DerbyshireWalking.co.uk
Little Eaton, Morely Moor, Brackley Gate, Horsley Castle
| Walk Area Distance OS Map Start Point Altitude Information Start Point Low Point High Point Other Information Tea Shops Parking Last Walked | : : : : : : : : : : | Little Eaton 5.00 Miles Explorer 259 1:25000 Derby, Ashbourne and Cheadle Bell and Harp, Little Eaton DE21 5AE (SK 3687 4285) 196 feet (60 meters) 183 feet (56 meters) 462 feet (141 meters) None Road Side Oct 28th 2010 Duration 3hrs |  | This Walk. |
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A steady five mile walks taking in woodland and fields along the way. The walk also takes in the remains of Horsley Castle, once a medieval royal stronghold, the remains can be hard to distinguish amongst the undergrowth, so don't be too disappointed. Getting There: The start point of this walk is at the northern end of Little Eaton near to the boundary with Coxbench. From Derby (south) take the B6179 from the junction with the A38 and pass through Little Eaton, and take a right turn onto Alfreton Road signposted Holbrook. Continue along this road and look for the two hundred year old Bell and Harp public house on the left. Parking is at the roadside near to this pub. From Ripley (north) follow the B6179 towards Derby for around four and a half miles, after passing under the A38 take the first turn on the left. Follow this road parking is at the roadside near the Bell and Harp public house. Trent Barton Bus services 9.2 and Amberline serve this route from Derby (both services). Ripley and Mansfield (9.2) and Heanor, Kimberly (Amberline). Both of these services have a stop near to the start point of this walk. The Walk: The walks starts by heading walk north along the B6179 towards Holbrook and Coxbench. Continue until reaching the last house on the right, near a 40mph road sign and the Coxbench boundary sign. The foot path lied between the house and these signs (see image right). Follow the foot path crossing the railway line (marked on maps as disused, but check anyway), then cross Bottle Brook via the bridge to emerge onto the B6179. This is a busy road, and the traffic moves quite quickly along this stretch, so take extra care when crossing to the other side. |
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The footpath continues directly opposite the end of the previous section of footpath. Follow this path until it reaches the embankment of the A38, at this point the path diverts to the left and passes under the A38 via a roadway underpass. This underpass has pavements and a tarmac road, but exists only under the A38, it comes from nowhere, it goes nowhere! Having passed under the dual carriageway the path bears right to rejoin it's original route. Follow the path up the hill to the woodland ahead. |
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Just before entering the woodland (Horsley Carr), the path meets a vehicle track, turn left, then follow the track as it bears right into Horsley Carr. This track is still in regular use so beware of vehicles along this stretch. Around a third of a mile into Horsley Carr look for a signposted track to the right, follow this path up through the woodland until it exits onto the open landscape of Breadsall Priory Golf Course and Breadsall Moor. Continue to follow the path ahead keeping tight to the tree line directly ahead. The exit from this golf course is not the one in the corner directly, but via a two step wooden stile some forty or fifty yards to the left in the hedgerow. Cross the next field at around 45 degrees to enter a third field. The path continues across the field at the same angle to an exit in the far corner, but beware! This field is used for corporate events such as archery and blindfold 4x4 driving (odd for a field with a public right of way across the middle of it). If such an event is going on, turn hard right to follow the field boundary to the road, then turn left to bring you to the corner exit from the field next to some cottages.
From this point walk along the road past the cottages and look for a footpath into the fields on the right, opposite the last cottage. Enter the field and keeping the woodland copse to you right walk ahead to the corner of the field. On entering the next triangular file turn left to a stile in the corner of the filed, here the path bears 45 degrees right across the next field, then continues in the same direction to join Moor Road (the former Roman Road; Ryknild Street). Walk down the lane directly ahead, and take the well marked footpath on the left between the second and third houses. Pass over a stile and follow the path through the paddock, then through a squeeze stile into a second paddock, continue forward into a larger third field. At this point the path then cuts diagonally right to exit in the far corner. The field boundaries are not clear here, so where you are heading for the right hand edge of the large block of woodland ahead.
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| On reaching the block of woodland, keeping the fence to the left walk on to exit onto a road. The block of woodland is in fact a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) known as Morley Brickyards belonging to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. It is open to visit (entrance a few yards down the road to the left). The walk continues directly across the road along the farm track to Morleymoor Farm. Beware as this becomes increasingly more muddy as it approaches the farm buildings. On reaching the farm walk forward to a point where several footpaths converge. The farmers wife may appear at this point ans say the path goes directly ahead, but that is not the path needed for this walk. (Since I last did this walk the County Counsil has reminded the Farmer of the footpaths across his land, so this should no longer be an issue.) Pass ahead and turn left tight against the farm wall, then along side a farm building with open field to the right. Once again this section is extremely muddy, at the end of the farm buildings look for a gate and stile slightly to the right in the hedgerow ahead, this is the exit point from the farm. |
| Turn right and walk along Quarry Road, just beyond the last house on the left is a footpath sign, take this route to pass behind more houses, eventually to rejoin the road at Brackley Gate. As you pass behind the houses note the overhead planks to allow free passage for both squirrels and cats. Turn left along the road, then carefully follow it as it turns right then left through two tight corners, continue forward for a third of a mile until reaching the track to Horsley Castle on the left. Walk along the track until the point where vehicular access is blocked, at this point pass through a metal kissing gate on into some woodland. A short distance into the woodland there is a path off to the left, this loops around the ruins of Horsley Castle to rejoin the path ahead. If you decide to walk ahead the ruins will be to your left, if the loop path is taken they are on the right. Either way very little remains to be seen, although the loop path does give a view of the outcrop on which the Castle stood. Once the paths rejoin the path bears right and descends through the woodland, exiting into a field over a wooden stile through a wire fence. Walk down the field edge following the fence line towards the boarding kennels, at the end of the field cross another stile and pass between a wooden fence and he edge of a disused quarry. Follow this down until it exits onto a roadway, at which point turn right towards Coxbench. At the junction near the A38 underpass is the relocated St Andrew's well (see info panel below). Pass under the A38 and cross B6179, again take care as this is a fast stretch of road. Having crossed the road continue up the lane ahead to it's end, turn left in front of the old Rail Station (now a private dwelling). The walk now returns to it's start point just over half a mile along this road. On the walk back take time to notice an official .Derbyshire County Treasure.; the nine Flint Knapper Bays that line the roadside (see below). |
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GPS Track Of Walk |
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