Sutton-in-Ashfield Rambling Club: Pleasley to Welbeck Ramble, Sunday February 1
The club continue their attractive fortnightly winter programme with a fascinating 13.5 mile linear walk featuring industrial heritage and Creswell Crags en route. There will be shorter walk options. New members are always most welcome and are given a free coach ride on their first ramble.
After a short bus journey the ramble starts in the Derbyshire village of Pleasley home to a number of historic buildings including the Pleasley Colliery Museum. We move on from Meden Square following the River Meden into Pleasley Vale former home of three cotton spinning mills
Leaving the mills we pass a War Memorial on our way to the Church of St Chad and then rejoin the River Meden passing through Little Matlock, a much scaled down likeness to the River Derwent at Matlock Bath. At the end of the dale we leave the River Meden, cross the Robin Hood railway line on our way to Sookholme via Sookholme Bath. This is a natural spring forming the source of Sookholme Brook. In Sookholme village we pass St Augustines Church.
We then rejoin the River Meden again, passing over the Hammerwater Bridge and onto Stone Bridge on the edge of Market Warsop. We follow the riverside path to our lunch stop at The Carrs Nature Reserve with plenty of picnic tables and seats by the Mill Pond. A couple of pubs nearby in Warsop.
Heading north from The Carrs, past the War Memorial, we climb Cuckney Hill out of Church Warsop. We then drop down the ridge to Cuckney Village and cross the River Poulter. Located in the grounds of Cuckney Parish Church are the remains of Cuckney Castle. We then continue northwards on the Robin Hood Way traversing Welbeck Park.
We then pass through Holbeck to Creswell Crags which is a lovely limestone gorge and one of the oldest known inhabited places in Britain
We finish this interesting walk by following the Robin Hood Way crossing the A60 to finish at The Dukeries Garden Centre at Welbeck for a 4.45 pm coach departure home.
In the morning the coach departs from the "Staff of Life" pub in Sutton-in-Ashfield at 9.17am and from the Bancroft Lane end of Stockwell Gate outside Asda at 9.30am. There are other pick up points en route. The coach fare is £14, accompanied juniors free.
For further information please contact Sharon on 07811 661104 or John on 07749164455. Alternatively please visit our website www.suttonramblingclub.com.