THE FOOTNOTES
Every print from Marking The Wild comes with its own trail story, this is yours.
Here you’ll find sketches, route details, reflections from the walk, and a few extra notes I couldn’t quite fit on paper.
Think of it as a companion to the artwork; a small way to step into the moment with me, and maybe take the journey for yourself.
Parkhouse & Chrome Hill: The Dragon that Sleeps in Derbyshire
Parkhouse and Chrome Hill don’t behave like normal English countryside. They rise in sharp, ridged shapes, more spine than slope, as if something ancient once curled up here and never quite uncoiled. It is no wonder why these two hills together are known as ‘The Dragon’s Back’. On grey days they look serious, almost watchful. On bright ones, their edges catch the light and the whole valley suddenly feels like a scene from The Hobbit.
Around them, everything is gently, stubbornly English. Dry stone walls stitching the fields together. Sheep, completely uninterested in the drama you’re having with the gradient. Narrow lanes that seem designed for one car and one tractor to argue over who was here first and quiet villages. Whilst walking through Earl Sterndale keep your eye out for the honesty box with parkin wrapped in clingfilm, the kind of detail that makes the whole place feel both quietly generous and very much itself. Also not to be missed on your return route through Hollinsclough is The Chapel Tearoom. When we went it was being run by two sisters who will toast your crumpet to perfection whilst also offering some excellent hand made crochet and soap items.
There’s a storybook quality to this area and these hills, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security; these two mounds have some scrambles to them. The ground is steep, the limestone is slick when it wants to be, and the lines of the ridge give you that little twist in the stomach that comes with height.
It’s a palace where a short steep walk can make you feel, briefly, like you’ve stepped into a bigger story and then been handed a slice of something sweet on the way out of it.
Waypoints Through The Wild
Start: Begin in Longnor, outside the Cobbles Cafe in the centre of the village - there is limited parking and an honest box (although this may have been modernised since our last visit).
Head out of Longnor in a north-east direction reaching Dove Ridge Road before joining a descending path that crosses the River Dove. A bit past the river turn left through Under Hill Farm.
Continue straight until you reach the next farm building at which turn right onto the footpath that rises sharply. Follow this all the way past Hitter Hill and onto the outskirts of Earl Sterndale (keep your eyes peeled for the Parkin Cake honest box).
Turn left out of the village following the path towards Buxton Road and across to Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill immediately after.
After the Dragon’s back continue straight before veering left around Hollins Hill and starting your return journey towards Hollinsclough village. Here’s where you’ll stop at the chapel Tea Rooms for some well deserved refreshments.
Finnish: Exiting the cafe follow Carr Lane all the way down to Buxton Road before entering back into Londor for an explore before a beverage at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Inn.
Sense The Scene
See: jagged limestone spines, folded fields, shifting light along steep ridges.
Hear: quiet valleys, the call of the ​​Ring Ouzel (declining in the area), the nervous laughs of ramblers doing a bum slide down the Dragon’s Back.
Smell: clean upland air, warm grass and farmers fields, woodsmoke from fires in winter.
Feel: rough Limestone reef fossils; brachiopods, crinoids and corals, the firm drag of the ridge-line under your boots, the cool smooth handle of a bone china teacup at the tea rooms.
Taste: the mineral tang of high air, the sweetness of Parkin from an honesty box, and a well-earned pot of tea and crumpet from the tea rooms.
Practical Parts
Parking: Limited spaces at Longnor so come early and have some cash for the honesty box car park. Some parking in surrounding villages and roads (be mindful of local access and signage).
Facilities: limited facilities around the hills themselves, some facilities in cafes/tea rooms and local pubs through the villages on route.
Hazards: Very steep limestone on Parkhouse Hill; exposed ridge sections; slippery rock in wet weather; livestock in surrounding fields; narrow lanes with limited visibility.
Have you been here? What's Your Story
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