Wincle

 

Wincle Circular

7th October 2026

Dane Valley Way, Winkle Grange, Hawkslee, Wincle Minn, Butterlands, Danebridge.

Distance: 7.94 miles Ascent/descent: 1248 ft

Difiiculty: Easy/Moderate

Weather: Mizzle then fine and Sunny

Walkers: Andrew Blease, Steve Brearley, Hughie Hardman, Russell Spencer, Simon Williams, Cliff

Worthington.

Alternative walkers:

Leader: Russell, Diarist: Russell

Starting point: Bridge at Danebank outside the Wincle brewery

Starting time: 9.40am Finishing time: 13.45pm

This Weeks Route:

Wincle Minn Circular

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.

A reasonable turnout today now everyone is back of holidays etc. It was nice to see Hughie

recovered and back into it. The day started quite miserable, which soaked us all through, however

clear skies prevailed later in the morning to give a pleasant walk, over the Minn and back to the

pub. (The word Minn derives from the Welsh/Celtic name for hill ‘Mynydd’).

We decided to forgo the brewery on this occasion and visited the Ship Inn, which was deserted and

only served JW Lees unfortunately.

Next week walk will be starting from Chinley, we will meet on the bridge (9.40am) near the Paper

Mill Pub and walk from there back to the pub for 1.30-2.00pm.

From the archives. By Alan Hart.

31.07.2013

We passed  Danebridge Methodist Church, below the road on our left and over the River Dane (144mins). As we started to climb uphill for a livener in The Ship, we spotted The Wincle Brewery on our left, where visitors are invited to try “a snifter.”

We were happy to oblige, and then discovered that their cask-conditioned bitters, Life of Riley, Summer Lass and Sir Sidney, were on sale at £2-50 a pint. 

In the absence of rain we were able to sit on benches outside and discuss our various scouting experiences. It emerged that Mickey had been in Mallory patrol at the Holy Innocents Church troop in Fallowfield, where he wore a yellow and green necker. Peter B was with the Guy Gibson patrol in the 5^th St Mary’s troop in Leeds, wearing a purple necker with an emblem of a cock on it! He also wore a braided leather lanyard, known as a bushman’s thong, and went on to become a queen’s scout (He refused to name the queen involved). 

Happy Wandering !

 

Eyam

30th September 2026

PLACES VISITED: Eyam, Sir William Hill, Bretton Clough, Great Hucklow, Grindelow, Foolow, The

Miners Arms

Distance: 9.17 miles Ascent/descent: 1628 ft

Difiiculty: Easy

Weather: Fine & dry

Walkers: Andrew Blease, Mike Cassini, Mark Enright, Russell Spencer.

Alternative walkers:

Leader: Mark, Diarist: Russell

Starting point: Free Car Park opposite Eyam Museum

Starting time: 10.00am Finishing time: 14.20pm

This Weeks Route:

Eyam Circular

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 day started with very heavy rain on the Journey to Eyam, but for once the weather forecast

was correct and it started easing off as we arrived (late) at Eyam. Just the 4 walkers this week and

Mark was leading, about an hour into the walk, the little bit of mizzle cleared and blue skies were

revealed giving a lovely, pleasant walk around and through the country side. We decamped back to

the Miners arms for some great local beers.

Next week will will be walking out of Wincle, so we can start from the bridge near the brewery as

usual. 9.40am start.

From the archives. By George Dearsley

20.02.2014

There was a slight delay as Mr Davison and Mr Fairman compared possible routes.

The option was: take the moor and arrive at the pub in 75 minutes or take the road and get there 30 minutes sooner.

You don't need to "phone a friend" to see which we went for.

Colin, who could find a hill in Holland, led us up another hill. There was what looked like a lake on our right but it was actually water being pumped out from underground mine workings.

Happy Wandering!

Curbar

 

CURBAR GAP, BASLOW EDGE, WELLINGTON’S MONUMENT, BIG MOOR, WHITE EDGE, FROGGATT EDGE, CURBAR EDGE, BRIDGE INN.

 

Distance: 8 miles Ascent/descent: 1,080ft

Difficulty: Easy 

Weather: Mainly dry with one shower downpour

Walkers ,Andy Blease, Steve Brearley Mike Cassini, Mark Enright. 

Alternative Walkers: Jock Rooney with Millie,-

Leader: Mike Cassini. Diarist:  Mike Cassini

Starting point: Clodhall Lane Curbar Gap

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 1.15.pm.

 

We last walked this route in April this year, which was a glorious sunny day, and, although we were expecting rain, we mainly had good warm weather, until we were most exposed on White Edge and the heavens opened completely soaking everyone. 

