Day 52: Hayfield to Monyash
📍 Distance: 21.41 miles (34.46 km)
⛅ Weather: Overcast with sunny spells; warm in the afternoon
🕣 Start Time: 08:25 | 🕠 Finish Time: 17:38
After a much-needed rest day in Hayfield, I was off again today.
Hayfield proved to be a fantastic place to have a rest day, with excellent facilities and Sandra and the generous staff were very much appreciated. Even the weather cooperated—aside from a dramatic downpour on Tuesday evening.
Today marked a milestone: I finally parted ways with the iconic Pennine Way. But not without a final challenge—steep climbs over the lower Kinder moors tested the legs early on. From there, I picked up the Pennine Bridleway briefly before merging onto the Limestone Way, which took me through some beautiful countryside.
The route wound its way through Perry Dale, Peak Forest, and Miller’s Dale, eventually bringing me into the quiet village of Monyash. The terrain was nothing if not dynamic—rolling countryside in stark contrast to the wild, open moorlands I’ve been traversing, but I still clocked up 2,800 feet of ascent. While the roads allowed for slightly quicker progress, the rough paths in between reduced my overall pace.
We had a visit from friends Susan and Peter this evening who bought goodies with them. We had a lovely chat and I’m so grateful that they took the time to come and visit us - thank you so much.
This evening I had an excellent meal at The Bull’s Head in Monyash. A big thank you to the attentive staff who made the end of a long day feel extra welcoming.
Tomorrow promises a slightly easier day—just 12 miles to Tissington. Fingers crossed the terrain eases up a bit as well.
