As you walk beneath the trees down the drive to Errwood Hall, where rhododendrons and azaleas overhang the cobbled path, it is easy for a moment to imagine yourself back in the nineteenth century. A stream murmurs down towards the River Goyt, little paths meander through the woodland, and birds rustle through the carpet of leaves, then suddenly you turn a corner and ahead are the ruins of the hall. Once the stately home of the Grimshawes, the Victorian mansion was demolished in 1938 when Fernilee Reservoir was built, but though the family are long gone and the valley has changed, in quiet moments their ghosts live on.
LOCATION: Between Whaley Bridge and Buxton
START: The Street car park by Errwood Reservoir dam Grid ref: SK013756 Postcode: SK176GJ
DISTANCE: 3.5 miles
GRADE: Moderate
TIME: 2.5 hours
MAP: Outdoor Leisure: Peak District - White Peak Landranger 119
REFRESHMENTS: Pack a flask
EN ROUTE: Shrine of St Joseph
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News