There are numerous diarised instances of this particularly scenic route, so we managed without any diversions or incidents, encountering the Highland Cattle who always seem to be there to greet us, just past the Wellington Monument.

Further flora and fauna alert. We came across poisonous fungi, which we immediately identified as the fly agaric, once eaten by reindeer and then the reindeer urine was drunk to experience the psychoactive effects.

I asked for volunteers to feed the highland cattle and try their piss but not even microbiologist Mark was interested in this valuable scientific experiment.

We finished at the Bridge Inn where three of us sampled the local Bridge Inn Bitter and Andy tried Mr Clarkson’s Hawkstone lager. We found it most palatable. 

 

From the archives (by Alan Hart) October 28th 2020

From a lay-by opposite The Harrington Arms on the A523 at Bosley, we headed towards Leek, crossing the road opposite the derelict Queens Arms, and went through a metal kissing gate to follow a public footpath sign (2mins). This took us into fields which we reached and exited by two more metal kissing gates until we reached the remains of a factory.

Wood Treatment Ltd were the manufacturers of wood fibre and powder products. In July, 2015, many employees were injured and four were killed when at least three explosions rocked the area. The former mill was destroyed despite the arrival of 15 fire engines. One of the bodies was never recovered. The company was convicted of corporate manslaughter due to negligence. 

Next week we are meeting at the free car park in Eyam, which should be on Hawkhill Road, Eyam S32 5AD, for a 9.50 start. Anyone with a route plan will be most appreciated.

Happy Wandering!

Rowarth

 

Rowarth

September 16th 2026

 

LITTLE MILL INN AT ROWARTH, KNARRS FARM, THE MONKS ROAD, HOLLINGWORTH BROOK AT CARR MEADOW, MIDDLE MOOR, TWENTY TREES, THE KINDER LODGE AT HAYFIELD, SETT VALLEY TRAIL, BIRCH VALE RESERVOIR, THORNSETT, HIGH WALLS FARM, ASPENSHAW HALL, ROWARTH

 

Distance: 9.5 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately easy, some climbs

 

Weather: Mostly wet, showers very occasional sunny spells

Walkers:  Andy Blease, Steve Brearley, Mike Cassini, Stuart Kitchen, Greg Owen

Leader: Cassini. Diarist: Cassini

Starting point: Rowarth Car Park

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2pm.

 

The start of this week’s walk was delayed exactly as it was when we left Chelford a couple of weeks ago ….by a torrential downpour. But as we are stout northern men (mostly, perhaps not that stout), we decided to brave the conditions and set off in a light drizzle, that improved but stayed with us for a large part of the walk.

This walk is diarised on at least two instances, though this time we took the easier option of the Sett Valley Way rather than the more exposed, and arduous, route up the Giggle Gaggle path. As a result we had one of the two more interesting experiences of the walk, as we enjoyed a late pie time in the car park/bus station in Hayfield we heard the sound of what turned out to be the crashing of a not insubstantial tree narrowly touching the front of a car a good 20 feet away. This led to  discussions about what constituted ‘parking at your own risk’ and did parking 20 feet away from a falling diseased tree constitute an acceptable risk.

The second experience was as a result of someone not following the countryside code and leaving a gate open allowing a number of young cows to wander free onto a wide footpath towards the start of our climb up from Rowarth. Fortunately, Andy and Stuart were well versed in cattle herding and managed to guide half of the number through the gate, which they later closed securely.

The poor weather followed us throughout the wander, although it was dry enough to briefly sit outside in the Little Mill beer garden enjoying a beer, to celebrate my 70th birthday the day before.

Next week’s wander is from Curbar Edge layby meeting at 9:50. The postcode is S32 3YR.

From the archives (by George Dearsley) December 5th 2012

Mr Hart, spurred on by the thought of ale, duly set a cracking pace.

Your diarist opined: “He’s like Mo Farrah”.

To which Mr Barrett retorted: “I’m more like Mo Mowlem”.

At 12.17pm leader Fairman became a faller on the boggy heather.

As to the derivation of the phrase Harry Hut little could be found.

I can exclusively reveal that in 1980 no fewer than 1083 pieces of artefacts and tools from the Mesolithic Period were discovered here. Anyone operating a market stall selling gloves and woollen hats in this period would have been onto a “good earner”. But beyond the archaeology, zilch.

We plodded on like Napoleon’s infantry retreating from Moscow but at last reached the road again where Tom’s wife Stella arrived to end the cruelty and take him to a Nativity play.

(No, he wasn't playing the Donkey!).

Happy Wandering!