Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney

This is a 9 mile circular walking route from Elam to Abney in the Peak District National Park.

From our base at Darwin Forest Country Park we drove for about 30 minutes up to Elam and the plague town of Stoney Middleton.

We parked the car in Glebe Park in Eyam and walked left down the road to Elam Church where we walked right by the signpost.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Eyam Church

We continued along this track all the way up to Edge Road where we crossed over and up into the woodland at Beech Hurst.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Beech Hurst

We continued our walk following this track up to Bole Hill Reservoir at Highcliffe where we crossed over the lane to a stile.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Highcliffe

We continued our walk into the early morning mist and drizzle to follow the boundary wall across fields to Sir William Hill Road.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Mist

We then headed out across the main track at Eyam Moor from Sir William Hill.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Sir William Hill

This is where the walk started to become quite strenuous so after the Gotherage Plantation at the Ring Cairn we shelter by a wall and had a short break and map check.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Map Check

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Bole Hill

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Eyam Moor

Despite the miserable weather, the cold and the wet, we were having a great time – the Peak District offers such an amazing and contrasting landscape compared to the Dovedale walk from yesterday and the Chatsworth House walk we did the following day!

We continued our walk around the top of Bretton Clough and Bole Hill before we then headed down to seek more shelter across Stoke Ford and into Abney Clough.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Abney Clough

We continued our walk along the main track until we reached Abney where we then walked left and then right at the first lane.

At the end of the lane we walked left to join another track and then left again at Bleak Knoll to head out across Abney Moor.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Abney Moors

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Abney Moor

We eventually reached the lane where we walked left and then right at the first footpath signpost following the signposts around Grange Farm.

We then walked up the track and across fields to the derelict building at Black Hole Mine.

Darwin Forest Country Park Walks – Elam To Abney – Black Hole Mine

We continued to follow this track through woodland where we then rejoined the road at Highcliffe taking the first footpath on our left down to the road at Eyam and back to the car in Glebe Park, 5.5 hours later!