On the day I walked, the field had been recently harrowed and there was no obvious path, however from the top of the first slope we can see the gateway we are heading for. Through the gateway the route joins a stony lane for 0.3 miles, before turning up a green land between the houses and climbing two fields towards Oxcroft....

StephenWalker

When the Five-Pits Trail is reached the route turns left (north) to reach Wolfie Pond. On the main street turn left (north) until close to the church. Here the route turns left (north) and follows the good path for half a mile, before heading east up the side of the fishing pond....

StephenWalker

There is a major problem on the outskirts of Williamthorpe where a housing site has closed the path. I have created Norbol2 to provide an alternative....

StephenWalker

Once clear of the town centre and under the railway, the route climbs steadily through woodland and across a golf course, to reach Calow - which is approached through the grounds of the hospital. There is a path through the woods to reach the 'Pillar of Rock' pub (more refreshments) and shortly after to reach the Market Place....

StephenWalker

After a short stretch along the pavement, past the former colliery, a cycle way takes us off the roadside across the River Doe Lee and provides a pleasant surfaced trail to Long Duckmanton. Just follow the cycle path towards Staveley and after crossing the Pennine Bridleway trail, joins Inkersall Road for a short walk to the hub....

StephenWalker

A short section of pavement crosses an old rail route which may eventually offer a more direct route to Staveley. The Methodist Chapel is an interesting and well maintained building opposite where our faded signed route takes a track. Again this path doesn't follow the definitive path but stick with the walked and plotted route and all will be fine....

Ken

The surfacing ends at the open field below the castle, where we follow the left edge down to a lane then take the road left through New Bolsover. We go straight on, then right down Charlesworth Street and left into Sutton Hall Road to find the path that starts between garden fences and leads down to the old railway (the diagonal line through the bottom field looks wet, and it is easier to follow the trodden path right, then follow the railway track left to rejoin the GPX line. At Carr Lane we cross the motorway bridge and follow the road around the bend to pick up the clear path (muddy in places) that leads towards the ruin of Sutton Scarsdale Hall but is forced right by a ha-ha. We go left at Bole Hill then right up Dark Lane, then use the field path and Dingle Lane to reach the A617, which we cross....

Hugh Hudson

From the meeting point at Glapwell, we use the pelican crossing opposite the Young Vanish pub to cross the A617, then take the path through the pub car park to Back Lane, where we go left a short distance to find the path off The Pinfold....

Hugh Hudson

This route is well served by public transport(trains/buses Chesterfield and buses at Bolsover)However on route there is little in the way public transport or refreshment stops.Passing the covered reservoir prior to reaching the hospital grounds I would recommend using Chebol 4,Chebol 2 takes one rather a long way round.There are couple of busy roads to cross but Sutton Scarsdale hall soon appears followed by views across to Bolsover and it’s prominent castle .A good direct walk with no access issues however poorly way marked (some finger posts broken or nonextense.)...

J w ollid

It starts with some road walking broken up by a path alongside 'ancient earthworks' so the map tells me. Properties along Main Street have that all important selling feature, location, location, location with far reaching views and we have the benefit of strategically positioned public seats which would be nice to linger on had it been a little warmer. The final approach to Glapwell takes the path across a large field....

Ken

So sorry, on principle I have to fail this route and offer the same with an accurate plot. Having said that I can't be sure which route the original plotter intended using through Palterton....

Ken

From Shirebrook the roadside pavement climbs gently to the edge of town before crossing a road to make a sudden change into fields along an unsigned but well used footpath. Joining a track our route first skirts the south of Langwith Wood then enters on a signed and well used path. On the approach to the village the path crosses a wide bridge, east of here the old rail line is proposed as a cycle route which if developed will upgrade our next footpath. The inevitable pavement walking is broken up by a surfaced path alongside ancient earthworks but only the map tells me of this feature....

Ken

Beyond a wooded section we turn right up Little Lane, then half left onto Elm Avenue and left onto Hawthorne Road, taking the path straight on where the road turns right. We cross Mansfield Road and turn right, crossing Langwith Road at the pelican crossing at the junction and turning left, then following the surfaced path right that follows the earthwork round Hornscroft Park and leads to Moor Lane, where we turn left....

Hugh Hudson

I walked this route in November starting at Shirebrook....

StephenWalker

This should be a sound route and an easy walk if a little muddy in places, but the GPX plotting is wayward and approximate, in some cases to the point of ambiguity. I have drawn a more accurate version and submitted it as BOLSHI 2....

Hugh Hudson

We go steeply down Castle Lane (the pavement has a handrail) then follow the path that goes right under the castle walls. We follow this lane round a bend, then take the field path right that leads to an underpass under the old railway track and continues across the field beyond - the trodden line is more direct than the right of way line. We follow the lane to the A632, and follow that a short distance before turning right through a pub car park and following the path into the fields. We turn left to find the lane onto Blacksmith Lane, which we cross to find the alleyway opposite, which crosses Rose Avenue and turns right then left to emerge on Church Lane, where we go right a short distance to find another alleyway left that leads into a car park on Central Drive, where we turn left, then cross North Road and follow the path straight on. The pavement on Crow Lane is on the north side, so we cross and follow it round to the junction opposite the station....

Hugh Hudson

Following the footpath south from the edge of Bolsover I found the 1:25000 os map invaluable, because the route is not always the most obvious line....

StephenWalker

This was the last walk of three, Staveley, Clowne, Bolsover, Staveley and turned out to be the major challenge. Beyond the farm it was a track but the path east across the field was not apparent so I stayed on the track to discover a walked path leading to the motorway crossing. Hitting the cycle track I was back on my outward Staveley Clowne route and ignored the loop to the church....

Ken

The route uses a long section of road which my be quiet but has no pavement....

Ken

A true country field walk with some road walking but these are either short and quiet or have pavements. A short section of quiet road without a pavement then across fields to the unmade Church Road before another path across a cropped field to another unmade track. There would appear to be many options to approach or exit Bolsover but this one, while along a roadside pavement, may well offer the best view of the castle....

Ken

Now it's across a large field to reach Carr Lane which provides a bridge over the motorway then onto another footpath which brings into view the skeletal remains of Sutton Scarsdale Hall. Tracks offer easier walking from here leading through Sutton Springs Wood an interesting area perhaps land settlement smallholdings now with homes some simple but most tending to grand while the access road remains an unadopted dirt track. The plot here fails to show the track and the footpath to the road could be ignored, if you don't fancy sharing the field with ponies. On the road north from Cock Alley a blue brick wall was investigated and again old maps show this to have been the course of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway which DCC have recorded as a proposed cycle route. This route offers a view of the Chesterfield and District Model Engineering Society which in translation means a railway round the garden, sadly not operating when I passed by. The route passes close to Chesterfield rail station then over the bypass road which splits the town, past the theatre and museum to the meeting point by that famous crooked spire....

Ken