🌥Three Villages Walk 9 miles🫏Winster🐦Elton🐑 Birchover🌥

Our scenic walk goes through Villages and Rocky Outcrops as well as moorland.

It starts in the characterful Village of Winster, which has more than 70 listed buildings with one of the most impressive street scenes in Derbyshire. The main street is an array of impressive buildings which merge with characterful cottages up the bank on the southern side.
The Old Market Hall, which dates from the 17th century is owned by the National Trust, together with The Old Hall and Dower House, they are particular highlights of the Village.
The cottages which huddle together on the hillside, known as Winster Bank, are more likely to have been the modest homes of the poorer miners quarrymen and agricultural workers.
There is also an old inn, The Bowling Green and The Miners Standard in the Village. A short distance away on the road to Grangemill is the Limestone Way footpath, which takes us to nearby Elton and Robin Hood's Stride.

Leaving Winster, we head up through the Village to join the Limestone Way which takes us to our next Village, Elton.
The White Peak village of Elton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Eltune, thus signifying its Saxon origins. It stands at 950 feet above sea-level on a plateau three quarters of the way up a north facing hillside.
This stone-built peakland village has an unusual geological feature which can be seen in the architecture of its old buildings, many of them built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Elton stands on what geologists call a ‘strata boundary’ and remarkably the buildings on the north side of Main Street are constructed of gritstone, whilst those on the opposite south-side of the street are built of limestone. As we know, gritstone is of the Dark Peak and limestone is of the White Peak and these meet in Elton.

Leaving Elton, our routes takes us up to the rock formation of Robin Hood's Stride.
Robin Hood's Stride is an unusal rock formation, also known as Grain Tor or the Mock Beggar's Mansion because at a distance it appears to have two chimneys.
According to legend, during the 14th Century Robin Hood leaped between the large rocks at each end of the tor and led to it being known as Robin Hood's Stride.
These gritstone boulders are accessed via the Limestone Way and stand on the old portway, an ancient track that crosses the limestone plateau. The views are stunning from here and you can also see a nearby stone circle which is about 200 metres from Robin Hood’s Stride.

Leaving this rock formation, our route heads up a short steepish ascent to join a track to the Village of Birchover.
The White Peak village of Birchover stands amidst magnificent rock scenery on a hillside beneath Stanton Moor. It's also known for its stone quarries.
This area of Derbyshire is rich in mineral deposits and lead mining. Quarrying for stone and spar mining for barytes has provided the population with its main industry down the centuries.
Birchover stone from Stanton quarries has provided the raw material for the construction of many noteable buildings including the Tower of London, Windsor Castle and the Houses of Parliament.

After heading up through woodland, our route goes onto Stanton Moor, a gritstone plateau and a Scheduled Ancient Monument known for its rich Bronze Age archaeology.
The moor is diverse with heathland, woodland, and gritstone edges.
It includes the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, Doll Tor and features natural sculpted rocks like the Cork Stone, as well as numerous burial cairns.

The Nine Ladies is a prehistoric circle, the most famous site on the moor, surrounded by local legends of petrified dancers.
The area is dense with over 70 burial cairns and other stone circles.
The Natural Rock Formations are natural gritstone outcrops which include the Heart Stone, Cork Stone and the Cat Stone.

After our Stanton Moor adventure, our route heads back towards Winster.
Our path passes Birchover Quarry and a campsite on the outskirts of the village.
It carries on through pastures to join Birchover lane, it saves us descending very steep muddy fields.
Birchover Lane joins the Elton Road which takes us back into Winster.

A scenic walk through villages and Rocky Outcrops avoiding muddy descents

Expect some muddy trails but avoiding muddy descents along lanes

Catching up points and breaks as always along the way

Bring a picnic lunch and snacks to keep you going

Toilets at the start in Winster

Walking boots are essential, as well as warm layers
a walking pole is always helpful for muddy paths

As always check the weather and dress accordingly, a spare layer and waterproofs are essential at this time of year

Our four-legged friends are always welcome 🐕🐕‍🦺🐕

Look forward to our scenic walk 🦮👩‍🦯🚶‍♂️🐕👨‍🦯🚶🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️