Sandy Lane gateposts
A couple of sturdy stone gateposts near the top of Old Goyt’s Lane once guarded access onto the track of the Bunsall Incline; the steep slope that today forms the main route into the valley.
Gail’s Goyt’s Bridge cards
Two very similar postcard views of Goyts Bridge are probably separated by only a few years, but reveal a massive change in fortunes for this wonderfully scenic spot beside the Goyt.
Laughing water
A 1948 article describing a walk through the Goyt Valley, from Whaley Bridge to Buxton, makes fascinating reading. It also reveals that I’d got the position of the suspension bridge completely wrong.
Over the hills
An inquest into a fatal accident on the Cromford & High Peak Railway in 1877 ruled that passengers could no longer be carried on the line. A writer describes one of the last journeys, riding on the ‘Fly’.
Whispers of the gods
A 1937 newspaper article published just before the opening of Fernilee Reservoir tells of a glorious landscape that has been lost forever – wrecked in the interests of the community.
Tracing the gateposts
Continuing the hunt to trace the history of some of the stone gateposts that stand around the Goyt Valley – this time to the west of Fernilee Reservoir, on the main track and up to Intake Farm.
Muck-spreading at Burbage
The campaign to have the Burbage section of the old C&HPR track recognised as a public right of way seems to have upset the land-owners. Cow slurry has been sprayed along the route!
To the gunpowder mill
A pair of stone gateposts beside Fernilee Reservoir set me wondering about their history. Old maps reveal that they once stood at the entrance to a path that led down to the old gunpowder mill.
Ladmanlow station
A recent book on the Cromford & High Peak Railway, which once ran through the Goyt Valley, includes a couple of photos of Ladmanlow Station, on the outskirts of Buxton. But does anything remain?
Applying for a PRoW
It seems the only way we’re going to resolve the problems at Plex Farm is by applying for the route to be made a PRoW – a Public Right of Way. And proving that it’s been used for over 20 years.
Fernilee to Castle Naze walk
This 12-mile walk starts from Fernilee Reservoir, passing Taxal Church and Combs Reservoir before climbing to the ancient Iron Age fort of Castle Naze, and returning along Combs Edge.
Threat of legal action
I’ve been threatened with legal and police action, unless I remove a walk that’s been on the site since 2011. Even though walkers have been going that way for donkeys’ years.
A postcard history
It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for ages – create a video of the valley, featuring some of the many wonderful postcards people have been kind enough to let me to scan.
Life for the killers
Four murderers receive life sentences for the brutal and senseless attacks which occurred just over 35 years ago in the scenic spot known as Goytsclough, close to the packhorse bridge.
Corbar to Erwood walk
I’ve just added walk 23 to the series. It’s an easy but rewarding eight miles from Corbar Woods down to the Goyt Valley, passing Errwood Reservoir and returning though Cavendish golf course.
Drones above Curbar Edge
“Covid-19 is causing much ill-health. We cannot also let it bring about a historic shift in the relationship between the state and the people, in which the state’s power grows and people’s liberty diminishes.”
The Goytsclough murders
Two young men brutally murdered, and one who just managed to escape a similar fate. It’s hard to believe this happened in picturesque Goytsclough, and well within living memory.
Packhorse bridge photos
I’ve just come across some wonderful photos of the old packhorse bridge on Flickr. I’m not sure when they were taken – perhaps in the ’30s or ’40s. The bridge now spans the Goyt about a mile upstream.
‘Bunty’ – a special teacher
Chris remembers ‘Bunty’ Sidebottom, a very special teacher at Fernilee Infant School: “She was extremely glamorous and had friends in high places in TV land: the BBC and Granada, Manchester.”
Relief expedition on the way
An intriguing photo dated 27 February 1933 and titled ‘Goyt Valley Relief Expedition’ shows a number of horsemen carrying provisions to the valley from Buxton following a severe snowstorm.