Nine Stones Close is a bit of a misnomer as only four stones complete the circle nowadays. This is a lovely almost-four-mile walk, taking in prehistory, history and a legend.
Park at Cratcliffe layby on the B5056, where the Limestone Way meets Dudwood Lane under two great rocky outcrops: Cratcliffe Tor and Robin Hood’s Stride (also known as Mock Beggar Hall).
Cross the road and turn left to Dudwood Lane. Turning your back to it for now, head up the farm track leading to Cratcliff Cottage, taking a left to walk up a slope alongside the wall boundary.
Ahead you’ll see ‘Hilary’s bench’ on your right and a gate. Go through and climb through woodland, looking out for a path that drops down again. It follows the base of Cratcliffe Tor, eventually arriving at the Hermit’s Cave.
A wall and fence protect the site, but you’ll still clearly see the carving of the crucifixion, an alcove, presumably for a candle, and a natural shelf under the overhang (not a cave) where the hermit possibly slept.
It’s not known for sure who he was but 1549 records from Haddon Hall record a payment to ‘ye hermitte’ who delivered a bag of ten rabbits, and another payment for guiding people to the hall.
Retracing your steps to the gate, head up through the boundary on your left to explore Robin Hood’s stride.
Continue to the tor’s far end. Here, an easy scramble will take you to the top. It’s a superb stop for an alfresco lunch.
Two protruding rocks stand either side of the outcrop. The far-reaching views are magnificent. Looking north you’ll see Nine Stones Close tucked into a field.
Drop off the rocky outcrop and continue along the Limestone Way through two fields. Nine Stones Close sits on private land, but you’ll get good views. The precise date of the monument is not known, but possibly Neolithic.
On reaching Cliff Lane, cross and continue down to Harthill Moor Farm. Look for a gate set back on your right as you go through the yard, leading into a field. It skirts below Castle Ring, thought to be a Bronze Age hill-top refuge.
The path drops down to a stream with stepping stones. Ford it, turning left to parallel the stream then a series of fields up to Cliff Lane again. Cross and descend into the valley through fields before a short ascent to sleepy Elton.
Heading up Well Street, you’ll pass All Saints Church on your left. Turn left onto Main Street. On the right, the Duke of York is a proper local pub with well-kept ales; the Grade II listed building open in evenings from 8.30pm.
Continue along Main Street with its hotch-potch of gritstone houses, looking for the shortcut over a field after Woodbine Farm to Dudwood Lane. The leafy road drops to the B5056, your starting point.
READ MORE: The history of Derbyshire’s mysterious stone circles
