Coombs Dale is another of the local (to Chesterfield) hidden gems, a short 2 mile dale just outside of Calver, with routes out to Stoney Middleton & Longstone Edge. I’ve been before to capture some of the rarer butterfly species found in this area, but on this walk I only spotted a few flighty Brimstones & Peacocks, so didn’t spend any time with the macro lens on this occasion.

Sallet Hole Mine

In the past the area has been used for mining Fluorspar & limestone, though operations have closed in the dale itself, it’s still been threatened by quarrying from Longstone edge, and in various spots you can see evidence of the industrial past.

Unfortunately I’d managed to book a customer in for later in the afternoon, which at the time seemed like ample time to explore, but cut short our time here, so no doubt there will be a pt2 blog before long…