The Perils Of Hathersage Road

[DerbyTup 10]

It is the time of year when we wake up to keen frosts and icy patches on the road.  Despite the obvious weather conditions, some drivers seem to be unaware of the danger this poses when navigating our local roads.  None more so than in this spot, the sharp bend on Hathersage Road, opposite the Fox House pub.

 

 

That wall, next to the chevron sign marking the sharp bend, must be one of the most crashed into structures in the whole of Sheffield.  Every year it gets re-built several times due to motorists crashing through it.

 

The cause? A failure to navigate the bend at safe speeds and to anticipate that standing water, or ice, may require careful manoeuvring of a vehicle in order to avoid losing control of the same.

 

In its most recent iteration, the wall has been re-built to about half the height that it was before.  The council seem to have accepted that there's no point in re-building it to the previous height of about two metres high - so it's now about half a metre instead - because it's only a matter of time before someone will crash through it again, by not taking sufficient care when approaching this bend.  

 

If you're reading this and planning a trip out into the beautiful Derbyshire countryside,  just watch out for potential accidents in this area.  In fact the whole length of Hathersage road, from the moment you emerge beyond Whirlow on the A625, is fraught with danger.  The cross-roads where Long Line meets Hathersage road and Cross Lane is another accident blackspot.  

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3355735,-1.5450107,3a,75y,230.84h,83.03t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0mWPC8vQ6a-y2MxvZGjrrg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D0mWPC8vQ6a-y2MxvZGjrrg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D142.981%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

The main problem here is not just one of speed - in fact there is a speed camera just before the junction to encourage motorists to stay safely within the 50mph zone.  The problem here is one of motorists not being fully au fait with the Highway code, or at least the principles of it, if not the hard and fast rules of the road.  Right-turning traffic should give way to oncoming traffic.  But not everyone appreciates that - or if they do, some still think, "I was here first, so I'm going first".  This causes problems.  But not all problems are caused by such selfish disregard.  In many cases, motorists simply do not know what to do and a cryptic exchange of headlight flashing or beckoning takes place - then...some change their minds!  

 

Hathersage road is a beautiful road - after the long drive out from the city centre through the suburbs you finally reach this...

 

 

And the road opens up like this...

 

 

After the miles of suburbia you can feel the gloom lifting and the beautiful countryside opening up on the road before you.  It's so tempting to open up the accelerator and rip up the scenery!  

 

But Hathersage road has lots of surprises waiting for you.  Numerous sharp bends, like this...

 

 

Which require careful navigation, if you are going to avoid this...

 

Drive safely - and stop knocking that wall down at Fox House will yer?🙄

 

 

 

[FinBak 12]

Great post @Derbytup. 

 

Love the photos.

 

I often go out that way on my motorbike, just to get some fresh air.!

 

I'm well used to them roads, but they can be tricky for someone who has never driven them.

 

The Fox House pub....Is it still open?...It's been around 18 months since I was in there...Drive past it these days as last time wasn't a nice experience.!

 

Totally changed from when I was a Kid.!  (The pub NOT the roads..;) )

Edited December 1, 2019 by FinBak

[Bargepole23 337]

20 minutes ago, FinBak said:

Great post @Derbytup. 

 

Love the photos.

 

I often go out that way on my motorbike, just to get some fresh air.!

 

I'm well used to them roads, but they can be tricky for someone who has never driven them.

 

The Fox House pub....Is it still open?...It's been around 18 months since I was in there...Drive past it these days as last time wasn't a nice experience.!

 

Totally changed from when I was a Kid.!  (The pub NOT the roads..;) )

Pretty sure it's still open. Went in on a Sunday evening about a year ago. Dreadful. A bar full of empty glasses, tables with dirty plates on them, about half the menu unavailable. First time I've been for maybe 30 years and will be the last.

[FinBak 12]

3 minutes ago, Bargepole23 said:

Pretty sure it's still open. Went in on a Sunday evening about a year ago. Dreadful. A bar full of empty glasses, tables with dirty plates on them, about half the menu unavailable. First time I've been for maybe 30 years and will be the last.

Like wise...We dined outside...It was pitiful to say the least. But the view was good...;)

 

It's a shame isn't  it.!

 

 

[Bargepole23 337]

1 hour ago, FinBak said:

Like wise...We dined outside...It was pitiful to say the least. But the view was good...;)

 

It's a shame isn't  it.!

 

 

It is a shame, it's a great looking building in a great location, on an affluent side of town. 

[DerbyTup 10]

1 hour ago, FinBak said:

Great post @Derbytup. 

 

Love the photos.

 

I often go out that way on my motorbike, just to get some fresh air.!

 

I'm well used to them roads, but they can be tricky for someone who has never driven them.

 

The Fox House pub....Is it still open?...It's been around 18 months since I was in there...Drive past it these days as last time wasn't a nice experience.!

 

Totally changed from when I was a Kid.!  (The pub NOT the roads..;) )

Hello mate.  Thanks for you nice comments.  I just found the photo's on Google and stuck them in there.  I'm quite a visual person and like photo's and in this case I found some nice ones, except the one of the crashed car obviously.

 

I live near there.  In fact I live within a few hundred yards of the Long Line/Cross Lane junction and I use that most days.  It is a nightmare to get out of.  It's been made worse, possibly, by the restriction on turning right opposite what was the Dore Moor Inn.   Because now there is more traffic using the Long Line/Cross Lane crossroads than before.  

 

Hathersage road is a very dangerous road.  There's a sign up there somewhere saying how many people were injured or killed in the past whatever period.  Motorists just take it too fast.  Of course the bikers like to let rip out there too, but it's the motorists that cause most of the problems.  

 

The Fox House pub...

