Whaley Bridge

WHALEY BRIDGE, TAXAL EDGE, KETTLESHULME

Distance: Ten and one fifth miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Drizzle, some Sunny spells

Walkers: Colin Davison, George Dearsley, George Whaites.

B Walkers: Tony Job, Geoff Spurrell, Ken Sparrow

Non Walkers: John Eckersley, Frank Dudley

Apologies: Peter Beal (work commitments), Jock Rooney (Diving in Azerbaijan), Alan Hart (domestic duties) Lawrie Fairman (Cruising in the Adriatic).

Leader: Davison   Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The Cock, Whaley Bridge

Starting Time: 9.34 am. Finishing Time: 2.54pm

Leaving the car park of the Cock at Whaley Bridge we walked past the pub and took the path to the left which snakes through a housing estate. The last time we were here a funeral was in progress. Not so today. We crossed the main road that leads out of Whaley Bridge and climbed the hill opposite.

Excavations

 We soon came across what appeared to be either excavations or preparations for some kind of pond or boating lake. (see picture above)

Old vehicle

Nearby was a rather ancient vehicle, extensively modified, which sharp-eyed Mr Davison immediately recognised at an Austin Gypsy. Going into Jeremy Clarkson mode he gave us a Top Gear style potted history of the motorised device.

Further research by your diarist reveals that The Gipsy was visually similar to the Land Rover, but unlike the Land Rover, the Gipsy's bodywork was steel and, in time, suffered badly from rust in the outdoors off-road environment it was intended for.

The suspension was sophisticated - independent suspension all round, using 'Flexitor' rubber springs. Later models used leaf springs on the front and rear which was felt to offer a greatly improved ride over rough surfaces. It used either a BMC 2199 cc petrol based on the one in the Austin A70 car: by the 1960s the compression ratio was unfashionably low, making the petrol powered vehicle unusually tolerant of low octane fuel. A 2178 cc diesel engined version was also offered. Production of the Gipsy was stopped after some 21,208 vehicles had been sold. Afficianados might like to visit this site. (click on the hyperlink).

 Our route then took us past the large graveyard adjacent to Taxal Church.

At the end of the steep path past the church we turned left, past Glebe Farm and a few yards further on past the Rectory we took a path to the right marked “Kettleshulme via Taxal Edge”. Conversation was temporarily suspended as we climbed higher and higher. At 10.13am the sun made a brief appearance.

We reached a metalled road (Taxal Moor Road) at the side of a wood and made to turn left. But Mr Davison, throwing caution to the winds, decided we would change the habit of a lifetime and turned right. We took a path into the woods but it quickly petered out and a decision was taken to simply take the shortest route to the top (Taxal Edge) which involved crossing an acre or two of heathered slope.

The climb afforded us spectacular views of the Cheshire countryside, the one below looking down to Toddbrook reservoir.

Excellent view

Reaching Windgather Rocks, we decided it was time for our “elevenses” even though it was just 10.51am. We resumed our walk at 11.05am

Passing Taxal Nick, we proceeded along Taxal Edge and a few minutes later reached Pym Chair. Local legend has it that a highway man called Pym used to lay in wait to ambush those who used the packhorse route, (at Pym Chair) although another version says Pym was a preacher who gave sermons here.

At the end of the road we turned right, following a sign marked “to Saltersford”. We then turned left onto a footpath, crossing a cattle grid.

We traversed a farm and then a second farm (Saltersford Hall Farm), exiting via the front gate and turning left. We crossed a stile and came to a stream, crossing over and passing an attractive looking white house on our far left and an equally impressive pond immediately to our left.

A brand new looking circular gate installed by Cheshire County Council took us onto a small metalled road. We climbed a hill and after 50 yards negotiated a stile on the left (stile number 176 in memory of rambler George Rochford) and through a metalled five bar gate onto the road.

The sun came out again as we past Greenbooth Farm on the right. We then past a house called Autumn Croft and as an imaginary clock chimed one we found ourselves at the Swan, Kettleshulme.

Already in situ, enjoying such ales as Marston’s at £2.75 were the B Walkers. They had taken the bus to Disley and then used Red Lane and Green Lane to reach the Moorside. Their trek then took them past Cornfield Farm, down to Hole House and over some muddy fields to the Swan.

Mr Davison then had one of those embarrassing moments when he uttered (rather loudly) the word “pornography” at the very moment that the entire pub fell silent. Luckily, no maiden aunts or vicars appeared to gag on their Cock-o-Leekie and the moment past without incident.

Mr Davison calculated that the main walkers had covered 7.6 miles up to that point.

We left the pub at 1.56pm crossed the road and walked through the garden centre. At the far side we turned right and then left down Kishfield Lane.

We took lunch on a picturesque stone bridge at 2.10pm, resuming our walk at 2.19pm.

Our route took us to Toddbrook reservoir where the water was higher than normal and necessitated us climbing an escarpment to reach the road.

Soon afterwards we caught up with the B Walkers. They had covered more than seven miles in the day.

We were back at the cars at 2.54pm and in The Cock soon afterwards, where John Eckersley and Frank Dudley were already seated.

Next week it was decided to explore the Castleton area. Walkers are invited to meet at 9.15am at the Fallow Deer pub, just off the by-pass for onward ferrying to our start point.

Litton

LITTON, TANSLEY DALE, MONSAL TRAIL, TIDESWELL

Distance: Nine and a half miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Drizzle

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, George Dearsley

B Walkers: Tony Job and Geoff Spurrell.

