Grindleford to Dore and Totley

My first station to station walk. The route is 6.6 miles, but add a bit extra on due to the unexpected detour we took (we are getting quite good at these) a.k.a getting lost.

I chose this walk as it goes through Padley Gorge and the Longshaw Estate, my favourite part of the Peak District (so far). Sybil made her usual human friends in the train station and on the trains, as well as staring down a couple of other dogs but not reacting! She is getting better. We left the train at drizzly Grindleford and headed on up through the gorge to the Longshaw Estate.

Longshaw Estate

The rain soon stopped, so thankfully we didn't get soaked trudging round looking for Little John's Well and the stone steps we needed to climb. I did however find these stones below; I thought they were companion stones, but I haven't been able to find these ones on the website. If you can't make out what they say, I have written the phrase/poem in the caption.

Hold our hands Big Fella and we'll walk these paths together

We eventually left the estate via Totley Moss. This was a very enjoyable stretch of well-used track leading through miles of moorland.

On Totley Moss

The only other people we saw until we reached Totley were two mountain bikers heading the opposite way. We soon lost the view of the national park behind us and another view opened up in front. Apparently on a good day, and with binoculars, you can see Lincoln Cathedral.

Now it was just a case of heading down into Totley over a series of quiet roads. Sybil made a friend with a terrier at Totley Brook and I had a chat with the owner before we finally managed to find the train station, arriving with just ten minutes to spare before the next train. Highlights of this walk included hearing my first cuckoo of the year at Granby Wood, and another one (or possibly the same one) on Moss Road. I also saw a greater spotted woodpecker on the Longshaw Estate.