dog walks

Derbyshire Dog Walks – Monsal Dale

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A little disclaimer before we start. Everyone’s first priority right now (and always) is to STAY SAFE. Practice social distancing and self isolate where required. In this post I am simply remembering a favourite walk that we have done on previous visits to Derbyshire.

We all, of course, have our favourite locations when taking the pooch on a day out. Sometimes we change it up and go somewhere different and then others we’ll want to know exactly what we are up against. Monsal Dale is that go to, long walk, out in the open for us. It has everything from open green space to water which we can’t keep Mia out of and a little uphill section. The route is even in a good spot for a drink or bite to eat after too. There is plenty of parking at the top of the route and we always tend to use this and walk down.

There are a couple of steep hills on the walk and I am not a fan of going downhill but I would say for me, it is worth it every time. My favourite spot along the trail is probably right at the end of the route in the field below the viaduct.

On one previous walk we were able to get right up to the weir and take a couple of photos. On our last day out here it was fenced off and you could not get near it. I am completely guessing but I take it this could be for safety purposes to stop silly people walking along the rocks to get a photo for the ‘gram, just a thought. There are some beautiful spots on route, as there is with most of Derbyshire, and the large viaduct and the weir are just a couple of them.

Mia, our chocolate labrador, also loves splashing around in the water here. She is a complete water dog and we haven’t the heart to stop her, even if it does mean a wet car on the way home.

The route ends by going up a fairly steep hill back to the car park (and food!) and this is where Mia also manages to make us laugh. The hill is on a bank with a slight tilt to one side which carries on down the hill. If she stops and you shout her name she always manages to look at us with her head tilted in the same way of the banking.

The trail can sometimes be a little muddy so we mainly wear our walking boots and take some extra shoes in the car. We have also been known to stop in Monsal Dale and open up a few snacks along with a flask of tea.

Is there anywhere you love to walk in Derbyshire?

The Viaduct, Chee Dale walk, Derbyshire

Walks in Derbyshire – Chee Dale

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I love a walk in Derbyshire and the Chee Dale route has to be one of my top 5. It links to Monsal Trail and went walking this route we did go up to the trail for an ice cream. We soon headed back down to the path though as the Chee Dale walk was quieter and more dog friendly for what we wanted on such a super hot day.

The path is scenic throughout and even on the first bridge I was already snapping my camera and taking photos. From a section of the viaduct to the dogs walking and enjoying the water there was literally photo inspiration at every turn and as it was the height of summer there were plenty of plants thriving.

This also meant that there were plenty of plants thriving. In the way that they were kind of taking over the path and we were brushing past them. Now I am not a big fan of plants brushing past my legs (hello nettle stings and ticks people!) but I managed it there and back and even tucking in for people and their pooches to pass on the narrow paths.

Mia, Chocolate Labrador at Chee Dale Derbsyhire

We walked down by the river for most of the day and the dogs loved dipping in and out along the route. There were plenty of other dogs out too enjoying a walk and a swim on the bank holiday.

The popular stepping stones are along the Chee Dale route and we loved this section of the walk. The whole route we did have to be careful as it is next to water which can make paths slippery and the stepping stones were no different. We hadn’t gone quiet dressed for the event so took extra care that we didn’t end up as wet as the dogs and we made it to the other side. I must say there is only one set and we were being closely followed. From the other side there was a point where walkers were coming from the opposite direction and this did make it tricky for a minute as the stones aren’t that wide.

Me and a friend crossing the stepping stones in Chee Dale, Derbyshire
Chee Dale, Derbyshire

I would definitely do this walk again in the future and potentially see some more of the route and what surrounds it.

What is your favourite route to walk, in Derbyshire or elsewhere?

Sign on Monsal Trail, Derbyshire

Walks in Derbyshire – Monsal Trail

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Before we continue with this post I would like to state I hope everyone is staying safe and adhering to the current government guidelines. This post is merely to recount my tales and for entertainment purposes.

