Eleven walkers decided to take up the challenge of an eight mile walk that formed the first half of the Dronfield Hall Barn Round Walk. It was difficult to split the walk into two parts of an equal distance but we made a pretty good job, this one being 8 miles and the other half 6.8 miles.
Starting from Coal Aston in a clockwise direction we walked across fields to Cook Spring Wood and then up to Owler Car Wood. After pausing for a rest at the top of the field coming out of the wood we passed through yet another wood (not named on the OS map) to Troway. It was then a section of road walking up the top of the road where it meets Eckington Road by the property the was once the BlackaMoor Inn.
We crossed the airfield and dropped down to Summerley Lower Road and then on to Half Acre Lane. We were now around the half way mark. After crossing the main Dronfield/Unstone Road we stopped on our way to Ouzle Bank cottage for a well earned lunch break. It’s not often we have a full lunch break on our walks but the extra length of this one meant that it was entirely justified.
Soon we were in Monk Wood which is home to the quaintly named “Curly Bridge” which took us over the Dronfield by-pass. On leaving Monk Wood and crossing the brook we had the challenge of Lees Wood. For some years now the walk has run alongside the wood rather than through it and even though it’s not steep, this section always seems tiring.
A few more fields and we we reached Cowley Mission where some of the cars were parked. Many thanks to Joe and Graham for leading the walk and to everyone who gave lifts to make the logistics work.
