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Main Instructor:

Sam Armstrong

Hosted By:

Sam Armstrong

Walk Description:

Saturday Explorer 3/4 Day

A stunning walk full of industrial past where mines, quarries and railways were prominent features. We visit Magpie Mine which stands on a rich lattice of lead ore veins worked from around 1740 onwards. It was one of several pits exploiting the seams and competition was fierce, with miners breaking into adjacent tunnels to sabotage the workings.

Examples of all three can be found on this walk, where the grassy pockmarks of old workings trace the ore deposits across the countryside. By the end of the 18th century, shallow veins were being worked out, but the development of steam power allowed the exploitation of deeper levels. At Magpie Mines, a Cornish engine pumped out the water, but eventually a mile-long tunnel, over 700 feet deep, was dug from the River Wye to serve as a drain, the Magpie Sough. A pair of tall chimneys, a sturdy pit head winding wheel, a lonely cottage and a ruined stone engine house stand in a field off the Bakewell to Chelmorton road, high on the limestone plateau near Sheldon. They are the surface remains of one of the Peak District’s ancient lead mines: where fortunes were lost, murder tool place, but with only a small financial reward for all the effort

Bring a packed lunch/food although we can call into the cafe at the end of the walk. 

Distance: 12km

Time 4.5 hrs

Ascent: 363m  

Any cancellations made 24 hours before the walk won't be refunded so please do not self-cancel.

Location Notes:

Pay and Display PaybyPhone App or by calling telephone number 0330 400 7275 Car Park number 806396