Walk 5 - Osmaston Village and Park (4.75 miles)

This is a lovely (surprisingly hilly) walk around Osmaston near Ashbourne through a wide variety of different environments.  It can be muddy/boggy in places.

From Osmaston village walk past The Shoulder of Mutton pub to the village duck pond.  Turn left in front of the pond and take the middle of the three paths signposted 'Bridleway to Shirley'.  Walk along this broad track as it descends through fields to an old water powered sawmill.

After the sawmill the path climbs through woodland and crosses other tracks eventually turning into a surfaced road past playing fields leading to Shirley.  At this point you are following the Bonnie Prince Charlie walk from Ashbourne to Derby

On the outskirts of Shirley before a road junction and just past a parking area take some steps on the right to walk along a fenced path in front of a garden.  Go through a gate on the right and follow the path along the field edge with a hedge on the left.  Ignore the footpath marker pointing left halfway along the field and descend to the bottom of the field where the path swings right.

As you walk along the bottom of the field, take the path through a gap in the hedge, turn right and follow 'Centenary Walk' route markers with a hedge on the right.  Go through a gateway and then head uphill and to the right across a field.

At the top of the field go through a gateway and then turn left to descend through another gate to a boggy area.  Look for the path on the right which leads to a duckboard path.  Follow this as it crosses  Shirley Brook on a footbridge and keep following the boardwalk across a further footbridge.

The Centenary Way then enters some woodland (which may well be boggy) and twists and turns through the trees until it reaches a rough track.  

At a gate continue forward and then take care with your route as you need to ignore the Centenary Way which goes through a gate on the right.  Instead head to the pond straight ahead and walk with this on your right.  

When the lake ends continue forward over a stile and with a fence on the left and the follow this path over stiles and along field edges.

When a white house comes into view in the distance, then look for a wide track on the right.  Double back onto this track and through a gate (to the right of where previously walked).  Follow this bridleway through woodland.

As you leave the woodland follow the obvious track as it bears left and uphill eventually turning into a surfaced road through Osmaston Park Estate as it bears left and then right past agricultural buildings. 

At a 'T-Junction' turn left and walk down an avenue of lime trees and along the drive to the former Osmaston Hall.  At the end of the drive you will find yourself back at the duck pond and can retrace your steps to the car