Autumn Footprints 2017 - Week One
w/e 17 September 2017
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
 It's
the time of year again for another sixteen days of guided walks
in the Autumn Footprints Walking Festival in Amber Valley and
Erewash. The event was opened by the Mayors of both Councils,
pictured here with Marion Farrell (Healthy Lifestyles Co-ordinator
at Groundwork Creswell, Ashfield & Mansfield) who is instrumental
in organising the Festival. After opening speeches by both Mayors,
the volunteer Walk Leaders were presented with commemorative
badges at the Shipley Country Park Visitor Centre before many
of those present gathered outside for the short Launch Walk around
the Park.
This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of Autumn Footprints
and whilst the majority of those years have enjoyed good weather,
it seems to have become a tradition recently for the opening
walk to be conducted in rainfall. This year was no exception
and a heavy shower started just before the assembly outside the
Visitor Centre and continued for at least the first half of the
walk.
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It did brighten up later and this photo taken shortly before
midday shows the clearing skies. This was at about the halfway
point of the walk which took us over newly opened paths in the
part of the park that has been reclaimed from the recent opencast
workings.
Route
Map
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By Tuesday when I joined up with a group to walk "In the
Footsteps of the Pentrich Rebels of 1817" around Pentrich
it was a much better day and we paused several times to enjoy
the views of the Amber Valley as well as to hear about the Pentrich
Revolution.
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The walk was the first of five in the Festival led by the Pentrich
Revolution Bicentenary Group and pointed out many of the
locations associated with the uprising. There are many plaques
in the area highlighting these locations, this one at Buckland
Hollow indicating that Widow Hepworth's Farm, where a servant
was accidentally shot dead, was near here.
Route
Map
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On Wednesday I joined up with the Horsley Woodhouse Walking For
Health Group for a walk on footpaths and bridlepaths that give
a "different perspective of the surrounding villages and
countryside." One of those perspectives was to the north
and the distant memorial Crich Stand on the horizon (just right
of centre on the high ground in this view).
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The walk also took us over the nicely manicured fairways of Horsley
Golf Course but as we passed the lovely beds of wildflowers,
I wondered how many golf balls will be found once they die down.
Route
Map
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Thursday saw me back with the Pentrich Revolution Bicentenary
Group for their second walk in the series which this time
although touching on the same route as the Tuesday walk at Butterley,
was centred on Ripley. The walk started outside the Town Hall
in the Market Place in Ripley. Ripley is now the main town with
Pentrich just a small village nearby but at the time of the Revolution
the roles were reversed with Pentrich having the more important
role and Ripley being the adjacent small village.
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From the centre of Ripley the route took us down the hill via
Hammersmith to Butterley Reservoir before returning via Carr
Wood. I took a similar photo of the reservoir from here on Tuesday
where the two routes overlapped but it was a much duller day
then and it looked much better on Thursday.
Route
Map
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On Friday I chose another Walking For Health walk and travelled
to Holloway for a walk along the Cromford Canal and Lea Woods
Nature Reserve. This photo shows the group crossing the canal
and about to enter Lea Wood. Someone has gone to the trouble
of decorating the windows in the derelict building with pictures
of wildlife.
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The walk to the canal had been downhill from the start in Holloway
but the return through the wood followed a gently rising path
through the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserve.
Route
Map
The third Revolution Walk was on Saturday and was a short walk
at Alfreton and again looked at some of the locations associated
with the Rising of 1817 but I took a break over the weekend,
and resumed more of the Autumn Footprints walks on Monday in
Week Two.
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