Big Derbyshire Day Out - part 2; Monsal Head and Alport

 Having gone all the way to Ashford in the Water to see the well-dressings (it's about an hour's traveling time), we thought it was foolish to just head straight home, so drove the extra few miles to Monsal Head. There's not a lot at Monsal Head - a couple of car parks, a pub, and a cafe - but it sits above a right-angle bend in the river Wye, running far below in the valley, giving fantastic views in both directions, including of the photogenic viaduct.









It's an easy walk DOWN to the river, but not such a fun one back up, and we decided to just take in the view and head elsewhere for a flatter walk.

I decided to look for somewhere to stop for a short walk on the way home, and settled on Alport. It's a tiny village that we, and probably most people, drive straight through on the way to Youlgreave, but sitting at the junction of Bradford and Lathkill rivers, there's water to walk alongside, and stone bridges on which to idly stand and watch the water rush underneath.

We wandered past the houses, over a narrow bridge, along a footpath, and back by a minor road and another bridge.

 I'm guessing this quiet stretch of water was once a mill pond

We then crossed the 'main' road and headed north through the meadows alongside the Lathkill, heading towards Conksbury. Unfortunately as we went further, the stone styles got narrower and narrower, till eventually I decided I might end up stuck! So at that point we turned back. It was a pretty walk though and maybe with a little dieting and exercise, I'll be able to walk all the way through to Conksbury later in summer.