Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

13
Main Route Alternative Route Point of Interest Waypoint The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity. We work to safeguard the footpaths, countryside and other places where we all go walking. We encourage people to walk for their health and wellbeing. To become a member visit www.ramblers.org.uk Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire Starts at Ticknall Car Park 3 hours 42 minutes | 7.4miles 11.9km | Moderate ID: 0.1448 | Developed by: Phil Cheesewright | Checked by: Bob Rotheram | www.ramblersroutes.org An interesting circular walk from the pleasant village of Ticknall to Carver's Rocks, taking in Foremark Reservoir and the course of the old Ticknall Tramway - including its tunnels - together with the old limestone workings that the tramway served. Scale = 1 : 27K 500 m 2000 ft © Crown Copyright 2012

Transcript of Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

Page 1: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

Main Route Alternative Route Point of Interest Waypoint

The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity. We work to safeguard the footpaths, countrysideand other places where we all go walking. We encourage people to walk for their healthand wellbeing. To become a member visit www.ramblers.org.uk

Carvers Rocks, DerbyshireStarts at Ticknall Car Park

3 hours 42 minutes | 7.4miles 11.9km | Moderate

ID: 0.1448 | Developed by: Phil Cheesewright | Checked by: Bob Rotheram | www.ramblersroutes.org

An interesting circular walk from the pleasant village of Ticknall to Carver's Rocks,taking in Foremark Reservoir and the course of the old Ticknall Tramway - including itstunnels - together with the old limestone workings that the tramway served.

Scale = 1 : 27K500 m2000 ft

© Crown Copyright 2012

Page 2: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

Starts atThe Car Park, Ingleby Lane, Ticknall, Derbys, DE73 7JX (SK 353241)

Getting thereBy car, take the A514 to Ticknall village. Turn into Ingleby Lane, which is opposite the Wheel Inn. Comingfrom the north you will get plenty of warning of the pub, which is on the left. From the south the junction is50 metres after the Ticknall Village Store, which is on the right. Pass Hayes Farm Court and Rose Laneon the left, then turn left into the car park which is 100m from the junction.

At the time of writing, Ticknall is served hourly every day by bus routes 60 and 61 from Derby toSwadlincote (0871 200 2233, www.traveline.info).

Route instructions[1] Go to the left of the village hall and follow the path through a wooden gate then a metal gate into thechurchyard.

(A) Ticknall Church is first recorded in 1200. It was confirmed to the Priory of Repton in 1271. Within thechurchyard are the worn remains of a probable preaching cross, said to have been moved there from anoriginal site nearby. This may pre-date the earliest church. The remains of Ticknall’s first church,dedicated to St Thomas à Becket, stand in the churchyard. A steady rise in the population meant that thechurch became too small to serve the parish adequately. The existing church was built in 1842, designedby Henry Isaac Stevens of Derby. Following demolition of the body of the old church, the tower and spirewere blown up with gunpowder in September 1841. A corner of the tower and the east window of the northaisle still survive today.

Follow the path through the churchyard, crossing the path from the main gate to the church entrance.Leave the churchyard by a wooden door in a wall, entering the cricket field. Turn sharp right to the corner ofthe cricket field and cross the stile into an arable field.

Turn left and follow the field boundary. At the back of the cricket pavilion cross a track and keep the fieldboundary on your left. Go through a metal gate into a plantation and past a pond. The path becomes agreen lane. Go through another metal gate. Eventually the path dips and you get a good view to the northwest towards the hills around Ashbourne with the dead cooling towers of Willington Power Station in theforeground. At the bottom of the dip is a wooden gate and a path junction. This is Hangman's Stone.

[2] After passing through the gate turn left down a field boundary marked by a stone wall. Follow this to aline of willows where you follow round to the right. Shortly after the willows you will find an orchard on yourleft, followed by a grassy track, which may be easier to negotiate than the field, according to the state of thecrop. Whichever route you use you will go past a pond on the left and emerge onto a stony track byBendall's Farm. Turn left and walk to the road (Repton Road), passing to the right of a wide metal gate.

At the road turn left and walk uphill on the verge towards the entrance to Foremark Reservoir, which youcan see on the right 250 metres away, bordered by low wooden railings.

(B) Foremark Reservoir is Owned by Severn Trent Water, this 230 acre reservoir is part of a system ofreservoirs managing water supply to the East and West Midlands. The reservoir and surrounding naturereserve is ideal for woodland walks, bird watching, picnicking, trout fishing and horse riding. There is achildren's play area and an information point. The visitor centre was opened in 1997 and the existingwoodland was supplemented by 4ha of new planting.

