Disley

DISLEY, MILLENNIUM WOOD, BLACK ROCK, BROOKBOTTOM, STRINES

Distance: 9.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Overcast, windy with early showers.

Walkers: Colin Davison, George Dearsley, George Whaites., Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney and Tip

B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell

Non Walking Drinkers: Frank Dudley and Tony Job

Leader: Fairman   Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The car park at Disley Station

Starting Time: 9.20 am. Finishing Time: 2.10pm

The Wanderers set a new all time record, managing to lose Mr Fairman within 30 seconds of the start. Having left the meeting point at Disley railway station car park Mr Fairman decided his umbrella might be more on an inconvenience. 

He returned to deposit it in his car while the Wanderers hid in the nearby bus shelter, intending to surprise him. The real surprise was that he seemed to vanish. So the remaining five set off up past the White Horse pub.

Even a mobile telecommunication device proved no great assistance. Mr Fairman informed us he was “at the farm”, not really a conclusive anchor point in rural Cheshire.

Leaderless, we continued up the right hand side of the White Horse to the Ring o’ Bells, formerly a pub, now a Quaker House.

We turned left at a small graveyard, onto a road and over a stile (no. 22) on the right before making a diagonal across the field.

We turned left at Bollinghurst Reservoir, reaching a wall on the right hand side near the reservoir which we followed in the direction of the Millennium Wood.

We reached a road and went straight ahead towards Drake Carr Cottage.

The track then became boggy as we progressed to a road and turned right.

Negotiating a stile we were now facing the steepish climb to Black Rock.

The last time we made this ascent was in hot sunshine. Today it was damp and overcast.

We took an unscheduled break at 10.15am, hoping to allow Mr Fairman to catch us up.

But he had taken a slightly different route so we set off at 10.25am, meeting up with our Missing Person seven minutes later as we came off the ridge.

The descent passes the Owl’s Rest and leads to Badger’s Clough Farm. We crossed the road and went through Byrom House and past Pear Tree Cottage.

At 10.55am we crossed the A6, then crossed a canal bridge onto the canal towpath.

At 10.57am it was Pie Time. We set off again at 11.10am turning right at the Swing Bridge.

This took us down a steep and muddy path and we crossed the stream and a stile before turning right and climbing some steps.

Reaching the road we turned right and then left, taking a path to the right with the river below.

We walked parallel to the river and onwards towards the road, turning left.

The route took us across the road to Hayfield and up Hague Fold Road.

At 12.01pm we reached the Fox at Brookbottom, where Unicorn was £2.70.

We were joined by B Walker Geoff Spurrell, who had walked from Furness Vale, through the Torrs and over the Millennium Bridge.

We left the Fox at 1.05pm, descending the bridle path, past Strines station and across the road below, stopping at 1.32pm for lunch at our usual spot, the bench which has been renovated.

Resuming our walk at 1.42pm we climbed up to the canal and turned left.

We crossed Woodend Bridge over the canal, reaching the cars at 2.10pm.

Further refreshment was taken at the White Horse where Unicorn was £2.70.

We were joined by Tony Job and Frank Dudley.

Lunch on the renovated bench

Next week the group is meeting at Longnor at 9.50am in the main cobbled square. The half way point will be the hostelry in Hartington. The finish will be Wetherspoons in Buxton