Thor's Cave Walk - The White Peak

It was great to be out walking again. November 1997 had been a busy time with limited opportunities to answer the call of the wild but as the saying goes everything comes to he who waits.

Setting off long before first light for the three hour drive was long and arduous but the weather was fine and as I drove the sun came up bathing everything in it's strong rays. I'd been lucky again.

The aim of the day was to visit Thor's Cave on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border on the edge of the Peak District. Thor's Cave (also known as Thor's House Cavern and Thyrsis's Cave) is a natural cavern located in the Manifold Valley of the White Peak in Staffordshire. It is classified as a Karst cave (shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite). Located in a steep limestone crag, the cave entrance, a symmetrical arch 7.5 metres wide and 10 metres high, is prominently visible from the valley bottom, around 80 metres (260 feet) below. The reason for the winter visit is simple, in the summer the place is over run with tourist, screaming kids and all the paraphernalia associated with the British on holiday. Yuck!

I arrived at the starting point Wetton Ford to find the car park deserted. Quickly changing into walking mode I enjoyed a cup of tea before starting my walk.
The walk I faced was only six miles with limited climbing but after the long drive it suited my purpose for the day. From my starting point at the Wetton Ford car park I enjoyed a leisurely walk alongside the River Manifold to Wetton Mill and then to Ecton. On arriving on the outskirts of the village of Ecton I left the riverside and began a steep climb onto Ecton Hill. I had to work on climbing the hill which was an ascent of 151 metres from where I had left the valley to the top of the hill. Not the greatest climb considering I've done much longer ascents before but steep climbing is never easy. I  stopped for a break at the trig point on Ecton Hill to admire the views of the surrounding Peak countryside. The views were super as it was a spectacular clear day. I enjoyed the scenery for a good while before leaving the hill and descending to the intriguingly named Top of Ecton before passing Manor House and then skirting the eastern edge of Wetton Hill.

This route led me into Wetton  and passing through I descended  towards Thor's Cave. The walk from Wetton to Thor's Cave took me along a track and then through a field which was a quagmire after weeks of rain. Lots of walkers footmarks and hoof marks from the cows that occupy the field were up to a foot deep on the browned track but a few days of dry weather made my crossing to the mouth of the cave much easier as I walked along the top of the crust without breaking it.

Then I made my way through a gate to the cave entrance. My first view of Thor's Cave (find it on the Peak District OS Maps) were stunning. The entrance to the cave is wide and the top of the entrance about 30 feet high. Carefully I walked up a large angled rock into the cave and began my exploration. It was spectacular with a large main area. At the end were dark openings to my left which I explored. To the right there was an open gully which led to the outside. Could it be explored outside?

Curioity got the better of me and I walked through the narrow gap to the edge slowly and then stopped short of a sheer drop. It was a nasty moment, I suffer periodically from the fear of falling and this was such an occasion.  There was no exit to be had this way and I was feeling very insecure so I re-entered the cave and  I explored some more. I  stayed for a while inside Thor's Cave and then left through the entrance from which I came. I then walked steeply down woodland steps back to Manifold valley, 214 in all, I counted them all. I ambled along the Manifold Way back to the car.

The walk only took three and a half hours but it was none the less enjoyable.  Daylight disappears quickly in Winter and with it the temperature drops. I drove into Ashbourne and joy of joy espied a fish and chip establishment open. Cod and chips smothered in salt and vinegar were just rewards for venturing outdoors on a November day. Wonderful!

If only the damn place was closer to home. Never mind, in three hours of motorway madness I'll be home!