Easy Peak District Walks:
From Ashford-in-the-Water to the Magpie Mine
The Magpie Mine occupies the Peak District moorland, about two miles southwest of the pretty village of
Ashford-in-the-Water, near Bakewell. The picturesque ruined mine
buildings attract many photographers, which
is how we first heard about the mine. Little did we know, that setting out for a
picturesque day’s walking in the beautiful Peak District would lead us not just to a mine, but also to a story of gruesome murder. Like many easy Peak District walks, our circular walk from Ashford-in-the-Water to the Magpie Mine can be enjoyed by most people with a reasonable level of fitness. Why don't you join us?
Back in the early 1990’s, we lived on the western edge of Sheffield and spent a lot of time walking and exploring the Peak District. We visited Bakewell and Ashford-in-the-Water many times, but strangely never came across - or even heard of - the Magpie Mine. But some thirty years later, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, a gallery of fabulous photographs piqued our interest for quirky days out. We’ve previously used the peakdistrict.net website - filled with a great selection of easy Peak District walks - to find walking routes in the area and have really enjoyed the walks they describe. So, it was no surprise when we found they had what sounded like a cracking 5-6 mile circular route starting from Ashford-in-the-Water that went up to the Magpie Mine. Our plans were made, and we were soon setting off for another little adventure…
The Cornish Engine House and Chimney at Magpie Mine © essentially-england.com
About the Magpie Mine
Lead has been mined at the Magpie Mine since 1682, when different families shared the site, with each working their own individual veins. Back then, the Barmote Courts goverened mining in Derbyshire, allowing families to mine lead where they chose while ensuring that royalties were paid to the landowner, who happened to be the Duchy of Lancaster.
Around 1840, renowned Cornish mining engineer John Taylor united the independent mine workings to create one business he called Magpie Mine. Lead ore (lead sulphide) continued to be extracted from the site until the 1950’s when the mine was closed, making Magpie Mine the last working lead mine in Derbyshire.
The Magpie Mine Site © essentially-england.comEasy Peak District Walks: Our Magpie Mine Walk Map
We’ve recreated one of the peakdistrict.net site's easy Peak District walks to the Magpie Mine on komoot.com, the software we use for planning walking and cycling circuits. Use the “Discover more info about this tour” link on the map if you need to download a gpx file for a GPS device, or if you’re a komoot.com user and want to follow it on your mobile device.
We travelled up to the Peak District from our Northamptonshire home mid-week and used the small car park in Ashford-in-the-Water that has around a dozen parking spaces. It was a fine early July day, and we must have arrived around 11am in the morning to find only one other car there ahead of us. There are clean toilets and an honesty box for parking and using the toilets, so remember to bring some change with you.
The walking route left the car park and joined Court Lane to the junction with Fennel Street where we turned left. As Fennel Street turns sharp left by the market cross we followed the path ahead to cross the River Wye on the Grade II listed Sheepwash Bridge. It was all very pretty and very peaceful, and considering it was such a nice summer’s day.
The next stretch was beside the A6 road. It was not a long stretch and there was a pavement to use until we turned off on the narrow road signposted Sheldon. Here we had to walk in the road, which surprisingly, had a few cars going up and down. Soon, the route took a footpath on the right which goes on to join the bank of the River Wye.
Picnic Spot on the Bank of the River Wye © essentially-england.comThis was a lovely part of the walk, and we found a very peaceful spot beside the river for our picnic lunch. After a short break we continued along the riverbank until a footpath on the left which headed off into the trees.
Even easy Peak District walks can't completely avoid the hills, so our route started to climb gently. As we moved into deeper woodland there were signs of quarrying or mining and some kind of entrance into the rockface. Here it was quite dark and damp, green moss covered the rocks and ferns sprouted from all sorts of weird places. The footpath got a little steeper and then flattened off as we left the woodland and crossed a meadow to the outskirts of Sheldon.
