Care is needed in places to ensure correct navigation, especially along the sections adjacent to the river Manifold...

Matthew Axford

It’s pretty glorious from beginning to end, even in weather which could best be described as variable....

John Scott

Several fields were full of cows so care is again required - I skipped the final footpath into Longnor for this reason and walked along the road....

John Scott

It works, but the pavement walk along the main road into Leek is tedious. We soon leave the track to follow a fairly well signposted path through fields, crossing the infant river Manifold via cow pastures and climbing a little to Leek Road. I was attempting to follow LeeLon one at this point but the footpath to Upper Hulme has no clear exit across Leek Road and is also boggy, so I retreated and followed the track down to the main road. By this point the pavement of the main road seemed the simplest way into Leek - there is a pavement of sorts all the way but you will have to cross from the east side to the west midway, and parts of the pavement are getting overgrown and you may have to duck under tree branches....

Hugh Hudson

Firstly I couldn't see how to follow the path from the river Churnet bridge up to Leek Road - having crossed some ground that was still boggy even after a long dry spell and a few hours rain, there is a path around the edge of the field the right of way is supposed to cross but it doesn't lead to a stile - only to locked gates protecting a tunnel path under the main road. I gave up and returned to the farm track, followed it down to the main road and used a viable alternative path up to Upper Hulme....

Hugh Hudson

After later passing two bends on the River Manifold, the path reaches a road junction. While it's tempting to cross the road and follow a path signposted for Sheen, the path you should actually follow is a little further down a road. Cross a grassy hill and line up little gates to reach Sheen, then follow a path across a valley by lining up more little gates and stiles....

Paddy Dillon

The short public bridleway runs through a ditch, and when I visited, the ditch was full of water and mud....

Paddy Dillon

Mostly on cross field paths, apart from some short road sections and the approaches in Leek....

Matthew Axford

Nice exit from Longnor and lots of easy pleasant walking....

Ken

I was a little reluctant to be the first reviewer of this route because I haven't yet walked it end to end in its current form, and I don't think I have ever walked the Butts Road route out of Bakewell. I have walked and enjoyed the direct path through Upper Lathkill dale to Monyash, but that was a few years ago and I wasn't thinking about potential obstacles and difficulties at the time. The rest of the route is the same as LONBAK 1, which I walked and reviewed in more detail last week....

Hugh Hudson

From this point the path becomes uneven and narrow until the top of the Dale when you go through a small wood. From there there right path takes you to a small underpass where I went under the High Peak Trail. Another field and I was again walking a small, quiet road. But walking up the rise I came to the view of High Wheeldon and a small road with a footpath sign on the other side. The footpath points to the gate and path that goes straight up High Wheeldon....

Lynn Jackson

Leaving Bakewell, the route uses the main road south past a petrol station, then turns into a housing estate to find a steep path up the hill, which has a number of steps. A twisty and fairly steep road takes you most of the way down to the Lathkill, but just before the bridge a clear path/track goes straight on west where the road turns south. Eventually a rather charming old lane takes the Limestone Way directly into Monyash, but for reasons I don't understand our route takes a fork right into another field path with more stone stiles, which reaches the road through the churchyard. The next path leaves a corner of a small car park and could easily be missed - it goes round a few cottages before taking a diagonal line across fields (more stone stiles). A rough path crosses moorland and goes under a little bridge at the Tissington Trail, emerging onto a quiet road, which goes up quite a long hill, leading to a fine viewpoint....

Hugh Hudson

The climb back to the road makes this off road excursion a physical challenge as well. The route to Booth Farm is along a wide level but climbing track which has signs of being a well used important route in days past. I missed the path at Booth Farm passing to the south of the buildings heading for a track up the hillside before spotting my error. A left right at the road then it enters the Health and Safety site with lots of signs warning how dangerous it is to stray from the path. Again it wasn't clear where the path was so I moved left onto the tarmac track to meet the main road walk into Buxton....

Ken

Well plotted but a poor bridle path west of Sheen is unused and soft going so I recommend Lonbig-2 which uses a parallel footpath that shows good usage....

Ken

Bus service links Biggin, Hartington and Longnor plus Buxton and Ashbourne. Highfield Lane offers a direct traffic free track to Hartington where it enters passing the Youth Hostel....

Ken

However Butt's Road provides a better route into Bakewell....

Malcolm Boura