Page 3: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

Foremark Reservoir and Carver's Rocks have a rich and varied flora and fauna. The marshy areassupport locally important plants. During summer, the marshes are a good place to see reed buntings andthe reservoir fringe has breeding great crested grebes. In open areas, you may hear woodcock on earlysummer evenings. The reservoir boasts an abundance of butterflies including dingy skipper, brown argus,Essex skipper and purple hairstreak.

When you reach the railings cross over and turn right up the tarred drive into the reservoir grounds. 300mup the drive take the right turn and walk to the picnic area and enjoy the view of the reservoir. Then walk tothe left along the reservoir edge past a car park (there is a children’s playground in the trees to your left )until you reach a second picnic area and car park next to the visitor centre. Go past the visitor centre andfenced seating area to a sign saying ‘Local Walks’.

[3] Fork left onto a made-up path through trees. Shortly afterwards you emerge into an open grassed area.Keep going ahead with the reservoir on your right, past a small sandy beach (no swimming is allowed!) to afence line. At the fence go left, then immediately after, at the sign ‘Footpath to Carvers Rocks’ turn rightdown a stony path. Follow this undulating path, eventually going up 7 steps, along for a while and past aseat and information board (where you ignore a path to the left). Then go down 27 steps to a sign forScaddows Oaks (which you also ignore), then down a further 22 steps. You emerge by the water. Go up 8steps to reach a long boardwalk. Follow this to a further 5 steps down to a platform giving an excellent viewof a small boggy hollow.

Climb 6 steps out of the hollow to enter a sloping grassy area with a fingerpost. Ignore this and turn right upthe slope and cross to a stile marked 'Nature Reserve' where you re-enter the wood. Turn left and follow anunmade woodland path. Cross a small footbridge. You will begin to see gritstone appearing in the path.Cross a larger footbridge then veer leftward up a low bank and turn left along a significant unmade path.Ignore the scramble up the bank through undergrowth to your right, this leads nowhere. After 80 metres goright over a low bank and drop down to reach Carvers Rocks. If you don’t fancy this there is an easieroption 20 metres further on.

(C) Carver's Rocks is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and is a scheduled Site of Special ScientificInterest (SSSI) for its geology and plants. Access to the SSSI is restricted to the paths through thewoodland. It also contains one of the last areas of heathland in lowland Derbyshire, and supports twonationally rare invertebrate species as well as nationally uncommon moths,beetles, hoverflies and sawflies. The 8–10 m high crags are part natural outcrop and part man-made asthe rocks were quarried in the 19th century for the construction of local buildings (more info below).

Walk along the base of the rock face to the end of the face and keep straight on through a small clearing toa path junction where you turn left. On your right you should see a weed-choked stream bed through thetrees. You will emerge at a small boardwalk with a right-angled bend in it.

[4] Make the right turn, ignoring a rough path straight ahead, and go up steps to a steep winding path intothe woods. Follow this until you reach a fence on the left, and shortly afterwards go through a stile into ahorse eventing course. You will see horse jumps to the left, right and straight ahead of you. Follow the ridestraight ahead uphill and go through a stile which has a field gate beyond it on the left. Ignore this,turning right into a new plantation bounded by wide grassy tracks. Take the left hand one and go down to astony lane, where there is a fine view to the south and information boards about Hartshorne Wood.

Turn left along the lane past a large shed then past the imaginatively named Buildings Farm to reach theA514 Hartshorne to Ticknall road. Cross carefully into Coal Lane. 200 metres along, there are farmbuildings on the right (Coppice House Farm) and a field entry on the left. 50 metres past this, turn

Page 4: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

left through a gap in the hedge onto a wide grass track bordered by a hedge and a plantation. Ignore a rightturn, instead crossing a stile marked ‘no horses allowed beyond this point’ and proceed towards a woodwhere the track turns right.

75 metres on cross the stile to the left, marked by a gritstone post with ancient lettering. This is Smith'sGorse on the map. Ignore the second stile giving access to a small pond. The stile gives access to atriangular field. Officially the path goes along the right hand hedge, but a well-trodden path leads up themiddle of the field directly to a gap in the hedge on the horizon.

Pass through the gap, getting a good view northwards including the spire of Ticknall church. Cross the nextfield, initially aiming ahead towards a distant brick house, then turning right downhill towards a white-walledbuilding. Cross the stile 20 metres to the right of this building onto the B5006 Ashby to Ticknall road.

[5] Turn left, taking care – there are no pavements here. Carefully cross the road and follow it past TopFarm and a side turning for Staunton Harold. 50 metres after a pleasant cottage on the right turn right at afingerpost then immediately left onto the old trackbed of the Ticknall Tramway, which has been resurfacedwith crushed limestone.

