31-Oct-2024
The 75-km Limestone Way runs from Castleton in Derbyshire to Rocester in Staffordshire. And it goes through Winster. Well, not "through Winster" as in along the main street. You have to climb the hill to find it. But it's very accessible, and we did a teeny-tiny bit of it this morning.
It was a cool and misty day, so we got tantalizing glimpses of views rather than extensive actual views. Nevertheless, it was a very beautiful walk, with the mist greatly enhancing the atmospheric qualities of the area. It was slightly slow-going because of the mud and the stiles, but very doable. As we did our stretch as a there-and-back, we speeded up the return journey with a bit of road-walking, and as soon as we were back off the road onto another field path, it was breakfast time. A standing breakfast, as the ground was too damp to sit down. Who cares, though, when you've got salami sandwiches?
Here's how it all looked:
The top of the road leading out of Winster is where you pick up your path
Across the road you'll find a former "lead ore nightsafe". Miners deposited their lead by means of a chute
On the track
This little area was incredibly atmospheric. Presumably it was the tree that was responsible for the dripping sounds we kept hearing
There are a lot of old mine workings up here. Wherever there's bumpy ground now, there has probably been something back then
A bit of a view
Coming back down a different track to Winster
A great little introduction to our wider world.