W/C 29 June 2013 - Misk Hills

The next week or two are a bit hectic, so no chance to do any really long walks. The best I have time for are a few short walks and maybe one a week taking around 6 hours, covering roughly 20 miles. This week, I managed one around the Misk Hills. These are found just north of Hucknall in Nottinghamshire and are a bit of a secret, unless you are local to the area. The M1 motorway goes right over them, just south of Junction 27 - but it is difficult to tell just how interesting this small corner of Nottinghamshire is from the road. It is typical of the kind of walk I do in the winter, when daylight is short.

I began by walking through the Ashfield conurbation to the old part of Kirkby-in-Ashfield. St Wilfrid's church is very ancient. It sits on a small ridge near the head of the Erewash Valley. It is one of several churches in the area that are prominent landmarks - though St Wilfrid's is only clearly visible for any distance from the south and the east. I passed through the churchyard and into the fields beyond, heading south along a footpath towards Portland Park. This is the view of the valley from just south of the churchyard.

 

 Turning my camera to the west, this is a view towards the Derbyshire hills in the far distance.

 After crossing the River Erewash, which is just a tiny stream here, I looked back towards St Wilfrids's church - you can just see the spire sticking up above the trees in the middle of the photo.

 Crossing the railway line, I entered Portland Park, a beautiful piece of woodland. At first sight it seems very natural, maybe even how Sherwood Forest must have looked once upon a time. The whole area was once part of this great forest. Looking more closely, there are plenty of signs of man's activity though, including quarrying and railways. How many people realise, for example, that this embankment (below) was once part of one of the earliest public railways in the world - the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway. It was originally worked by horses.

 Beyond Portland Park, I passed through Kirkby Woodhouse and Annesley before heading for the Misk Hills. I made a small diversion south towards Hucknall to photograph the remains of Annesley Hall - now a derelict hulk. My mother can remember tea parties being held on the once-beautiful terraced lawn.

 The original All-Saints Church in Annesley is at the side of the main road up to the M1 motorway. It too is derelict. It was replaced in the late 19th century by a church in the nearby colliery village.

 Just up the main road from the church is a bridleway leading to the south. I followed this for half a mile or so before turning left towards Hucknall. Just before this path passes under the motorway, the path to Hucknall branches off to the left. It quickly reduces to a narrow path. Most of the woodland around here is artificially planted. There was a serious forest fire here a couple of years ago.

 The forest ends with broad views across the countryside to the south. This one is looking more or less south east towards Hucknall.

 The next shot was taken after I turned east towards the M1. Nottingham is just visible in the distance.

 After crossing the M1 motorway, I continued east towards Moorgreen. Much of this section is along a very narrow tarmac road. It passes the site of Beauvale Priory, though the building is increasingly difficult to see from the road as the trees grow taller. You can just about make the buildings out in the middle of this photo, looking back to the east.

 Another church I passed is Greasley, in the middle of nowhere between several villages. There was once a castle here too.

 At Moorgreen, I followed the Eastwood road for a short way before turning right along a public footpath towards Brinsley. The River Erewash has now turned south in a broad valley, once dominated by ironworks and collieries. This view shows Eastwood church on the east side of the valley and Heanor on the far side, bathed in sunshine.

 I eventually turned back to the northern edge of Moorgreen, passing Moorgreen reservoir. There is no public access to the reservoir, unfortunately. It is reserved for fishing. The reservoir was built as a feeder for the Nottingham Canal, which ran along the Erewash Valley.

 I turned along the footpath back towards Annesley, which runs alongside the reservoir. It is dominated by rhododendron bushes, which are just coming into flower.

 The upper part of the valley the reservoir sits in is very beautiful, spoilt only by the M1 motorway, which runs across its northern rim.

 Felley Priory is on the northern side of the valley. This is now a house and plant nursery. The buildings can be seen here in the middle distance.

 Looking back from where I had come, another prominent church tower is that of Underwood, just seen on the horizon in the middle of the picture. This one really can be seen for miles in most directions.

 On the way back, I passed the old church at Annesley again - this is a view from the main road.

 And a close-up of Annesley Hall showing the state of the building from close up.