9.13 miles 6h 19m 378m ascent
Youlgreave to Grangemill
I remember this walk as being in warm sunshine, but the photos show we started beneath a cloud-filled sky. The route was mostly downhill, though it wasn’t really noticeable and there were a couple of climbs out of dips. The Limestone Way swings east to Bonsall Upper Town, leaving the north to south direction of most of the route, before swinging back. A vestige from the original route that ran from Matlock to Castleton.
Continue reading10.01 miles 6h 6m 226m ascent
A6 to Youlgreave
Our second day of the Limestone Way was in t-shirt weather. The navigation was mostly straightforward and the going was easier. There were two main uphill stints, at Sough Hill and Lathkill Dale, but most of the walking was downhill or level.
Continue reading10.48 miles 5h 26m 548m ascent
Castleton to the A6
The Limestone Way is a 46 mile walking trail in the Peak District National Park. It begins in the town of Castleton, below Mam Tor, and makes its way over the broad limestone plateau of the White Peak, and down through the Derbyshire Dales to Rocester, home of JCB, in North Staffordshire. We had decided to walk the trail over four or five days, and after our first day decided five days was the best choice for us.
Continue reading8.19 miles 3h 55m 113m ascent
River Ayr Way: Tarholm-Ayr
This, our final stage of our River Ayr Way, brought us to the coast. It was a relatively short walk, mostly on riverside paths, but with some mud near the start that needed close attention. It wasn’t especially well signed, and where there were waymarkers, their arrows were often too faded to read. That said, there were some interesting sights along the way, we found a bench by the river for lunch, it didn’t rain (much) and, at the end, we could bask in the warmth of our achievement.
Continue reading8.4 miles 4h 7m ascent 229m
River Ayr Way: Failford to Tarholm
It was back to Failford for the next stage of the Way. This time with the luxury of pavement and without rain. A path took us into Ayr Gorge to walk through the woodlands in the footsteps of Robert Burns.
Continue readingCan I forget the hallow’d grove,
To Mary in Heaven, 1789
Where, by the winding Ayr, we met,
To live one day of parting love!
Eternity will not efface
7.05 miles 3h 5m ascent 139m
River Ayr Way: Catrine to Failford
This short section is a walk along riverside paths, woodland wynds, wooden walkways, fenced and mown farmland tracks, un-named and little used tarmac, quiet residential streets and unpleasantly busy B-roads; over bridges of metal, of wood and of stone; beneath viaducts for road and rail; through deciduous woods and conifer, by hedgerows of soft and sharp branches, with colours of summer and autumn; past waymarkers, ambiguous signposts and places calling out for signage.
Continue reading8.68 miles 4h 28m ascent 111m
River Ayr Way: Greenock Water Bridge-Catrine
This stage starts at Greenock Water Bridge. We parked on the old bridge then headed down a steep stone stairway and along Greenock Water’s grassy riverbank. Greenock Water and the River Ayr are about the same size where they meet beside a fisherman’s hide. It would be a great place to take a break but we had been walking for less than five minutes so we only paused for a moment to admire the view. The riverside path was now less used, and the grass, longer and wet from the previous day’s rain, soon soaked our boots and trousers.
Continue reading10.55 miles 5h 32 m ascent 82m
Glenbuck-Greenock Water Bridge
The River Ayr Way follows the River Ayr from its source at Glenbuck Loch to the sea at Ayr, a 44 mile route. We had talked of walking it for quite some time, but never got round to doing the actual walk. Well here we were at last, ready for our first stage. The plan was to start on Tuesday but Met Office alerts delayed us a couple of days. So instead of heat, humidity and thunderstorms we had sunshine with just the right amount of breeze.
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