Building your house above a 70ft mineshaft sounds rather risky, but that's what Mr Bateman did in Lathkill Dale. Perhaps it was to keep an eye on his lead miners, but when sweeping the living room Mrs Bateman's broom went straight through the floor. What she said to her husband is not recorded. Now you can take a close look at the shaft yourself by climbing down a ladder next to the house and peering into the depths. But though the valley was once the heartland of mining, now it is one of the places we go every spring for its wealth of flowers. On our latest visit we counted fifty different species. How many can you find?
LOCATION: Ten miles south-east of Buxton
START: Follow signs to Youlgreave from A515 to Moor Lane car park
Grid ref: SK194645 Postcode: DE451LU
DISTANCE: 6 miles
GRADE: Moderate
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Explorer OL - White Peak Landranger 119
REFRESHMENTS: Take a flask
EN ROUTE: Calling Low, One Ash Grange, Cales Dale, Meadow Place Grange, Mandale Mine
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News