Discovering Derbyshire - Eccles Pike

An unexpected birthday treat 

This year I was at work on my birthday, not something I usually do but we had already booked a long weekend away for the following week, so I baked a cake and took it into work to celebrate with my colleagues.  I was under instructions to come home as soon as I could as we were going out for a special meal, not only that but I was told to pack an overnight bag too with walking gear for the following day! 

I had no idea where we were going and no hints were forthcoming, could it be the Lakes? I doubted that as it would be late when we arrived, too late for a meal... unless we ate en-route.  Eventually it was time to head for home and I was still not given any hints when I arrived back.  My bag was packed and off we went into the evening traffic.  The route took us into the hills and along some narrow, twisting lanes until we arrived at our destination, a beautiful ancient inn in a small village.  I wasn't sure quite where we were and couldn't see the surroundings in the dark.

Our destination turned out to be the Old Hall Inn at Whitehough, a small hamlet near Chinley in the Peak District.  This lovely old building has real fires, a great selection of beers (it is in the Good Beer Guide) and excellent food - we had a wonderful meal in the double height dining hall with a minstrel's gallery overhead.

Superb bedroom

We were shown to our room and discovered that it had a four poster bed in pride of place, a lovely window seat and a well equipped en-suite with a beautiful oak floor.

The dining hall from the minstrel's gallery

The following morning I finally got to see the surroundings of the inn, and I was very impressed with the setting, hills all around, and with the winter sun shining I was eager to get out and explore.

Old Hall Inn

Dan, the owner, can recommend a selection of walking trails and can provide GPS devices if needed.  After a splendid breakfast we followed two of his suggestions.  We headed up to Eccles Pike and were rewarded with 360 degree views over the Peak District.  After soaking up the vistas and the sunshine we made our way to the canal at Bugsworth Basin which we had spotted from the Pike.  From the canal there is an easy route back to Whitehough following an old tramway.  After a couple of hours of very pleasant walking we returned to the inn for a light lunch.  It is a popular place with plenty of people enjoying the food and the atmosphere, even in winter, and I'm told it is even busier in the summer months.

Which way?

Looking East from Eccles Pike

Looking north from Eccles Pike

There are plenty of great locations for walking and photography in the Peak District and I hope to explore many of these over the next few months, I'll be reporting back so watch this space!