WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK
RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, HILLSIDE FARM, COOMBS
RESERVOIR, CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH GOLF COURSE, BRADSHAW HALL, LYDGATE HOUSE, HIGHER
CROSSING, THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, BLACK BROOK,
BUGSWORTH CANAL BASIN, PEAK FOREST CANAL AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE
Distance: 8-9 Miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Weather: Blue Skies and warm sunshine.
Walkers: Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman,
Alan Hart and George Whaites.
Non-Walking Drinkers: Frank Dudley and Tony
Job.
Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating),
George Dearsley (working), John Eckersley (recuperating), Jock Rooney (Panama),
Ken Sparrow (Probus duties) and Geoff Spurrell (Cornwall hols).
Leaders: Fairman and Davison. Driver:
Whaites. Diarist: Hart.
Starting Point: Car park of The Cock at
Whaley Bridge.
Starting Time: 9.29am. Finishing Time:
2.09pm.
The unseasonably cold weather in May
finally changed on the 21st and by the time of this walk we had begun to enjoy
some warm, dry sunny spells. Two pairs of shorts were in evidence to confirm
the previous week’s sighting of a pair of swallows. It is now official. Summer
has arrived.
After applying sun-tan lotion we departed
in high spirits and were further uplifted by a kaleidoscope of colours in the
hedgerows and meadows. There were the
vivid yellows of buttercups, dandelions and Welsh poppies, the contrasting
blues of pastel-shade forget-me-nots and lurid bluelbells, and the whites of
daisies and Queen Anne’s lace mixed with the delicate pinks of ragged Robin.
From the car park we passed The Cock on our
left and 20 yards later turned left across a stream to head uphill for the
former route of the Cromford and High Peak railway line. We turned right and
followed the path past Alpha Mews until we reached the recently-opened
Shallcross Incline Greenway (9mins).
At the end of the incline we turned left
and soon headed right into Elnor Lane (17mins). We soon turned left at a lane
to the left of a walled sundial (20mins), heading uphill past Elnor Stables
(24mins). We went left up a rocky path (26mins) and were soon levelling off
with Coombs Reservoir below us on our left.
We bore to the right at a cul-de-sac sign
(43mins) and passed Hillside Farm on our left and then headed down a concrete
track (51mins). After passing Hayley Farm (55mins) we turned immediately left
to the bottom of the field, where, after much map consultation and
head-scratching, we turned left (64mins).
After going through one gate, the discovery
of a gap stile by a second gate (69mins) was deemed to have vindicated Lawrie’s
decision to take such a route. After crossing a cattlegrid to reach a lane, we
turned right (71mins).
We passed Collin Acre on our right and
reached The Beehive Inn at Coombs (76mins) where we stopped at two facing
benches for pies and port. Resuming, we followed the sign for Chapel, walking
under the Manchester-Buxton railway bridge, passing a full Coombs Reservoir on
the left of the road and later Chapel Golf Course on our right (88mins).
Upon
reaching The Hanging Gate pub, near Tunstead Milton, we crossed straight over
the Whaley Bridge to Chapel main road (91mins). This brought us to Bradshaw
Hall on our left (102mins).
This was the home of one of the men who
signed the death warrant of King Charles 1. It is an interesting fact that at
5ft 2ins tall, the merry monarch was the same height as Frank Dudley – although
he was ten inches shorter than Dud after the execution !
It was at this point that Colin seized the
initiative of leading the walk, turning right over a stone step stile (103mins)
and, ignoring a wooden stile on our left, headed diagnonally across a field on
our right (106mins). We went over a stone step stile (108mins) and left through
a field, going through a gap into another field on our left (110mins).
Keeping a fence on our right we exited the
field by a wooden stile and turned left over a cattlegrid into Lydgate House,
where we turned immediately right (114mins). This took us through the hamlet of
Higher Crossing and left at a footpath sign by a gap stile (118mins) towards,
but not up, Eccles Pike.
A wooden gate led us into a field
(122mins), where we kept a hedge on our right before going over a wooden stile
and through a gap stile. In the middle distance ahead to our right we could see
Chinley. We went over a wooden stile (127mins) and exited the field by a gate,
walking left for 25 yards before turning right at a wooden public footpath sign
(130mins).
We crossed another stone step stile,
crossed a road and then another stone step stile to emerge in a group of
cottages. We turned right to reach a road and then turned left downhill
(132mins). This took us over the A6 dual carriageway and the re-named Paper
Mill pub on our right. To our left was The Old Hall (137mins).
Our quartet sat outside to drink excellent
pints of Marstons’ cask bitter at £2-60. Resuming, we headed right downhill and
turned left at the old Peak Forest tramway (141mins). This took us past a mill
lodge where two rare black swans were in residence.
The tramway took us to the left bank of
Black Brook, where we stopped at a bridge for lunch (153mins). We were joined
by a collie, whose attempt to catch the bubbles in the splashing water was
reminiscent of Tips.
Continuing, we took the left fork for
Bugsworth Canal Basin (158mins), soon passing The Navigation Inn on our right
as we reached the Peak Forest Canal. We followed its right bank until a metal
footbridge took us to the left bank (171mins).
We followed the towpath to the marina,
through the car park and over the former rail bridge across the River Goyt
(181mins). We crossed Bingwood Road and continued along the disused Cromford
and High Peak railway line.
This led us past the back of our old haunt,
The Shepherd’s Arms (185mins), before we turned right to drop down to the main
road by the railway bridge. We turned left to reach The Cock car park where we
de-booted (189mins). Pints of Robbies were consumed for £2-70.
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