Non Walker: John Eckersley

Apologies:  Jock Rooney (Diving in Azerbaijan) and Ken Sparrow (Cruising on Queen Elizabeth). Alan Hart (Holidaying in Benidorm), Lawrie Fairman (Cruising in the Adriatic), George Thwaites (Spain)

Leader: Beal   Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Red Lion pub, Litton, Derbyshire

Starting Time: 9.50 am. Finishing Time: 1.51pm

The trio of walkers set off out of the picturesque village of Litton with the Post Office on our right, past the Methodist Church on the right and took a right turn.

Almost immediately we climbed a wall and set off following a sign which read: “public footpath to Cressbrook Dale”.

We negotiated a second wall and turned left, the grey drystone walls on each side of us forming a silent guard of honour.

A climb over yet another wall on the right led us into Tansley Dale, although somewhat confusingly a sign a few yards on said:  “Welcome to Cressbrook Dale”.

Whatever. The scenery was striking, even if the weather was inclement, with Messrs Beal and Davison quickly donning full weatherproofs.

We passed some cottages, one called Quiet Ways and spotted an old MG 1600 looking rather forlorn.

MG

A quick check on Google showed that the car was from around 1960 and in good condition might fetch up to £14,000. 

Cressbrook Mill

We passed Cressbrook Mill on our right and were soon alongsidethe River Wye, which Mr Beal thought had the accolade of being the purest river in Britain.

The River Wye, which rises on Axe Edge and flows through Buxton and Bakewell before joining the mighty Derwent at Rowsley, was certainly, at one time, a working river. Although it is only about 20 miles in length, at least 25 mill sites have been identified along its route. Many were originally local corn mills, but when the Industrial Revolution came along, textile manufacturers were quick to realise the potential of its water power at places like Litton Mill, Cressbrook Mill and at Bakewell, where Richard Arkwright had a mill at Lumford.

We stopped for a snack at 11.01am, some very friendly ducks sidling up to see what scraps they could elicit and set off again at 11.15am.

We crossed a footbridge and took the path that climbed steeply to the disused railway line, actually going under the arch of a bridge before turning back on ourselves to walk over the top of the bridge, which forms part of the Monsal Trail.

A sign pointed to “Wye Dale” but really no maps, compasses, Lode Stones, Tom Toms or other GPS devices were needed because this was the M 1 motorway of Wednesday Wandering, a more or less straight trek along what must have been a very attractive train route, taking in three tunnels, although we were only to negotiate two.

The tunnels opened earlier this year and it is the first time the public have been able to go through them since the former Midland Railway Line closed in 1968.

Following work by the Peak District National Park Authority – using £2.25 million funding from the Department of Transport – the tunnels have been repaired, resurfaced and lit to form an extension to the existing Monsal Trail.

Along the way are wind-up metal boxes that trigger recorded messages detailing some of the history of the line. 

My picture shows Litton Tunnel.

Having navigated the tunnels and dodged a number of bicycles that came towards us, some at breakneck speed, we took a plunging path to our right, signposted for “Millersdale”. We were soon back at the River Wye, crossing a footbridge and stepping over the threshold of the Anglers Rest pub at 12.12 pm.

Angler's Rest

The pub has a hikers’ room, which was occupied by two elderly women and an elderly man. But later a seven-strong Probus group arrived from, of all places, Marple.

We left at 12.39pm after one pint of Adnams Southwold Bitter (£2.70) which Mr Davison thought “cloudy”.

Turning right out of the pub we then went to the back of the building where some well worn stone steps took us to the road above and an old fashioned red telephone box.

We turned left, crossed over to a row of houses opposite and turned right up a steepish slope with houses to our left, one called Rock View.

Some of the gardens to these homes were decorated with railway signs and other memorabilia, which I have no doubt were all purchased from reputable retail outlets.

About 200 yards up the slope we dog-legged left, through some metal gates, following a sign saying: “Limestone Way”.

This quickly took us through a farmyard where we veered to the left through another one bar metal gate to resume our walk along Limestone Way.

After a few hundred yards we hopped another wall on our right, following a public footpath sign. At the end of this path we turned right, then left and right again past a United Reform Church to find ourselves in the village of Tideswell.

As every schoolboy knows, Tideswell is one of the most ancient settlements in the central Peak District and was granted a charter for a market in 1251. These were held regularly until relatively recently.

 It was also the site of the 'Great Courts' of the Royal Forest of the Peak in the time of Edward I and a few of the buildings along the main street have foundations which date from this period. However the major feature from the medieval era is the magnificent 14th-century church, known locally as 'The Cathedral of the Peak'.

Tideswell was also featured in a popular TV programme called Village SOS. If you click on the highlighted words, and are on the internet, you should be able to view the episode.

We turned right onto Church Lane and followed the road which soon took us back to Litton and Mr Davison’s car, which we reached at 1.51pm.

By 2.29pm we were back at the Cock, Whaley Bridge, where Mr Eckersley was already warming himself in front of a coal fire.

A few minutes later B-Walkers Job and Spurrell arrived. They had taken two buses to end up a Peep-o-Dale, walked to near Cracken Edge and then taken a path below Cracken Edge to Chinley. After a pint in the Old Hall Inn, they followed the old railway via Buxworth to Whaley Bridge, a total distance of around 6.5 miles. A sterling effort.

Next week it was decided to start from the Cock at 9.30am with an intended half way stopping off point at the Swan, Kettleshulme. Hopefully the weather will be more favourable. Mr Beal will not be joining us due to work related commitments.