The Woodland Climb © essentially-england.comThe route turned left, away from Sheldon along a small road with fine views, and then shortly turned right on a farm track. The views opened up as the track climbed gently. It felt very remote up here and it wasn’t until we reached the top of the climb that we got our first glimpse of the Magpie Mine ruins in the distance.
After climbing a stile to join the Magpie Mine site, the first building we came to was the circular gunpowder store. This was, naturally, set some way away from the main mine buildings. We were free to walk around the site and had it to ourselves.
Map of the Magpie Mine Site (Photo taken from information board) © essentially-england.comThe main shaft of the mine is over 700 feet (210m metres) deep and to stop it flooding the miners used a coal powered beam engine to pump the water from the bottom of the mine to the surface. The original beam engine was housed in the Cornish Engine House until a larger engine was installed in 1869. Due to the high cost of coal, and to reduce the strain on the beam engine, the miners dug a 1.25-mile long drainage channel between the mine shaft and the River Wye. The channel, called the Magpie Slough, took eight years to build and was completed in 1881. It is not at the same depth as the bottom of the mine and complemented the work of the beam engine which removed the water from the bottom 15% of the mine. The drainage channel is still in operation today and stops the mine from flooding completely.
The Magpie Mine Site © essentially-england.comWe left the Magpie Mine via another stile in the wall opposite to where we entered the site. The well-worn footpath crossed several fields, some of which were grazed by cows, to join the road that runs through Sheldon. Turning right on to the road, we noticed an unmarked standing stone on the village green as we descended into Sheldon looking for a footpath on our left.
Looking Back Towards Magpie Mine © essentially-england.comThe footpath took us away from Sheldon, and after passing through several fields, led us back into the woodland for the descent back to the River Wye. A couple of fallen trees impeded our progress, but in general the path was easy to follow and in good condition. At the bottom of the descent, we turned right to follow a wider path that ran beside a drystone wall. It looked like this would be a lovely spot in spring when the wild garlic is in flower.
The Woodland Descent © essentially-england.comAfter a while, the path joined the River Wye and passed a couple of abandoned water mills. Shortly after the mills, we returned to our outbound route and retraced our steps to Ashford-in-the-Water, where we recommend changing the route to the car park just a little to see more of the pretty village.
One of the Abandoned Watermills on the River Wye © essentially-england.com
And the Murder in the Mine...
The horrific murder in the mine happened in 1833 when the miners were still working their own individual veins. Firstly, just imagine the dangerous conditions the miners endured, working in the chill, damp darkness with only hand tools, and a candle or oil lamp to see by. Then imagine two veins of ore converging into one, two clans of miners coming face to face, and an argument breaking out over who owns what.
Tempers flare, insults fly, and finally - in the dark claustrophobic tunnels - the two teams of miners light fires to try and force their opponents to give ground. Fire underground is a nightmare for most miners. Here, the flames produced not just heat, but also poisonous sulphide fumes, killing three miners from one team.
I love mines and being underground, but this... sounds terrifying!
The surviving miners were charged with murder but acquitted on a technicality. The lost miners' widows cursed the mine, and whether by chance or design, it never really made much profit after this event, and suffered from many accidents and deaths.
Extra Photos from our Magpie Mine Walk
Like many easy Peak District walks, this Magpie Mine walk packed much into its relatively short distance. From the beautiful village of Ashford-in-the-Water to easy riverside walking, before climbing through the damp, verdant woods to the top off the hill for great scenic views over farmland criss-crossed with drystone walls. Then you'll get the picturesque mine ruins and their fascinating history, before returning to Ashford through more enchanting countryside.
It made a great day out!
Here are a
few extra photos to entice you...
Ashford-in-the-Water © essentially-england.com
Sheepwash Bridge in Ashford-in-the-Water © essentially-england.com
The River Wye in Ashford-in-the-Water © essentially-england.com
View Between Sheldon and Magpie Mine © essentially-england.com
Sheldon Village © essentially-england.com
Remote Scenery Between Sheldon and Woodland © essentially-england.com
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