(D) The Ticknall Tramway was part of a complex of tramways constructed to link the brickyards, limequarries and lime yards of Ticknall to the Ashby de la Zouch Canal at the Willesley basinnear Donisthorpe (SK 331141). Other sections linked to Cloud Hill quarries and lime worksand Smoile and Lount collieries (more info below).

Ignore the stile ahead. Follow the trackbed through the first tunnel. Note that the path up to the right is notan alternative route here.

A torch is advisable here, but the path is unobstructed and you can see through the tunnel. Continuethrough an avenue of hawthorn trees, which presumably were once the hedges bounding the line, ignoringpaths to the left and right.

[6] Pass through the second tunnel.

(E) The Ticknall Tramway Tunnels are Grade II listed structures and part of the Ticknall Tramway built in1802 by the famous Derbyshire engineer Benjamin Outram. There are two of these, the following detailsare for the longer of the two. There were several alternative routes considered for the tramway but theonly way to avoid crossing the driveway to the Harpur family residence of Calke Abbey, thus preservingthe appearance of the park, was to go underneath by a cut-and-cover tunnel. Considered as some of theoldest railway arches in the world, and restored by the National Trust and converted into a footpath in1995. The tunnel is 138 yards in length and has a variable height and width, the maximum height beingalmost 8 feet and the maximum width being about 12 feet.

At the far end you pass under the driveway to Calke Abbey, which is marked by strengthening beams in theroof.

This tunnel is darker and there are fallen stones on the left, so keep to the centreline of the tunnel ifpossible.

You can avoid this tunnel by leaving the trackbed to the right and passing through a wooden gate. Goslightly right past the left side of a rush-choked pond then veer left to a line of trees which shelter the driveto Calke Abbey. On the other side of the drive is a fence which humps slightly to cross the tunnel. Aim 10mto the right of this and you should find a stile and steps back down to the trackbed.

On emerging from the tunnel you enter the Ticknall limeworks which gave rise to the Tramway.

Page 5: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

(F) Ticknall Limeworks Lime kilns were operating by 1462 when Elyn Assewall leased her late husband’slimekiln and house to Symond Ragge, so the limeyards have been worked at least since then. Lime wasburnt to make mortar and plaster, or to spread on the fields. Rough limestone was used as a cheapbuilding material. By 1804 the tramway was conveying lime to the Ashby Canal. Within the limeyards thereis a network of tramways and tunnels, banks of limekilns, water-filled quarries and embankments,threaded by unofficial footpaths. It has become rich in plant life and is an S.S.S.I. (Site of SpecialScientific Interest), one of only six in the South Derbyshire district (more info below).

Follow the trackbed downhill then across a steel bridge and through a wooden gate to find lime kilns whichare spanned by a smaller bridge. Proceed through another wooden gate and you come to a stone bridgespanning the trackbed. Go under the bridge and proceed through a gap in a limestone cliff, over a stilewhich brings you to an abandoned quarry. Note the limestone face to the right. Directly to the left a muddypath leads over a low bank to ponds which are good for a refreshment stop. Otherwise continue past theponds to a stile by a wide gate. Continue forwards uphill to a T-junction on a wide stony track. Go left alongthe track. You come out onto the A514 (Main Street Ticknall).

As you pass the steel barrier on the track you can see the stems of monstrous growths of Old Man’sBeard (Clematis) on the left. Further on, opposite the cottages you can see the resulting top growth.

[7] Turn left and follow the road, crossing over with care to stay on the pavement. Go under the TicknallArch.

(G) The Ticknall Arch is a bridge built to carry the tramway across Main Street to reach to reach quarriesand kilns on the north side. Is Grade II listed. Was built around 1802 (the listing gives 1794).

Opposite the entrance to Calke Abbey, turn right through a chain fence.

(H) Calke Abbey. The house and grounds are run by the National Trust, and are well worth a visit. Sincethis walk does not approach the Abbey, no detail is given here. See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey/

Cross a small area of grass to pass behind the cottages into Chapel Street (unmarked). This has severalfine houses and a chapel with a cast iron standpipe in front.

A series of these standpipes was erected in 1914 on the orders of Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe to replacethe former water well supply. Two are still in working order.

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in 1815. It retains its original gallery, supported on cast ironpillars and is a very good example of its period.

At the junction with Ingleby Lane cross with care into the car park through a wooden gate.

Additional 'Point of Interest' information(C) The outcrop of Carvers Rocks, plus the quarry at Melbourne, apparently provided the best buildingstone in the area. The name is thought to be associated with Lawrence Carver of Ticknall (born 1701),although in 1836 they were called Repton Rocks and more recently, Dawson’s Rocks.

