D225A: Ashford - Monsal Head - Monsal Trail

Circular route

Leave the car park with your back to the playing field.  As you emerge on to the road, you will seein the village stocks in front of you.  Turn right uphill along Vicarage Lane.  After about 50 m there is a footpath sign on the left.  Turn sharp left up the path.  Shortly, it makes a sharp right turn.  Follow the path up with an area for livestock on the left.  The path emerges into open fields.  Continue across a couple of fields to reach a farm track between limestone walls (Pennyunk Lane).  Turn left up the lane and follow it, making several right angle turns, ignoring any paths on the right and keeping between the limestone walls.  Look out for fossils in the limestone.  The path briefly emerges into a field turing sharp right but then soon goes back between walls. Continue to reach a finger post at the head of Monsal Dale.  There is an optional excursion left to reach the site of Fin Cop, an Iron Age hill fort  The path continues right with the wooded steep slopee of Monsal Dale to your left.  This is where those who have braved any winter mud are repaid with excellent views down the Dale (in summer, the view is obscured until you reach the Monsal Dale Hotel).  At Monsal Dale Hotel you can stop for a drink or a locally made ice cream.while enjoying one of the best views in England.  Cross the road and take the path going down to the right, parallel to the road.  A short distance down the path,it splits with one path leading onwards and a second turning back sharp left.  Take the left one descending towards the Monsal Viaduct.  At the bottom, turn left and walk through the Headstone Tunnel, keeping an eye open for cyclists.  At the end, keep walking along the cutting until the land drops away on both sides and you see a path crossing the trail (4-way finger post).  Turn right towards Ashford in the Water and follow the valley down with a wood bove on your left to cross Longstone Lane.  Continue passing farm buildings on your right and then rising past houses on yor left to reach the B6465.  Cross the lane and go a few yards left to a stile.  Follow this path up with a duck pond on your left to reach another road.  Turn left to pass a farm to reach the outskirts of Ashford.  Take a left fork (Hill Cross) and go downhill into the village until you reach a path on the right that leads back past the recreation ground to reach the car park again.