last few photos a blue hue ...


  
 The walk featured above was followed on the 26th December 2010

Length of walk ~ 4 miles

Total mileage walked so far in 2010 ~ 380 miles

Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 26th December 2010 ~ 513.75 miles

79 of 2010

Across the river ...

We'd had one of those days where we'd not really nothing anything ... so in the evening we drove across to the other side of the river and parked near Enthovens and walked up Oldfield Lane ...

The first thing that struck me is that someone has actually surfaced what was a roughish piece of track. Now who would have done that and why ?



The only people I could think of would be the owners of Sabine Hay. After all they have to drive up Oldfield Lane every day presumably.

At the side of the lane I noticed this moss growing out of the top of a fencepost ...



 Eeeh, we were that poor we 'ad t'live in 'top o' a fencepost ...

It was almost reassuring to see that Oldfield Lane reverted to its original state just past Cowley Knoll, where the drive to Sabine Hay leaves it. I say 'almost' though I think the 'One Life, Live It' brigade have made a heck of a mess of the old road ...



 I wonder how the bikers and mountain bikers get on coming down this stretch ?

Beyond Cowley Knoll, where it's a bit flatter, the old lane is much nicer to walk ...





Natasha hadn't bothered to take her rucksack, it was that much of a stroll ...

A little further along we turned sharp right along the footpath that drops back into Clough Wood. Try and walk it just as the light begins to fade. Sometimes you can see the deer starting to move around in the trees ...



Not this evening though ... we were too early.

Eventually you reach the remains of Millclose Mine.



At one time over two hundred men used to work here and it was stll being mined in the 1930s. In other articles, I have read that at one time over eight hundred men were employed there.

It was also, apparently, the largest leadmine in the district ! The UK ! Europe ! The World ! Who knows ... it must have been pretty big.   

You can see the main shaft better in this next photo ...



It's been capped [not surprisingly] ...

So then we were walking back down Oldfield Lane.



 We turned to the right into the trees that stand on land belonging to Enthovens. I remember this area when it was fields, owned by my Uncle Bill who had a farm at Darley Bridge. He had cattle and there was a suggestion that some of them died from lead poisoning as a result of the 'fallout' from the lead smelting at Enthovens. 

They bought him out ... and now there are loads of poplars planted on the ground.  



We wandered around. A fox ran across the path. Deer started stirring. The sun was setting, its light slanting through the trees ...



In the failing light we headed back to the car ...



 Date of walk ~ 11th April 2010

Length of walk ~ 2.75 miles

Total walked so far in 2010 ~ 65.75 miles

Total walked since 1st September 2009 ~ 195.75 miles

15 of 2010