EYAM, FOOLOW AND BRETTON

We meet up in Eyam's central car park across from the museum and are surprised to find it empty despite there being plenty of people about. Then we see the sign for the free car park (honesty box for donations) so we swiftly move.

We have both dogs today, Mollie and Scamp, and they both seem eager to be off. It is rather dull, and the forecast isn't brilliant, so we make sure we're prepared although we aren't likely to be doing much offroad walking.


 We drop down to the village and turn right. We've never been to this part of the village before but it is rather pretty. We spy on path on the opposite side of the road, Tideswell Lane, though it is -these days at least- merely a rough track.

We have soon left the few houses behind us and walk along the rough track between the limestone walls. There are fields at either side and some rather good views too. The path undulates and curves around a little, but it is fairly easy walking.

When the lane ends we take a sharp right onto Foolow lane, avoiding the busy A623. Almost immediately, on our right, the grass verge is covered with low growing white flowers. They take a bit of tracking down to identify them, but they turn out to be Creeping Comfrey, or Symphytum grandiflorum.
 

We continue down the lane towards Foolow. We have never actually been here before and find it to be a really pretty village.

There is a rather good looking pub that is just opening up for the lunchtime trade.

And a really quaint old chapel....

...which sits across the road from the green and duck pond.

We take the right hand lane, Bradshaw Lane, immediately after the small chapel, which gives us a long but steady road walk. But we see our first spring lambs in the fields.

It is quite a long road, and the last part of it is pretty steep, but we crest the top and clamber over a stile to sit with our backs to a wall and a view ahead while we eat lunch. It's quite chilly though, so we don't exactly linger.

The road continues along and comes to the familiar Sir William Hill Road.

At the end of this road, or rather, track, we turn right. We still have tarmac underfoot but the road isn't a busy one. This is Edge Road, and we pass Mompesson's Well, pausing briefly to reflect on the events of the plague for which Eyam is famous.

As the road bends we decide to take the path through the woods on our left. And since the sun has decided to come out it turns out to be a good choice. We cross Hollow Brook at the bottom of the woods and climb up again past an inquisitive horse in an adjacent field.

We have some good views over the village as we walk along the rutted tractor track, and soon we are on a tiny side road that drops down to the village centre.

From here it is a short stroll through the village and back to the car park. We have done a fair amount of road walking today but it has actually been quite pleasant and we have enjoyed visiting places we have somehow missed in the past.