Monsal Trail surely has to be one of the most popular walks in Derbyshire. It is a simple route, hopefully I will never need a map for this one, is a lovely flat path thanks to its history of being an old railway, and the character is still aplenty. Oh and there is plenty of places to eat along the way. I will always think of food, ya know, in case you’ve eaten the picnic before you’ve even set off.

We have walked along Monsal Trail more times than I can remember. If we haven’t walked along it we have parked up outside Hassop Station and stopped for breakfast before going onto somewhere else. Side note: Hassop Station do an excellent breakfast range and have a fantastic selection of books and artwork in the shop attached. There is also bike hire here and on a sunny day becomes quite busy. There are a few car parks along this route and we tend to either park at the cafe or down into Bakewell.

As mentioned the route does still hold a lot of character and this comes in the form of tunnels, some quite long and dark for a time, that have the names in signage across the top. The route also has plaques and boards stating the history of certain parts and I remember one explaining how a pulley system was used on the line.

I distinctly remember the time before last that we walked along Monsal Trail was one of the hottest bank holidays in Britain. It was a beautiful day spent with friends and our dogs walking and talking. We were lucky to start the route away from the sun down on Millers Dale and did not notice how warm it was until we veered off course onto Monsal Trail. We stopped for an ice cream and loo break at The Refreshment Room and then headed back down to where there was cool water for the dogs and plenty of shade for both them and us humans.

Labrador Mia and my husband walking along Monsal Trail near Chee Tor Tunnel

We will walk along Monsal Trail many more times yet and I cant wait to explore more sections on the route.

Where is your favourite walk in Derbyshire?

Dog Holiday Travel Essentials

Holiday Packing for Pooch

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This post contains affiliate links.

Quite often when going away I pack way too much. This can be said for when I’m packing for myself and Mia, our chocolate Labrador. My husbands idea of packing is to grab his hold-all and just put it all in there which has always worked pretty well for him, my own not so much. In my panic I would probably end up taking shorts to Iceland or a puffa jacket to Florida. When it comes to packing for the dog however this is so much easier, she has no clothes and doesn’t care what the weather will be as long as she can go on walks and get fed. (With this in mind there has been times -Boxing Day walk comes to mind- where we haven’t taken waste bags or a lead! That’s why I’m making this list)

Collar, harness and lead. The collar with her tag on as she has multiple, I don’t know where they go and I try not to ask. Her camo harness, we bought the Julius K9 harness and purchased a Size 1 as they state and we love it as she walks a lot better with it on and lead so we can minimise her saying hello to every single dog, person, bird and body of water.

Water bottle. I love the little water bottles with the drinking bowl at the bottom. They save carrying around a separate bowl and vat of water and we keep one or two other bottles of water in the car for when we need to fill it up. This was one super cheap but there are plenty on Amazon.

Towel. Mia is a mucky pup, any lakes, puddles or muddy banks she can get in she will. When we are on holiday it’s good to have a towel in the car before we get muddy paw prints through the accommodation.

Blanket. For a similar reason as the towel as it stops the back of the car getting super dirty. We can take it out to clean it and it makes it a little bit more comfortable too.

Seatbelt. It was my mum and dad that bought us the seatbelt that you can attach to her collar and click it in as you would usually.

Doggy bags. No not the ones with cake in at the end of a party. Doggy waste bags. I bought a box full from Amazon that were lavender scented because yes, I’m that person. I could also probably find a roll of waste bags in all of my coats, no matter how fancy they are, because that’s the dog owner life.

Food and treats. I like to measure out the food before we go so I know we have enough whilst we are away and take plenty of treats. I usually end up taking a little more than needed as we go on longer dog walks, followed by walking around towns so we end up using more energy on a ‘relaxing’ holiday than we would at home.

If I think of anything to add I will but I’d say this is a pretty rounded list. We don’t often take a tennis ball or toys as she doesn’t usually play with them at home and we go on plenty of walks. As mentioned in a previous post we often go with hotels and accommodation that are very doggy friendly, meaning they usually have a bed, bowl and a few treats. We can’t rely on this on every break away so we often also take a food bowl but it’s there just in case and makes us all feel a bit more comfortable taking Mia away with us knowing she will be welcome too.

Until next time,

L x