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Hawksmoor NT Nature Reserve . Good place to take a lunch break

Threap Wood sits on the border between Alton and Oakamoor in Staffordshire. It's a beautiful woodland that is a far cry from much of the hustle and bustle that surrounds the area, and features a wonderful variety of flora and fauna.

Pretty waterfall to stumble upon as you make your way through the woods.

Quiet track with good views of the surrounding countryside.

A really nice woodland area to explore with plenty of routes, whether you choose to follow the gravel roads or walk through the forest following the footpath signs. A very peaceful and pretty forest. There are some parking spaces just off Oakamoor Road.

Cookie's keen eye spotted this natural cavity in the rock face and she seemed to claim it. It was on a slope that was slippy with the showers so it was fun getting up (and back down😉) to photograph what she had found.

The kilns at Oakamoor were continuous draw kilns. The kiln was a brick lined pot with a stone face, built into a bank. Being on a bank made it easier to load the kilns fron the top with the heavy alternate layers of coal and limestone. It also made collection of the quicklime at the base of the kilns simpler operation. The steep sides of the Churnet Valley were ideal for limekilns of this type. The last lime was produced in Oakamoor in 1921. Source: Churned Valley Guide

As part of Dimmingsdale’s transformation in the 1800’s, the Earl of Shrewsbury commissioned the design of two gatehouses within the Alton Towers Estate – Dimmingsdale Lodge (now the Ramblers Retreat) and Pink Lodge (opposite the lower gates to Alton Towers). These gatehouses were strategically positioned on Earls Drive, the main thoroughfare through the estate. The gatekeepers would keep a watch for the Earls carriage from the tower to ensure that gates were opened promptly & thus avoid an interrupted journey.