 

yes it's still open.  I suspect it will remain open for many centuries to come.

 

Is it any good?

 

No.

 

Not in my humble opinion.  Because it's been under chain-management for years.  Part of the appalling "Vintage Inn" family.  Quite often these are nice places architecturally, but they serve poor ale and frozen, processed and microwaved meals. The Dore Moor Inn was one - and that place at Loxley (Admiral Rodney isn't it?) are all part of the same clan.  Same as "The Castle" at Castleton.  Lovely places to look at, but dire offerings in terms of food and drink.

 

 90% of folk don't give a damn what they eat and can't tell rubbish from quality - and in Sheffield those things apply, with, a desperate urge to have it really cheap as well.  So, I'm fully expecting to get lambasted now for saying it's rubbish, because most folks love rubbish around here, especially cheap rubbish.  

 

It's a shame.  It's a really nice building, very historic and if they served up good food and drinks it would be on a par with anything else in the entire United Kingdom, given the location and the wonderful building.  

 

But it serves cheesey peas and microwave chicken "ting" and has anonymous bland ales.  So, no...it's rubbish.  Just like every other Vintage Inn, with their "Hunter's Chicken" and "Cheddar Mash".  I would nuke the lot of them if I could.  But I can't, so I won't.

 

It's about 2 years I think since I last went into the Fox House.  I think I'd just done a 5 mile run and popped in to get a shandy whilst waiting for my other half to come and pick me up.  It's nice to sit outside there on a sunny day with a shandy.  There...I've said something nice about it!  

 

But the poor folks who turn up there for meals.  I look at them and shake my head in disbelief.  Can they not do anything better than that?  They must be absolutely desperate or totally ignorant and bereft of any sense of quality at all. 

 

I was chatting to a very attractive young barmaid in town recently.  We got on very well and got talking about walks out in Derbyshire.  She lives at Ringinglow - which is not so far from me and not far from Fox House at all.  She said she was out walking in that area and stayed overnight at Fox House.  I said to her, "Why did you pay to stay out overnight at Fox House when you only live just down the road at Ringinglow?".  She just looked at me as if I was really dim... and I probably was.

 

Now, I'm not saying the Fox House would be a bad choice for something like that.😍

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mossway 15]

Tup,

The Dore Moor is now part of the Ego chain.

I’m  not a fan, normally, of ‘chains’ but I met some friends at the Dore Moor a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the positive attitude of the staff.

Give it another go !

 

[muddywolf 10]

Great post, a somewhat off topic question but I often park at fox house and take a walk down to grindleford, is that safe to do or is it possible to get clamped or fined?

[ptathion 10]

I've been fortunate enough to have travelled this route to work for over 20 years, very little traffic, good roads and great views, I think in all honesty it has made almost any other journey (especially to work) a bit of a chore.

 

Its not just the winter weather on this route that can cause issues, more in the winter months for sure but they occur all year round, as already noted the wall at the Fox House pub seems to get demolished yearly and the wall at the bridge just down from there and the wall at the surprise don't fare much better.

 

A national speed limit from the Door Moor to the Millstone may be a little ambitious for those that see speed signs as a minimum especially when taking into account some of those nice scenic corners

 

I think the sign listing the number of fatalities had already been placed when I started travelling that way but i'm not sure if its ever been updated or even if its still there.

 

Maybe I've just been lucky, despite seeing cars through walls, into trees, onto verges, upside down cars, cars on there sides, cars in ditches etc so far the worse I have been involved in was a collision with a Badger, sadly the Badger did not survive. I also know of one gentleman who had the misfortune to have a deer run out in front of him, he wasn't hurt, the car was repaired but the deer didn't make it

 

My advice for anyone travelling out that way would be to leave 10 minutes early and enjoy the journey.

Edited December 2, 2019 by ptathion

[1978 14]

I know this corner well and have quite a few pictures of damage to that wall. 4 recent incidents.

 

I was first to reach one of the accidents, a dark December night when I'd heard a double crash. 3 year old BMW had gone through the wall and then hit a tree. No injury to the driver, other than his pride and pocket. He wasn't going too fast. Really? It wasn't icy that night. Inattention. Rushing to get home somewhere across the Pennines after a business meeting in Sheffield. He was in shock and most concerned that he had to be at an important meeting in London the following day. Examined the following day it was clear that a contributory factor was very worn front tyres.

 

A Ford Ka went straight through but jumped the kerb and landed on top of the wall before continuing 25 yards down the hill scattering stones beneath it as it went, headlights left intact.

 

A young student took the corner and almost got round, but not quite, hitting the kerb hard, spinning back into the middle of the road with suspension shattered and one wheel collapsed rendering it immobile. He'd only just got his first car and recently arrived at the university.

 

About 2 years ago a truck hit and demolished  the highest part of the wall in the early hours and was heard by guests in the Fox House. Their cctv didn't get the details. Bits of debris were left behind but the vehicle must have been drivable as it didn't stay around!  Usually the driver's insurance should cover rebuilding the wall, but only if the driver is identified.

 

A curiosity. The drivers make their mistake in Sheffield. The wall belongs to the National Trust's Longshaw Estate so they crash into Derbyshire. 

 

 

[metalman 21]

Obviously I can't tell quality from rubbish then because I went to lunch at the Admiral Rodney in Loxley not long ago and rather enjoyed it.

[Fudbeer 12]

Love that road used to be on my regular cycle training route that I did most days.

 

As you say there are dangers but not if you drive sensibly.Sadly some treat it as a race track.

 

The pub is poor these days was in one Wednesday night a few months ago it was virtually empty a couple walked in and asked for a table and they were asked if they booked when they said no they were told it was fully booked and they sent them to the grouse!