Wetton / Narrowdale Hill / Alstonefield U3A 02/04/2019, 10:02:10

About trip

TOTAL CLIMB: 276.8m, 908ft

DISTANCE: 6.3 miles (10km)

MINIMUM TIME: 3.5hrs

DIFFICULTY: Medium

PATHS: Generally well signposted but some steep paths can be slippery after rain.

WALK DETAILS: from Wetton village, around Wetton Hill, over Narrowdale Hill, through Alstonefield village and returning via Stanshope village.

START/FINISH: Grid reference: SK109552

PARKING: Wetton village car park, Carr Lane Wetton DE6 2AF

GETTING TO THE START: Suggested route -:

From Congleton take your favourite route to Leek.

In Leek take the A523 towards Ashbourne.

Stay on the A523 to The Green Man junction at Bottomhouse, then take the left turnoff for Onecote onto B5053.

Go approx 3miles and take the right turnoff signposted ‘Butterton and Manifold Valley’, onto Butterton Moor Bank.

Follow the signs for Manifold Valley through Butterton.

Turn right onto Wetton Road, signposted ‘Wetton Mill’ and ‘Manifold Valley’.

At Wetton Mill, turn right and cross the bridge (not the ford), signposted Wetton and Alstonefield, onto the single track Leek Road.

When Leek Road arrives in Wetton, follow the signs to the right for ‘Parking and WC’.

At the next T-junction turn left onto Carr Lane, signposted ‘Parking, WC and Alstonefield’.

The car park is approx 50m on the left.

DIRECTIONS:

1. From the car park walk into the village.
   At the first T-junction turn left.
   Follow the street up past Ye Olde Royal Oak (signposted ‘Wetton Mill’).
   At the next road junction, just past the telephone box, bear right up a slight rise in the road (signposted ‘Back of Ecton’).
   After approx. 20m, go through the squeeze stile to the left of a gate, on your right.
2. Continue through the field along the line of the wall on your right to a gated squeeze stile.
   Bear left across the field to another gated squeeze stile.
   Continue along the line of the wall on your left towards a line of trees.
   In the corner of the field go through a squeeze stile.
   Continue across the fields through a series of squeeze stiles.
   One of the stiles is in the left hand wall and takes you through to the field on the other side of the wall.
3. Continue along the path with the wall now on your right to step-over squeeze stile by the National Trust sign for Wetton Hill.
   Cross the field to another gated squeeze stile onto the road.
   Bear left onto the Buxton Road and continue on the road, passing ‘Gateham Grange Holiday Cottages’ on your left, up to the cross roads.
4. Cross over the junction and walk on the road slightly downhill (signposted Narrowdale).
   Pass though a gate across the road onto some ‘Access Land’ on your right.
5. Continue up the hill towards a tree line just over the hill to the left.
   Join a sheep track just before the tree line and follow it round the hill.
   Eventually the track takes you towards a wall on your right (with Narrowdale Hill beyond it).
   At the end of the wall start to ascend Narrowdale Hill as the track becomes less distinct.
6. From the hill top walk down in a roughly SSE direction towards a very straight tractor track below you.
   Go through the gate/squeeze stile to enter the tractor track and continue past the ‘Alstonefield Camping Barn’ on your left.
7. At the end of the tractor track turn left (gate opposite you has a sign for Carrie’s Wood).
   After approx 180m go through the gated squeeze stile on your right and turn sharp left, signposted ‘Gratton Lane This Side of Wall’.
   Walk approx. 100m up the field with the wall on your left towards another broken wall.
   Skirt around the broken wall to its left and continue now with a wall on your right.
8. At the next wall go over the step stile, slightly to your left.
   Continue across the fields through a series of gate/squeeze stiles.
9. Eventually you come to a gap in a wall with a signpost for ‘Gratton Lane’ (Narrowdale the other way).
   Go across the field in that direction.
10. At the end of the field go over a step stile on to a tractor track and turn right.
11. Continue until you see a gated squeeze stile and signpost on your right immediately next to a gate.
    Go through the stile and continue along a tractor track which goes slightly downhill.
12. This track eventually brings you into Alstonefield.
    Follow the signs for ‘Public Conveniences’.
    At the next road junction bear left then right which brings you to The George pub.
13. Go to the left, as you look from the tree on the green to the front of the pub, and pass through a gate with the sign ‘Bumblies Barn’ on the gatepost.
    In front of you go through the step/squeeze stile and gate.
    Continue walking with the wall to your left (church behind the wall), going through a couple of squeeze stiles until you enter a field with a wooden fence on your left.
14. Continue slightly downhill along the fence line and go over a wall stile into another field.
    Walk towards the bottom corner of the field to you left and go through a small gate (with a handle suitable for horse-riders).
15. Continue with a wall on your right.
    Eventually the ground drops sharply away downhill.
    As you descend, there are ‘Alternative Route’s should the hillside be slippy.
16. At the bottom of the hill go through a squeeze stile onto a single track road (house on your right).
    Cross over the road and start to ascend the track up the hillside opposite.
17. The track eventually brings you to Stanshope (‘Stanshope Hall’ on your right, ‘Dovedale Cottages at Church Farm’ on your left).
    At the triangular green turn right on to the road.
18. After approx. 100m go through a stile on your left into a field.
    Walk towards a lonesome dead tree and telegraph pole In front of you slightly up to your left. Follow the signpost through the gated squeeze stile.
19. Continue along with the wall on your left thorough a series of gated/squeeze stiles.
    Eventually you come to a 90 degree wall with a signpost at its corner.
    Stay in the field and go in the direction of Wetton, the wall will be on your right.
20. Follow the signpost across fields, going through a a series of step/gated/squeeze stiles until the last gated stile takes you on to the single track Ashbourne Road.
21. Follow the road into Wetton, passing a barn, a zip-wire at Wetton Village Sports Pavilion and Bliss Bedding on your left.
    At the first T-junction bear right staying on Ashbourne Road signposted ‘Wetton Mill/Butterton’.
    At the next T-junction turn left on to Carr Lane which will return you to the car park approx. 120m ahead on your right.