The best hikes from bus stations around Middleton And Smerrill

Small craggy tunnel, don't know how far this goes into the rock, I assume it's an exploration shaft from the Lead Mining industrial past.

Great traditional pub and shops for refuelling

The Memorial erected in Youlgreave to the memory of the crew of a Wellington Bomber (RAF No BJ 652) that crashed at Smerrill on 21 January 1944. The plaque was erected in August 1995, on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Listed on the plaque are the names and ages of the six RAAF crew who died: Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) W. T. Barnes, Flt Sgt F. P. Deshon, Flt Sgt L. G. Edmonds, Flying Officer (FO) K. J. Perrett, Flt Sgt J. Kydd and Sergeant (Sgt) T. D. Murton. All men were posted to No 27 Operational Training Unit RAF. https://www.militaryimages.net/media/wellington-bomber-r-a-f-no-bj-652.74912/

Sheep Dip inscription In late May or June - The farmers brought their sheep - To wash their fleeces - In this deep pool - Burbling, bumbling, bleating - The waters bleat like a flock of sheep it dipped - Dip your ghosts into this hard, cold merky place - Hear their bleat in the water's rush to escape - The foam like wool pulsates - Damp leaves nothing behind but the trees' readiness

This manor was mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers; it included a mill and was worth sixteen shillings. The village grew during the Middle Ages. Middleton Castle, a fortified manor house, was built in the early seventeenth century, and saw some fighting during the English Civil War. Christopher Fulwood attempted to raise a Royalist force from his base in the Castle, but on 16 November 1643, Roundhead troops raided the house and killed him. The Castle now lies in ruins. The settlement's present appearance dates from the early nineteenth century. Thomas Bateman rebuilt most of the village in the 1820s, incorporating the mullioned windows of earlier buildings to retain something of its traditional appearance. Bateman rebuilt Middleton Hall as his own residence, and the small parish church dates from some fifty years later.

If you walk up the grassy path behind the converted chapel in the little village of Middleton-by-Youlgreave you will come to the tomb of Thomas Bateman who died in 1861 at the age of 39. He had lived at nearby Lomberdale Hall and was an enthusiastic archaeologist with a passion for the Peak District’s ancient history. Thomas Bateman was responsible for discovering and ‘opening up’ burial mounds known as tumuli or barrows, many of which were sited on the tops of hills and are now referred to on Ordnance Survey maps as ‘lows’. During his brief adult life he excavated more than 100 sites and became known as the ‘barrow digger’. One of Thomas Bateman’s most famous finds was the Benty Grange Helmet which he discovered in 1848 in an Anglo Saxon tumulus close to Benty Grange Farm. The helmet had a bronze boar on the crest, similar to those known to have been worn by the warriors of Beowulf.

The church dates from the late 12th century, with 14th-, 15th- and 16th-century elements.

On the River Bradford, next to the village of Youlgrave, there’s a designated wild swimming spot. It’s been carved out to be deep enough for swimming and is very popular with locals and visitors alike. There are meadows beside the river to sunbathe and relax after having a dip. It can get busy here at popular times, of course.