EAST CHESHIRE RAMBLERS
DARLEY Dale near Matlock was the starting point for a recent long walk by the East Cheshire Ramblers.
We headed north first across fields to reach St Helen’s Church which is dominated by the ‘Darley Yew Tree’ in the churchyard and is claimed to be 2000 years old.
Also of note is the display of Saxon coffin lids in the south porch and the grave of Sir Joseph Whitworth, who is best known for the development of the Whitworth Screw.
Our walk continued to the village of Two Dales.
Once known as ‘Toad Hole’ the village name was changed to Two Dales at the end of the 19th century by a squeamish rector of Darley.
We continued via the well wooded valley of Sydnope Dale, which was once home to a flax mill owned by Daniel
Dakeyne, and together, with his sons Edward and James, harnessed the stream to power a machine to prepare the flax.
This machine had the tendency to groan and roar and the device was christened the ‘Romping Lion’ by local people.
From Sydnope Dale we ascended via Farley and Matlock Moor on forest tracks stopping for a picnic lunch en route before descending towards Matlock and pausing to view the former tram shed at the top of the town and the tram shelter at the foot of the town which now stands in Hall Leys Park.
The tramway was built to serve the Hydro hotels and, in its day, was the steepest tramway in the world on public roads, featuring a 1 in 5½ gradient where fares were ‘Tuppence up, Penny Down’.
The service operated between 1893 and 1927, but was losing money towards its end.
It was a steady ascent from the town following the Limestone Way before dropping down to the village of Snitterton.
It was here during a stay at Magpie Cottage that William Wordsworth immortalised the sycamore tree on Oaker Hill in an early 19th century sonnet.
We continued over Oaker Hill where the summit is dominated by a large sycamore tree known as Will Shore’s Tree.
It tells the tale of two local brothers, Will and Tom Shore, who each planted a sycamore tree atop the hill.
The brothers quarrelled and went their separate ways.
Will who stayed, flourished and prospered, whilst Tom, who left, fell into penury and perished.
Appropriately, his tree withered and died.