Shutlingsloe

 

 

March 5th 2026

RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, SHUTLINGSLOE, THE CRAG AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, OAKENCLOUGH, THE HANGING GATE AT POT LORDS, BROWNLOW, GREEN BAR LEATHER’S SMITHY

 

Distance: 8.2 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Fine Spring day, warm and dry, bit of a wind

Walkers Peter Beale Andy Blease, Steve Brierley, Mike Cassini, Hugh Hardiman, Greg Owens, Cliff Worthington.

Alternative Walkers: Jock Rooney and Millie, Chris Owens was spotted walking to the barbers but did not appear at the final destination

Leader: Cassini. Diarist: Cassini

Starting point: Ridgegate Reservoir finish Leather’s Smithy

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 1.30.pm

We were treated to another glorious cloud free spring day with shorts on parade for the first time this year. As well as returning walker Peter Beale, Greg Owens also appeared for the first time in a while so we had a good number to enjoy the fine weather.

The route from The Leather’s Smithy is well established and documented in previous blogs. Rather than repeat the details from a well trodden path, Andy brought to our attention to Alan’s blog from  October 2024 on this route, listed below gives an indication of what we are missing.

What a shower of pathetic snowflakes the Wednesday Wanderers have become ! This walk was foreshortened by two miles because one of our stalwarts had stubbed his little toe and we were having the odd drop of light drizzle.

When I was young, in the middle of the last century, we used to play football in monsoons. I'll always remember the day Gibbons Minor went in for a sliding tackle in thick mud. His body was never recovered.

Boys used to carry Swiss army knives in their rucksacks. If their toes or fingers were damaged they would simply cut them off without any namby-pamby anaesthetic and put on a field dressing. (We toted them along with our gas masks in case the Huns started another world war). Then we would carry on playing.

Who can forget the heroics of Tristram Wyckenham-Ffynes and Algernon Blashford-Snell as they tried to reach the North Pole? Suffering frostbite they gnawed off their own feet, and crawled the last ten miles to plant the Union Jack only to discover a Norwegian nonce had beaten them to it.

The unpredictability of the British weather used to be character-building. If the events of this walk are anything to go by, it would appear that the era of fortitude, stoicism, and stiff upper lips is over.

No wonder the empire is crumbling. At this rate we'll be lucky to hang on to the Isle of Wight.

Next week’s walk will be lead by Cliff and start at the Boars Head Higher Poynton. We will meet at 9.50am. Pictures of this week’s outing below:

New Mills

 

 

February 25th 2026

 

NEW MILLS LEISURE CENTRE, BROOK BOTTOM ROAD NEW MILLS GOLF CLUB, MELLOR AND TOWNCLIFFE GOLF CLUB ,LINNET CLOUGH ACTIVITY CENTRE, ROMAN LAKES, STRINES, PEAK FOREST CANAL, TORRS RIVERSIDE PARK

Distance: 9.7 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Fine Spring day, warm and dry, 

Walkers Peter Beale Andy Blease, Steve Brierley,Mike Cassini, Hugh Hardiman, Stuart Kitchen JulianRoss, Cliff Worthington.

Alternative Walkers: Jock, Kieran Rooney and Millie,

Leader: Cassini. Diarist: Cassini

Starting point: New Mills Leisure Centre, Hyde Bank Road, New Mills (SK22 4BP)

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 1.30.pm

We were treated to a fine spring day with no hats or gloves and the company for the first time in a while of Pete Beale, back from an assortment of ailments and holidays. 

Starting at the leisure centre in New Mills we climbed up through the town reaching St Mary’s road opposite the ‘Voluntary’ school of St Ralph Sherwin A voluntary school means it receives funds from an external source in this case the Catholic church. St Ralph Sherwin was martyred with Edmund Campion and Alexander Bryant, Sherwin was a native of Derbyshire, which is why the school took his name.

At the top of St Mary’s road we turned left onto Brook Bottom Road, which we continued along until just before the Fox pub. Here, we took a right turn up the path ending at the corner of New Mills Golf club and Shaw Farm, which had 6 static holiday homes supplementing the farm income. 

Crossing fields across the hilltop, which gave views of  Lyme Cage, Swizzle's and Manchester. We eventually came to Mellor and Towncliffe Golf course, leading to Linnet clough activity centre and down to the Roman Lakes.

Our descent towards the Roman Lakes was on a rocky and wet path, which probably formed a bigger stream after more persistent wet weather. At the bottom we stopped for lunch before moved onto Strines Station.

Passing Strines Station we crossed the Strines Road carrying upwards onto the Peak Forest canal. This took us back to the leisure  centre and onto the Masons Arms where Storm Brewing was the beer of the day at £3.20 a pint. Next week’s walk will begin at the reservoir by the Leather Smithy SK11 0NE and up to Shutlingsloe. We’ll meet for a 9:40 start.

Chinley

 

Chinley Churn

18th February 2026

CHINLEY, CHINLEY CHURN, CHINLEY QUARRY, SOUTH HEAD (NEARLY), NEW SMITHY

Distance: 8.53 miles Ascent/descent: 1495 ft

Difiiculty: Moderate. One long climb

Weather: Windy

Walkers: Etta.

Alternative walkers: Jock Rooney & Millie

Leader: Russell, Diarist: Russell

Starting point: Old Hall Inn, Chinley, SK23 6EJ, parking on the bridge over bypass

Starting time: 9.40am Finishing time: 1.30pm

This Weeks Route:

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/27653535/wednesday-wanderers--chinley-chinley-churn-

south-head?lat=53.34269&lon=-1.93201&zoom=14.7703&style=Standard&type=2d

I have saved this walk for public consumption. Anyone can follow the route using the OS app,

providing you have a registered account (Free) in future.

The word of the day was Windy, last time we did this walk we were in the middle of a heatwave! It started OK but as we got higher up the wind increased and the temperature dropped, we persevered. It must have been 30mph winds on the Churn.

We dropped down toward South Head and then had a rather muddy return back to the pub.

Next week’s walk will be led by Mike, starting from New Mills Leisure Centre, SK22 4PU with refreshments in the Masons Arms approx 1.30pm.

Happy Wandering!