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Start: Queens Head Pub car park, Ockbrook (DE72 3RN) Grid ref. SK 422 357
(S/E) From the pub car park, reach Victoria Avenue and turn left. Walk North-East along it for 100m. As you walk just past "Patrick's blinds shop" on your left, seek for the footpath sign left opposite "Ridings Pre-school".
(1) Walk between fences with houses on the left and right. When you reach a street (Croft Close), cross it straight ahead and walk into a housing area. As you reach an open field on the right go through the wooden gate right to cross the field in a diagonal (North-East) past an ancient tennis court on your left hand. Reach a road at "Ockbrook Moravian Settlement" information board.
Turn right along it. Keep straight ahead ignoring the footpath sign the left. At the junction with "Wesley Lane" turn left up the road. Do not go downhill to the main road.
(2) Follow the footpath sign between houses and edges straight ahead. Keep straight past house number 17 on your left walking at the back of houses. Cross the street (Homefarm Close). It looks like you are going to house number 4, but that is not the case, the footpath carries on at the left of house number 4. Walk on the footpath at the rear of back gardens.
Go past the "Royal Oak" pub on your left hand to carry on straight ahead. The path curves left at the rear of houses then right, with the field on the left.
(3) Cross an iron gate entering crops where you cross straight ahead North towards a gap into the edge and gardens ahead of you.
Cross a stile and stream then keep in a diagonal (North-East) towards some buildings. Then as you approach the buildings, find a wooden stile left to reach a road. Turn left along Moor Lane and just before "Moor Lane Stables", cross the road safely to find a footpath right into the edge.
Cross the wooden stile to enter a field. Keep straight ahead downhill (North-East) towards trees and the corner left of the field. Find a wooden bridge over a stream. Cross it to reach another field. Walk straight ahead (North) across the field.
(4) Find a gap into the edge to cross a wooden stile to get to another field. Walk straight ahead keeping trees and a stream left and crops right for 320 m or so. Find another wooden stile into the edge left of an oak tree. Cross the stream via the wooden bridge and stile. Cross the field straight ahead diagonal towards the North-East corner.
(5) Cross two wooden stiles into the edge to reach a junction between fields. Then carry straight on North-East keeping the field edge on your right-hand side. Find a gap into the edge straight ahead ignoring the one on your right. Cross to reach another field. Follow the field dge on your right-hand then cross the farm track to follow trees right. On the far left side you can see a farm, carry straight still following the trees right.
(6) When you reach a farm track at the edge, turn right then left straight away. You are now following the edge left. Enjoy views of the countryside while you keep following the edge left and enter a new field. Keep straight, still walking with the edge left.
After 130m or so, walk between two oak trees. Go past them, then turn due left (North) still following the edge left. Enjoy nice views along the way as the path curves right (North-East) down to the corner of an edge. Find a gap into the edge and keep left, following the edge left (North) walking towards woodlands.
(7) Find a gap into the edge left to enter the woods. At the path junction turn right then keep straight along the top of the incline. The path goes downhill. At the bottom of the hill at the path junction keep straight following a wooden fence left. Exit the woods and keep walking downhill. You reach an iron gate to enter The Hermitage.
(8) Here you have the option to make a detour to visit some ruins or turn right now.
''If you choose to take the detour, keep straight downhill. Go past a cemetery on your right then cross a white wooden gate to reach a minor road.
Keep straight for a few meters and turn right at the wooden footpath sign left and gate. After a few meters, turn left to explore the remains of a ruined abbey. When you finished enjoying, walk back to the Dale church towards "Verger Farm" and the graveyard. Cross the white gate again and walk uphill to the gate.''
This time at the iron gate do not cross but turn left uphill behind the farm. At the top of the hill keep straight downhill to enter the "Hermit's wood" (signpost). At a junction, there is a sign "The Hermitage Up Steps".
Go right up the steps, going past The Hermitage carry on up the hill via the steep steps. At the top of the steps, turn left to find steps on your right up to a field. Cross the crops straight ahead South-East to find a gap into the edge. Keep the same bearing downhill going under powerlines. On the way, enjoy nice views walking towards a gate. Cross the stile and carry on South-East towards houses, ignoring the path left.
(9) Find a stile into the edge to reach buildings. Cross the farm following the footpath sign on your right, bearing South-West. Keep straight along the farm track, left of the haystack shelter. As the farm track curves right keep straight across the stile. Then, diagonally walk across the field (South-West) to reach a gap into the edge. Cross a plank over the stream and follow the edge right keeping South-West.
(10) As you reach the farm track keep left along it between edges. After 440m, reach a tarmaked road at "Little London Farm" and keep straight along it. Then 250m later, as the lane curves left take the footpath right (signpost). Go round the right side of the horse training field towards the corner of the woods.
(11) Turn left (South-West) to reach a bridge under the powerlines. Continue across the field (South-West) following the powerlines above your head. Cross a stile into the edge. Then keep straight to another gap into the edge with the powerlines on your right hand now.
Cross a wooden stile into the edge. Walk ahead South to cross another wooden gate and reach a track and straight to a stile. Then walk towards a stile into the edge ahead of you. Cross the field in a diagonal South-West.
Cross a sile to reach the farm road where you turn left. Walk South along the lane.
(12) At the road junction cross ahead and turn left on the safe pavement. Keep along the main road for 415m. Past house number 59, just before the tree turn right on the footpath. Be careful, it is really easy to miss. Walk straight up at the back of houses.
(13) After 100m, at the T-junction turn left to walk left of a playground. Keep straight under trees. Go past a playground on your right hand "Bare Lane Play Area". Keep following the edge left, straight to the end of the soccer field. Walk straight on the footpath at the back of houses to reach a road. When you reach Flood Street, cross ahead and walk alongside it on the pavement back to the car. (S/E)
Visorando Member
Association / Club / Walk leader
Moderate 