The outcrop is composed of crags of Millstone Grit sandstone deposited from a major river delta incarboniferous times. The rocks are actually made of the youngest (or uppermost) sandstone horizon in theMillstone Grit succession, known as the Rough Rock Formation. This unit formed an extensive sheet ofthick sandstone that spread across the Carboniferous Pennine Basin — today it can also be seen as aprominent feature in the landscape of the Peak District and the Pennines. The crags are covered in lichen,so little is visible of the geological features. However, you will be able to see that the sandstone isgenerally fine to medium grained and, in places cross-bedding can be observed.

Page 6: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

(D) After 1874, the tramway was cut short at Old Parks Junction (SK 365186). The tramway was in use forslightly more than a century (last used in 1913 and closed officially in 1915). It was built as an alternativeto the existing form of transport (horse drawn wagons) because there were moves afoot to convert theexisting road into a toll road. The other option would have been to build a new length of canal, however,that was too expensive as it would have meant building several flights of locks. The wagons were horsedrawn and built by the Butterley iron company. The tramway was used to transport the products out andthe coal for the kilns in.

The tramway of 20 km (12.5 miles) consisted of cast iron flanged rails, 0.91 m (3 ft) in length weighing anaverage of 17.3 kg (38 lbs) mounted on stone sleeper blocks of not less than 68.2 kg (150 lbs). Thissystem of using a flanged rail and a flat section wheel was known as a plateway, as opposed to theflanged wheel and flat rail of a railway. The rails were cast at Outram's Butterley foundry and he estimatedthat they would absorb the full capacity of the works for 15 months. The gauge was 1.27 m (4 ft 2ins), anincrease of 203 mm (8 ins) over Outram's earlier tramways because he believed that the additional widthwould give greater capacity for general freight. The tramway was double tracked south of Old Parks, butsingle tracked with passing places elsewhere.

R B Schofield in his biography of Benjamin Outram describes the tramway system as being "well ahead ofits time" and "a milestone in transport technology and a model for the modern railway systems whichfollowed thirty years later." The route of the line can still be traced for most of its length.

(F) By the 17th century, wills and inventories show that several leading farmers were involved in workingthe limestone quarries. South of the Main Street, there were originally several independent limeyards runby separate families such as the Sales, Hutchinsons and Gilberts. Their individual identities andboundaries can still be traced despite gradual purchase and amalgamation by the Harpur Crewe Estate inthe 19th century. Together they form one of the largest concentrations of historic lime kilns in GreatBritain. On the north side of the street are the remains of further limeyards and also two brickyards, run inthe 19th century by the Hill and Smart families.

A full history of Ticknall Village with a map of interesting buildings can be found atwww.ticknall.org.uk/magazine/features/163-history

NotesMaps: OS Explorer 245; Landranger 128.

The route is generally flat apart from the section between [5] and [9] which is undulating with many steps.There are also some stiles on the route.

There are toilets at Ticknall Car Park and Foremark Reservoir Visitor Centre.

Eating & Drinking: Several places in Ticknall.

Sleeping: A number of B&B's in Ticknall.

Visitor information: Swandlicote TIC, Sharpe’s Pottery Museum (01283 222848,http://www.ticknall.org.uk).

Guidebook: Short Walks in the Peak District by Brian Spencer (£5.99, Collins Ramblers, ISBN 9780007359448).

Local Ramblers Group: Derby & South Derbyshire Ramblers (01332 558552,www.derbyramblers.org.uk).

Page 7: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

AcknowledgementsDeveloped by: Phil CheesewrightChecked by: Bob RotheramEdited by: Mary GoughRoute developed by Phil Cheesewright featured in Spring 2013 (38) edition of Walk Mag.

Route originally named - Ticknall, Carver's Rocks and Ticknall Tramway.

Page 8: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

[1] Ticknall ChurchPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[3] Field at Bendalls FarmPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[5] The BeachPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[5] Foremark Reservoir Visitor CentrePhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

Page 9: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

[6] Carver's Rocks - The EntrancePhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[7] Carver's RocksPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[8] The Stile Out of the WoodPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[8] Walk Straight Up HerePhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

Page 10: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

[11] Old Stone at Smith's GorsePhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[14] Cottage on B5006 - turn right 50m afterPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[15] Ticknall Tramway Tunnel 1Photo taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[16] Ticknall Tramway Tunnel 2Photo taken by: Phil Cheesewright

Page 11: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

[17] Ticknall Limeworks PoolPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[17] Ticknall Limeworks Quarry FacePhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[19] Ticknall ArchPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[20] Take Care In Chapel StreetPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

Page 12: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire

[20] Ticknall Methodist ChurchPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

[21] Back to the Car ParkPhoto taken by: Phil Cheesewright

Page 13: Carvers Rocks, Derbyshire