A little north of Elton by the roadside at the foot of Anthony Hill are some stone troughs, the Burycliffe Troughs, with water in them fed by a spring reputed never to have run dry. As far as this point my route from Youlgreave this beautiful January day was the same as for 116. From here I went a short way down Cliff Road to where a footpath to the right led delightfully to Dale End. Juist south of here a phone box marks the start of the track down Gratton Dale. I headed down it. It was muddy and got muddier till I gratefully reached the beautiful , lonely spot which is the junction with Long Dale.
I turned right and followed the latter for about a mile to where a path off to the right took a diagonal line up the side of the dale and deposited me on the plateau above it. The fields here were empty in the cold weather but this is clearly cattle country where you can expect their company in warmer seasons. The field path turned into a track and deposited me on Weaddow Lane. I walked up here a bit till another path on the right headed away by a little river and some woodland. More fields then down the hill again to Middleton and up Bradford Dale and so back to Youlgreave.
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