Here’s a walk report kindly provided by Peter Carr, the walk leader.
Twenty-two of us and two dogs set off on one of our breakfast rambles from St. Andrews on a slightly grey morning, some having enjoyed hot drinks and toast at the church hall beforehand. The weather forecast was an improving one, and all were optimistic that we’d escape the earlier forecasted rain.
Our route took us across Sindlefingen Park and through Kitchen Wood to Holmesfield playground with a brief stop admiring the apparatus there. Another brief stop prior to Holmesfield Parish Church was to point out the site of where the 11C Motte and Bailey Castle once stood.
The present Holmesfield Parish Church was built in 1826 on the site of the earlier 15C church and was flying the Derbyshire flag upon its tower.
The church was originally part of the parish of Dronfield, with the earlier church built as a chapel of ease. However, in 1727 Holmesfield became a parish separate from Dronfield.
We decided to take the opportunity of a refreshment break at the Millenium garden in the shadow of Holmesfield Hall before we moved on.
Moving on we followed the route of the Dronfield Round Walk through the fields to Cartledge and en-route admired the magnificent views to Barlow Vale and the Cordwell Valley. A brief pull up the steep slope didn’t seem to bother the group based on the evidence of the continuing conversation.
Cartledge Hall was our next stop, thought to have been built in 1492 by John Wostenholme from Rochdale, although since then has undergone extensive renovations.
Our continuation followed the conspicuous way markers of the Dronfield Round Walk towards Cowley Lane where we stopped at Cowley Mission. On this section we could hear the buzzards calling above us, out of sight hidden by the cloudy sky.
Leaving Cowley Mission, with some snippets of information we followed a section of the Holmesfield Round Walk to head to the James Dean way marker post near Gosforth Drive and then the short distance to our starting point.
The group said they enjoyed the walk and the obstacles of a stream crossing, a boardwalk and couple of tight squeezes through the stiles overcome by contorting the body and breathing in didn’t seem to deter. All in a day’s walk!