A Jolly Stroll up Water-Cum-Jolly Dale



Who could resist a place with a name like Water-Cum-Jolly Dale?

It was another fabulously sunny afternoon so, armed with a printout from http://www.go4awalk.com/ L and I set off down the road from Monsal Head towards Upperdale, where the river Wye meanders pleasantly through meadows. 

This is the time of year which makes the old cliched description "verdant" come alive. The grass really is a vivid green, of a shade that is never seen again after May.  We passed a pair of holiday cottages owned by the Chatsworth estate which looked as though they would be a very peaceful place to stay. 

Cressbrook Mill, in Georgian and Victorian times a throbbing site of industry, is now quiet and seems to consist mostly of private appartments and rented flats.  They have a rather grim and spartan aspect however, not helped by rather raw new landscaping.  One can only hope it will soften as it matures.  The footpath is diverted behind a steel railing, presumably to avoid yuppie appartment owners being bothered by hikers yomping through their patios.  Beyond this is a little folly in the shape of a tiny castle, which was built to house mill apprenctices, but is now "Di's Brew Stop" - a quirky looking refreshment halt which sadly we were unable to try as it was closed during the Bank Holiday week.  Here is some of the history of Cressbrook Mill courtesy of www.letsgo-tideswell.co.uk 

John Baker who was a hosier and entrepreneur, developed this site in the 18^th century. He constructed a distillery for peppermint, lavender and other aromatic herbs which he grew or found locally. He erected the first mill building around 1785, this however was destroyed by fire. A new mill was constructed and taken over by Richard Arkwright. Arkwright died in 1792 and the mill changed hands yet again. In 1815 the impressive 12-bay Georgian building was erected by William Newton (father of Henry Newton mentioned earlier). Newton was a self-educated poet that befriended Anna Seward of Eyam fame who gave him the title of ‘Minstrel of the Peak’. He is buried at Tideswell Church.

After this, the path curves under a cliff of grey limestone, and the river Wye opens out into a wide channel.  With the sun sparkling on the shallow water and wooded slopes rising up on the opposite side this beautiful spot is the amusingly named Water Cum Jolly Dale.  And very jolly it is too.  Obviously it floods sometimes as there is an alternative path which leads up over the top, passing Cressbrook Hall. 

The path eventually runs into a lightly wooded area. With the Cresswell Brooke running along one side and the river on the other it feels cool and pleasant.  We saw quite a lot of large trout in the river, which I guess is the reason for the many signs about private fishing and urging visitors to keep an eye out for fish poachers.  I am sure a bit of trout would have been quite nice poached actually, even fried or grilled.

At the entrance to Millers' Dale is another Georgian factory -  Litton Mill.  Like Cressbrooke, this has now become a community of holiday accommodation, flats and appartments, and with its pale stone it looks much less forbidding that Cressbrook Mill.  However, this belies a a grim history, as it is said to have been a place where child labour was exploited, and the high mortality rate amongst its workers shocked even the Victorians:

Ellis Needham was a mill owner or factory master with the worst reputation. He established the early mill in 1782 and together with his partner Thomas Firth, attempted to sell the premises in 1786. Their advertisement stated ‘well supplied by hands from the neighbouring villages at low wages’. When the mill failed to sell, Needham took to apprenticing Parish orphans and paupers, some of whom were brought from London or other large cities. They worked long hours with poor food in bad conditions and were beaten and abused. In 1815 Needham was declared bankrupt so ironically his cost-cutting measures did not pay off.

 

Can't say I'd fancy living in the place.  One would always be looking over your shoulder on dark nights for the unhappy ghosts of sad apprentices.  However, it lookcheerful today with the sun shining and red white and blue bunting in place ready for Friday's Royal wedding cerebrations.

Our return route according to the map was across a footbridge and onto the Monsal Trail, a disused railway line. Cressbrook Tunnel is closed for repairs before at some future point opening to bikes and walkers, but as yet it remains inaccessible.  A narrow footpath thus hares off up the hillside at a vertiginous angle, with a sheer drop on the left.  Neither L or I fancied this much, so we opted to retrace our steps and go back the same way as we came. 

At the end we took a detour however over a footbridge near Netherdale Farm so as to be able to enjoy the view from the disused viaduct.  It is certainly a good vantage point.  I then took the short scramble up the hillside to the ice cream van waiting at the top in the Monsal Head car park, and L made a more leisurely ascent via road.  



At the top, there was the usual compliment of pensioners sittingon benches admiring the view and sniggering at the panting red faced people who have just trudged up from the valley bottom. I was so looking forward to a cup of tea from the flask we had left in the car and we eagerly got out the cups at a picnic table.  Sadly, for some reason the water had gone almost completely cold, so we had to resort to swiching a teabag morosely round in lukewarm water. Note to self: Sack the caterers!

Photo above: View from viaduct.  Video:  A panorama round Water Cum Jolly Dale