Marple Bridge

MARPLE BRIDGE, ETHEROW PARK, CHISWORTH, MILL BROW

Distance: 9 Miles.

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Dry with Blue Skies and later Sun

Walkers: Colin Davison, George Dearsley, Phil Welsh, George Whaites

B Walkers: Tony Job and Geoff Spurrell.

Non-Walking Drinkers: Frank Dudley and John Eckersley.

Apologies: Pete Beal(Madeira), Alan Hart (Hawaii), Laurie Fairman(Morocco), Jock Rooney (Isle of Man)

Leader: Welsh. Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Free car park just inside Brabyns Park

Starting Time: 9.31am. Finishing Time: 1.48pm.

Only four walkers but the quartet enjoyed an unexpectedly beautiful day and an interesting and at times challenging walk, marred only by the closure at lunchtime of the appointed midway pub the Hunters, Chisworth.

We left the car park in Brabyns Park promptly and made our way to what was once known as the “Pink House”, now painted cream and occupied finally after some years of neglect, at the far side of the park.

We took the path to Compstall Road, crossed and entered Etherow Park, negotiating the car park and taking the central path.

Wildlife

At the end of the track we turned left at a red brick hut, stopping momentarily to admire the mandarin ducks (see picture) and other animal life.

We turned left, following the Keg Trail but after about 400 yards we took another left past a wooden shelter and up a steep slope.

Climbing a stile we turned right and crossed a field with Coombs Edge to our right (see picture) bathed in sunlight.

Coombs Edge

We meandered through a group of cottages and past Beacom (with an “m”) House on our right (59 minutes).

It was no spelling error because a few strides on we were informed we were in Beacom Lane. Werneth Low golf course was visible to our left.

We climbed a stile near an electricity pylon and crossed a field onto another metalled road. We turned right and followed a sign for Beck Wood at an impressive converted barn, passing the building to our left. This took us down a muddy track and at 10.45am we stopped for refreshments.

Setting off 10 minutes later we descended some steps, crossed a wooden bridge and ascended some further steps, turning right past a greenhouse apparently built from a collection of coloured glass windows and doors, following signs for Hodge Fold and passing Bothams Hall Farm.

We crossed the Etherow River via a racing green metal bridge and climbed a steep slope through woodland (where we saw a woodpecker) and emerging at Far Woodseats Farm.

Here we spotted two sheep ahead of us and apparently determined to court certain death by sprinting onto the road from Marple Bridge to Glossop. Mr Whaites, showing the kind of roustabout skills made famous by Clint Eastwood in the TV show Rawhide, went into a field, raced ahead of the foolish animals and with a series of bloodcurdling cries the like of which have seldom been heard since the Battle of Culloden, managed to  reverse their charge and send them scurrying back down the path we had just travelled and hopefully to the safety of the farm.

Despite the time spent on this good deed we were still early for our  (eagerly anticipated) stop of the aforementioned Hunters, so a diversion was quickly agreed. We crossed the main road and headed up Sandy Lane opposite, passing a working farm and near the top of the hill turning left on a footpath, stopping briefly to discuss the merits of polystyrene flooring for insulation with a builder renovating a stone barn.

We duly arrived at the Hunters at 11.46am….only to discover that it did not open at lunchtime.

Mobile telephone calls to the B Walkers (Mssrs Job and Spurrell) elicited the fact that they were only a few hundred yards away on Sandy Lane and we duly set off for a rendezvous.

It was agreed that they would attempt to find liquid refreshment in the area (in the end it turned out to be the George & Dragon in Charlesworth) and take a bus to Marple Bridge.

The main walkers would re-trace their steps up Sandy Lane.

This time instead of turning left we carried on to the top of the hill, climbing an extremely steep slope.

Confabulation

At the summit our leader confirmed his position (see picture above). Yes, we were at the top of the hill. We prepared to cross four of the muddiest fields ever negotiated by the Wednesday Wanderers, producing goo-covered boots reminiscent of Gallipoli.

We made a lunch stop at 12.39pm for 13 minutes, basking in pleasant sun near a Roman tumulus (Brown Low) before picking up Sandhill Lane and turning left into Gird Lane which leads into Mill Brow. We passed the Hare and Hounds (also sadly closed) and after a brief detour to enable our leader to put on some orange stripey socks not seen since Christopher Biggins played Widow Twanky we descended into Marple Bridge, finally finding sustenance at the Royal Scot, where the bitter was £2.55.

We were soon joined by the B Walkers (who had travelled from Hazel Grove to Four Lane Ends to start their walk) and also by non-walking drinkers Frank Dudley and John Eckersley for conversation and merriment which probably went on far too long.

Next week we meet at the Wanted Inn, Sparrowpit, with an intended start time of 9.45am