Lathkill Dale Valley Loop (Part 2): Ruins, Mines and Over Haddon

Ruins §

The remains of past industry are scattered throughout the valley. At some point, we passed this abandoned grindstone:

The river bends left, then as it bends right again there is a small clearing. Several stone brick pillars remain standing, overgrown, on both sides of the river. Presumably they used to form some sort of bridge that has long since collapsed. Here is one such pillar:

Some tiny spleenwort had found its home inside its crevices:

The clearing, while bereft of trees, was covered with shorter plants such as this meadowsweet:

Mandale Mine §

After the clearing, there is a spur trail to the left which leads to the abandoned Mandale Mine. It consists of the ruins of a large, stone brick building, a stone and earth bridge/tunnel, and a mine shaft, as illlustrated by this sign:

The remains of the stone brick building are somewhat grown over:

It’s easy to miss the mine shaft. Follow the steps behind the stone brick building up towards a steep cliff face, and nestled at the bottom is a caged off hole:

A chain hangs in the darkness, leading down to a floor below:

Welcome sign §

Continuting east along the riverside trail, there are a series of other mine entrances, all of which are caged off.

Upon reaching the bottom of the village of Over Haddon, there is a “welcome” sign. Though for us this is more of a “goodbye” since we are leaving the valley.

Over Haddon §

The trail turns to tarmac as we follow the main road up through Over Haddon. The ascent into the village is very steep, and you walk on the road itself, but traffic is minimal. Over Haddon is a quaint little village, with a fairly big car park, free public toilets, and a pub.

An information sign near the car park shows a map of the village:

We walked east through Over Haddon, towards the pub, and then onto the field.

The path cuts diagonally through the field, close to the edge of the valley, from which there are great views looking down at the path ahead:

The grassy riverside §

The path continues downward, following the edge of the field. Then it joins a road briefly, around a steep, sharp corner which descends to the river. There are a handful of gravel parking spaces here, but I wouldn’t place your bets on getting a spot. The trail then leaves the road, and heads west along the edge of the river. It goes through dense trees and bushes for a little while, then opens up into grassy riverside lawns:

The river is teeming with life. We saw may different species of wildfowl:

Back to the car park §

After the grassy river bank ends, you reach a crossing over the River Lathkill. There is a ford for vehicles, and a footbridge for pedestrians. On the south side of the valley, the trail follows the road, which is essentially a gravel track. The track heads up the side of the valley heaing east at a steady angle, then turns around and carries on heading west, before emerging from woodland to grassy fields.

At this point, the trail descends heading straight towards Meadow Place Grange. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve finished the ascent. After heading down and cutting right through the middle of the farm, the trail carries on up the other side, hugging the right hand wall for a bit, and then marching diagonally through fields again.

Keep following the trail through field after field, and eventually you emerge onto Back Lane. It’s a 60mph road, but fairly low traffic, and only about 0.5 km / 0.3 miles before you turn off at Moor Lane, and reach the car park.

Overall this was a pleasant walk, with rolling green hills, a scenic valley, an underwhelming waterfall, interesting ruins, and a good amount of wildlife.