Alstonefield to Ilkley

This years walk seeks to start closing gaps in our walks and will mean we have walked from the Peak District to the Lake District (see Dales Way).

We are using a route taken from Margaret and Brian Nightingale's books, The Great English Walk, Vols 1 & 2. Our route is described in detail in this publication.

The route takes us from Alstonefield in the Peak District, through Monyash, Bakewell, Hathersage, Flouch, Holmfirth, Ripponden, Hebden Bridge, Haworth finshing at Ilkley.

27 May - Arrive Bull in the Thorn pub and set up camp before a pre walk meal.

28 May – Up and away and the first objective is the Old Smithy Tearoom in Monyash for breakfast, a 1.5 mile wander to work up an appetite. Suitably refreshed and now ready, we follow the Limestone Way and the River Wye into Bakewell to sample the famous puddings. From here it’s over to Edensor with a great view of Chatsworth before meeting up with the bus and back to camp site and pub for dinner.

29 May – bus back to Edensor and walk through the Chatsworth estate before heading up to Curbar Edge and Froggatt Edge stopping at Grindleford Station Café for chips! From here to Hathersage before the haul up Stannage Edge and down to the A57 t0 meet up with the bus.

30 May – Moving camp day with the walkers being dropped off on the A57 and the bus heading to HolmeValley camp. This is a bit of a damp day and the walkers are pleased to meet up with the bus at Flouch, returning to the camp site and onto the pub for dinner.

31 May – Back to Flouch in the bus then walk back to Holmfirth and the delights of “Last of the Summer Wine”. At the campsite, we order a curry making the most of the nice weather.

1 June – walkers dropped off in Holmfirth and the bus heads to HebdenBridge. A day of canals, reservoirs villages and a few hills before the bus collects us from Ripponden, after a nice meal in the pub.

2 June – back to Ripponden and over the rolling hills back to HebdenBridge and the StubbingWharf pub. An absolutely beautiful day and well earned replenishment of liquids.

3 June – another glorious day and over the moors to Haworth with the bus moving the gear. But tonight we sleep in Pods – glamping it up!

4 June – the last leg from Haworth and over the moors – Ilkley in particular and into Ilkley itself for dinner at a bistro, are we getting too soft! Back to Haworth by bus for another night of glamping.

5 June – stow the gear and all passengers and head back to Burton.