Styal

 

From the archives. By George Dearsley. 

February 20, 2013

On Tuesday and Thursday of this week we enjoyed blue skies and warm sunshine. Sadly Boreas, the God of the North wind and his pals, were in a foul mood on Wednesday and the Wanderers were buffeted by chill blasts on higher ground, under a generally slate-grey sky.

That said, compared to last week’s snow-fest, it was a huge improvement.

The walk set off later than planned due to the delayed arrival of your scribe and his driver Mr Cunliffe, who, failed by both map and Sat Nav and anxious to meet the deadline, decided to recreate the famous car chase from the 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt on country lanes about a foot wider than his Land Rover.

Meanwhile Mr Fairman was hugely surprised to come across his first wife in the car park, something very few of us, except possibly Stan Collymore, have ever done.

Chinley

Chinley

14/10/26

PLACES VISITED: BUXWORTH, HORWICH END, TUNSTEAD MILTON, HIGHER CROSSINGS, CHAPEL

MILTON, THE PAPER MILL.

Distance: 7.99 miles Ascent/descent: 1004 ft

Difiiculty: Easy

Weather: Sunny with a bit of cloud

Walkers: Andrew Blease, Steve Brearley, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Enright, Hughie Hardman,

Julian Ross, Russell Spencer.

Alternative walkers: Jock Rooney with Milly

Leader: Russell, Diarist: Russell

Starting point: Bridge by the Paper Mill

Starting time: 9.40am Finishing time: 13.40pm

This Weeks Route:

Chinley Low Level Flat (ish) Walk

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.

It was good to see a couple of recent absentees walking today, namely Julian, Tom and Daisy. 

Due to it being Tom’s first walk back in a while we kept it fairly flat and circled around Eccles Pike, via Bugsworth, then back into Chapel and along the Peak Forest Tramway back to the pub, where we met Jock and a surprise visit by Peter.

From the archives. By George Dearsley 1.2.2013

This, I believe is Cracken Edge, famous for its quarrying.

The Cracken Edge Quarries were exploited for gritstone in the nineteenth century and probably earlier. There is very little published on the history of the workings. 

It was noted for the production of paving stones and roofing slates, and remained open until about 1930.

Quite a lot of the output was despatched by train from the goods yard at Chinley, with a first peak in the 1890s when about 16,000 tons per year went via train, declined slowly after then, but there was a brief second peak in 1929 of 11,000 tons for that year. 

The Cracken Edge Quarries are noteworthy for the extensive vertical faces created along the edge, where there is good stone.  

Banks of spoil divide a series of working areas, and extensive waste heaps built up as debris was tipped down the steep slope.  There are access tracks and signs of an inclined tramway with a pulley wheel on stone supports at its upper end.  There were also underground stone mines behind the faces, now mostly collapsed, although entrance approach routes between spoil-heaps retained by dry stone walls remain.

Next week’s walk is yet to be decided so keep your eyes on the Chat nearer the time.

Happy Wandering!

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!