Category: 2024

This was an attempt to walk from Clowne (yes, that’s it’s name) in Derbyshire to Bolsover along the Clowne Greenway and south ending up in Bolsover. I didn’t quite manage this, as you’ll see.

I’ve walked some of the Clowne Greenway before, so have a look here. It’s well worth a visit.

It was early and the sun was coming up in the east. It’s a shame I couldn’t get a better view and hence a better picture but I do like the autumn sunshine.

Once you’re in sight of the warehouse developments at Markham Vale, it’s time to head south. Note that it’s not well signposted and the going is rough, with stone added to make it walkeable. It’s very uneven:

There’s quite a bit missed out on this walk because most of it is recently built warehouses that aren’t terribly exciting. Like this:

Once beyond all the new build and new roads, it gets more challenging. It’s hard to believe that there was a railway line here at all. Most of the infrastructure has been destroyed and there’s a lot of brickwork and spoil left scattered about. So mind how you go! There’s no pictures of the M1 at rush hour either…

Here’s the river Doe Lea running under the M1 motorway and once the most poisoned river in the world thanks to the Coalite works – more about that later!

I think it’s till toxic but nothing like it was?

Here’s my usual blue sky and clouds picture…

Once you cross over the Doe Lea, the terrain turns to rubble and it can be confusing to find the location of the former railway line. occasionally there mnight be a signpost but nothing is joined up.

There are still some beautiful flowers, berries and plants in October:

I loved the spiky teasels, stripped of seeds by the birds:

And I enjoyed the berries, with their shapes distorted by the dewdrops and the starburst, reflecting the strong sunshine:

It is hard going and very overgrown and I was soon damp from the dew dropping from every available branch and leaf. There’s still something beautiful here with nature gradually overtaking the area…

More growth and some remnants of the former railway:

The trail ends at the wonderfully named Buttermilk Lane, to the north-west of Bolsover. I tried to walk further but the former railway line is now bogland. I ended up to my ankles in stinking mud and turned back.

You can see from the Google Map that the trail is still marked as a railway line. That clearly isn’t true.

As far as I can gather, there is no direct route to get into Bolsover that hasn’t been built over and access (probably ‘informal’) blocked. That’s a shame, as it would have made a good circular walk, except:

This area was once the site of the Coalite factory, which turned coal into coke and coal gas but also produced a range of useful chemicals but also toxins including dioxins and arsenic. The whole area, including the River Doe Lea was hopelessly contaminated and a considerable amount of money was spent on remedial work.

There’s no trace of the factory left:

Above picture is by By Michael Patterson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9231806

If I understand correctly, the area is still contaminated but at a much lower level. Perhaps it’s blocked for a good reason?

An interesting walk but confusing to navigate and there’s no current reliable maps. It’s hard to know what ‘official’ walks and how much of it has been made by people cutting across land.

As I’ve already said, slightly frustrating as I would have liked to have got into Bolsover for something to eat, a look at Bolsover Castle and a bus back to home.

Above picture is by Stephen G Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9306088