West Hallam Walk No. 2 - Part 01
w/e 21 April 2013
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
All three of the Family Walks at West Hallam begin
at the Dales shopping area in the village centre and the leaflet
describing the route includes a number of questions aimed mainly
at younger members of the family. Nominally a two mile walk,
our route added approximately another half mile to that for reasons
which will be made apparent in Part 02.
Walk No. 2 leaves the shopping area and passes to the left of
the Old School in School Square. The first question asks when
the school was built and the answer can be found in the stonework
above the door.
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After passing the school we crossed Hall Court and continued
on the track down the hill which is also the site of the second
question. This is a little more difficult than the first as it
asks what type of trees line the path. It is probably easier
to answer that one when the leaves appear.
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When the path levels out the buildings on the left are collectively
known as The Grange with the Cat and Fiddle windmill showing
through the trees on the hills beyond.
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The entrance to The Grange is marked by a number of gates in
some substantial wooden fencing and the gate in the middle of
the image above also bears a name plaque stating "Grange
Farm".
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We continued for about another 300 yards along the track from
The Grange but what these images don't show is the strength of
the wind whilst we were walking. Even in the relative shelter
in this part of the walk, the wind was really strong and it was
quite a battle at times to make progress - two steps forward,
one step back and it was to get even stronger later in the walk
when we reached the open fields!
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At the end of the track we met and crossed Cat and Fiddle Lane
to continue along Station Road ahead towards Stanley Village.
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The third question in the leaflet concerns the solitary building
standing over to the right. This is Station House and was originally
the West Hallam stop on the LNER railway line. The question asks
for the names of the towns that the line ran between.
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We continued along Station Road passing what the leaflet refers
to as the Felix Bus Garage on the right. Recently however the
Felix Company has been acquired and swallowed up by Trent Barton
and I don't think buses are still garaged here anymore.
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Opposite the garage the leaflet advises a glance to the left
to see "Dale Windmill" in the distance. More properly
called the Cat and Fiddle Windmill it is just visible in this
image right in the centre on the skyline but the white sails
of the mill are almost indistinguishable from the white cloud
behind.
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We continued along the road to enter Stanley Village and walked
past the open green space at Hurst Drive on the right and a little
further on the Village Shop on the left to reach a sharp left
hand corner in the road. There we turned right and that is where
we'll start the return walk to West Hallam in Part 02.
The answers to the questions will be revealed at the end of Part
02 but if you can't wait that long they are contained in the
leaflet which can be downloaded from the Family Walks Index page.
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