Light drizzle fell as nine of us gathered in the North Road car park in Clowne. Before starting in ernest, Jim our leader for the day pointed out the location of the two railway stations that Clowne once had, the first of which had been lovingly restored to show a mock up of a steam engine emerging through the tunnel.
After walking through the outskirts of the village and then through open fields we arrived at the village of Elmton. Jim told us about some of its notable features and famous people who had lived there. You can find out about one of them Jedediah Buxton by clicking this link.
Continuing on, mainly through farmland, we reached Creswell Crags with the impressive crags looming on both sides of the lake. We took in the marvellous scenery and read the information boards as we slowly made our way to the picnic area. This was our lunch stop. We didn’t dawdle here for too long because we wanted to allow enough time to look at the visitors’ centre just around the corner. Some of us were tempted into buying gifts whilst others indulged in an ice cream.
The homeward leg of the walk started alongside the quarry. None of us were sure of the quarry name and after a quick Google the best I can come up with is Whitwell Quarry where high-purity Magnesian Dolomitic Limestone is extracted. As we reached the outskirts of Creswell we joined the Clowne Greenway which is the former Midland Railway line (Clowne Branch) that has been repurposed as a cycle or walking path. You can see a YouTube video by the Wobley Runner who explores its full length by clicking here
The Greenway took us all the way back to the car park where we reflected on a lovely walk which for the most part was done in sunny weather. Many thanks to Jim for leading us round.
