Day 4 had been a very long walk, as we wanted to make up the distance lost in the floods. So luckily this was a shorter walk, following first the Dove and then the Churnet and ending at the aptly named Ramblers' Retreat.
Once Chris had finished her breakfast,
we were ready to go. Sadly, one walker had decided her feet could take no more, but she gave some of us a lift to Uttoxeter Station, took our photo and waved us off.
and beware of NWR walkers too?
We remaining four set off through the light industrial fringe of Uttoxeter,
with an early nettle alert making some walkers don their waterproofs at the first stile,
before we crossed the water meadows still grazed on the edge of Uttoxeter.
After crossing the A50 and the River Dove, we set off along the river valley, through the tall, and wet, grass.
Before long, the Sunday morning peace was broken by loud reports from the guns at Doveridge Clay Sports, making us jump as we followed the Way down the drive and right through the club.
At the far side, we went through Eaton Hall Farm, where we saw a turkey family, apparently unconcerned by the noise,
and a rather unhappier baby rabbit - I thought I saw mum hop into the bushes.
We continued on a long farm track, with views across the valley to the North Staffordshire hills.
Eventually the Way rejoined the meandering Dove near Rocester,
and once over the bridge, we stopped for elevenses outside the JCB Academy, formerly Arkwright's Mill.
Once through Rocester and across the Mayfield road, we could see rain coming in from the Moorlands
as we began to follow the Churnet below Barrowhill,
and it was muddy!
The route was very unclear at this point, so we had to navigate our own way across the fields towards the triumphal arch at Quixhill, once an entrance to Alton Towers.
After a short stretch of road walking, we were into the beautiful Churnet Valley.
The Way took us along the river and then up through the fields towards a lovely green lane which leads up to the village of Alton. Luckily a narrow footpath of stone slabs has been laid along the lane, but unluckily the sandstone ones were quite slippery from the rain.
We emerged across the fields at Town Head
and took refuge in the parish church, the only dry lunch spot we could find.
The ascent to Alton had been long and quite gentle, but the descent through the village was steep, and followed immediately by a climb up to Toothill Wood, owned by the National Trust . From the rocky edge, there are lovely views out over the valley. Anne can be seen looking towards the woods from which we could hear groaning machinery and screams - not an evil baron's dungeons but Alton Towers!
Descending very steeply into the valley, we walked through the woods and soon arrived at that popular walkers' refreshment spot, the Ramblers' Retreat.
Two walkers, and their husbands, went inside for their Sunday dinner, while we other two sat in the garden for a leisurely pot of tea with Tessa (Moorlands NWR), who had most kindly invited us to stay a couple of nights with her, since we had now walked quite a long way from home..
Not too tiring a day - though one walker was heard to remark as she slipped through the gap beside a stile, "Every stile missed is a victory!"
Submitted by Sarah
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