[1] From the junction with Baslow Road, walk on part of the Sheffield Country Walk to the very end of Totley Hall Lane (passing playing field on your left). Go over a stile by the gate ahead, and keep left across two fields. Keep ahead into Gillfield Wood where you should bear left down to a bridge over Totley Brook. Cross and follow a path that rises to woodland to skirt the right hand side of the first ancient hall, (A) Woodthorpe Hall – a 17th century country house http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-79634-woodthorpe-hall-holmesfield-derbyshire (to view the hall, turn left down the lane and then retrace your steps).
[2] Leaving the Sheffield Country Walk, turn right along the lane and when the lane bends right, join the path going straight ahead into Holmesfield Park Wood. Follow the waymarks up through the wood for 1 mile, and continue up ahead to join the lane into Holmesfield village. Cross the road by the Angel Inn. Follow the fingerpost by the far side of the George and Dragon Inn, into the Cordwell Valley. Continue down to go over a stile and then a footbridge (on the left) towards the hamlet of Cartledge. Climb up the field to reach the road. Turn left, cross, and go first right.
[3] Go along the lane, passing Cartledge Hall (second hall on your left) and take the track on right through Cartledge Hall Farm.
B) Cartledge Hall – originally built in 1492 and once the home of the Victorian Gothic horror novelist Robert Murray Gilchrist . Many of his novels were set in the local area and are now becoming popular again, especially with his large fan base in the USA. http://www.peakdistrictinformation.com/towns/holmesfield.php
Keep ahead down the track, then bear right into a field, continuing down keeping to the left. At the bottom go over a stile, through a garden, passing a bungalow on your left, and on to join the main road. Turn left down to Millthorpe.
[4] Cross at the junction into Mill Lane. Go ahead, passing houses and over the footbridge at Millthorpe Brook, until you reach a cobblestone area at the top of the slope. Here, take the field path over the stile on right keeping along the hedge, but bearing right at the next field to cross another foot bridge over Pingle Dyke. Take the path right along the field boundary to enter Rose Wood through a gate. Of the two paths bearing left, take the right hand path uphill through the woods. When you meet a crossing path, turn sharp right and along a woodland path, over a bridge and through trees to a gate.
[5] Leave Rose Wood keeping straight ahead (with the farm on your right) until you reach Unthank Lane. Turn left up the lane to Unthank Hall. (C) Unthank Hall – late 16th century and now run as a farm http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/holmesfield-c2222.html
Take footpath opposite (on the right) into a field and follow the wall down to the right and over the stile (at the 2nd gate). Follow the hedge as it descends. Immediately into the 2nd field, bear left on a narrow path down the bank to cross a stile and then follow path to rejoin Unthank Lane. Turn left, going over Eweford Bridge, and cross the road at the junction to follow the signed bridleway up to Horsleygate Lane.
[6] Turn right uphill to Horsleygate (D) The 16th century Horsleygate Hall – now run as a B&B.(if you wish to visit the hall it is along the lane to the left, but return to this point). Turn left at the fingerpost pointing to Lidgate. Continue uphill crossing two fields and through gap on top right of 2nd field. Turn left and then right over stile into a large field. Turn left uphill, go over a stile, across a track and through a gate. Now bear right towards and then left of a farmhouse and go through a stone stile to the road.
[7] Cross the B6054, and a little to the right, after Lidgate Cottage, follow the signpost left to Fanshawe Gate. (E) Fanshawe Gate Hall - '"From 1260 to 1944 the house was owned by the Fanshawe family." Look out for the splendid 16th century Dovecote. Garden open days during the year. http://www.fanshawegate.com/ Follow the field boundary on your left - this path is frequently muddy and therefore may be slippery - but where the path turns right, take a path left to Fanshaw Gate Lane. Turn right past the hall,and follow a sign left into part of the grounds to go down to exit through a gate in the fencing on your right. Make your way down through the fields and back into Gillfield Wood. Cross the brook ahead and go up the bank, turning left onto the main path. Take next right over a stile into a field and then right along a track to retrace your route to return to Totley Hall Lane.