AROUND TOWN Circular Walk:
With John and Audrey Wright: Dearne Valley Ramblers Photos by John Watson: Dearne Valley Ramblers
A 6.8mile route which takes in the beautiful sights of the infamous plague village. Grade: Moderate but with two longish steep ascents. Start: Main village car park opposite the museum (S32 5QP)
From the car park entrance by the toilet block, turn left down towards the main street of Eyam. At the T junction, turn left, passing Eyam Hall, plague cottages, church and school all on your left before reaching the village square.
*The plague arrived in Eyam in August 1665 when contaminated cloth from London was delivered to a local tailor. After hanging the damp cloth out to dry in front of the fire, his assistant George Vicars unwittingly set off an epidemic which would go on to last 14 months and kill around 260 villagers, he the first fatality. Cross the road and head up the narrow Lydgate which climbs gently up hill. Pass the Lydgate Graves on your right and as the road runs out follow the footpath ahead towards the Boundary Stone. The footpath opens up to a grassy field with the Boundary Stone at the top of the hill.
minor road. At the bottom of the hill, keep left passing St Martin’s Church on your right. Continue on and pass the ‘Roman’ baths on your left. Soon afterwards you’ll reach a steeply sloping path on the left which passes the Commonwealth War Graves.
Continue up through woodland until you meet a road - the blocked off section of the B6521. Cross the road turning left and immediately on your right is another footpath leading up hill. Follow this path through woodland.
As another path joins from the right, turn left to meet a farm road coming down from Top Riley. Turn
Continue along the track which rejoins the B6521 down towards Eyam at Town End. Turn sharp right before reaching some common land and the back of the Miners Inn car park up towards Hollow Brook. After the houses finish, a path in to the wood lies ahead; follow this uphill ignoring any smaller paths which lead off to the left. Continue until you meet a road which comes in from the left. Turn right up the road and at the junction take the road ahead leading uphill. A signpost marking the way down to Mompessons Well can be seen ahead on the left of the road. *Named after church leader
Boundary stone
*Look for holes on the Boundary Stone where villagers placed money disinfected by vinegar for food and medicine delivered there by outsiders including the Earl of Devonshire of Chatsworth House. The stone marks the boundary which was not to be crossed. Continue on the path down towards Stoney Middleton, turning right at the field gate down the
Cottages
left along the track and on your right, well signposted, is a stile which leads to the tear-shaped penfold which houses the Riley Graves and can be easily seen from the track.
*These belong to farmer Elizabeth Hancock’s husband and six children, all or whom she buried at her isolated farm while remaining uninfected.
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William Mompesson who was pivotal in keeping the disease contained to the village. When others wanted to flee the village, he persuaded them to isolate themselves in quarantine so as not to pass the plague on to bigger northern cities. He also survived the plague, losing his wife Catherine towards the end of its reign. After a short detour to visit the well, return to the road and continue uphill. Follow the rough road off to the left, known as Sir William Hill Road, gently uphill. Before the brow of the hill, take the footpath which crosses the road to the left, climbing the stone stile and entering a grassy field with views of the Ladywash mine chimney. Continue on the path across the field with the wall on the left until you meet another stile at the far end of the field. Over the stile, turn left
Eyam Dearne Valley Ramblers
down the road. You will see almost immediately another footpath sign on your right taking you down the hill back towards Eyam. This leads to a steep path again through woodland and intersects another road. Take the path seen directly across the road. This quickly splits in two; the left path going back down to Town End, the right-hand path which is slightly steeper drops down to the back of Eyam Church Grave Yard.
Here again the path splits. The left path takes you back to the village square with pub, coffee shop and ice cream parlour, straight ahead leads to St Lawrence’s Church whilst turning right here will lead directly back to the car park. *It is unsure how many actually survived the plague, but the whole aura of the village is doused in remembrance of the brave sacrifice the community made. On the last Sunday in August, this is celebrated with a carnival and procession from Cucklet Delf where Mompesson held church services in the open air to prevent further infection.
Riley graves
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