Disley

DISLEY RAIL STATION, RED LANE, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, LANTERN WOOD, BOWSTONES, GRITSTONE TRAIL, HANDLEYFOOT, HANDLEY FOLD FARM, TODD BROOK, PARR FALL HEY FARM, CLARE COTTAGE BOARDING KENNELS, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, CHAPEL BARN, SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, SUNNYBANK FARM, SEVEN SPRINGS COTTAGE, HIGHER DISLEY, MUSLIN COTTAGES, RING O’ BELLS LANE, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY

Distance: 10-11 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Windy with blue skies and autumnal sunshine apart from ten-minute shower.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, John Laverick, Gareth Roberts, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell, Mike Walton.

Non-walking drinkers: Frank Dudley and John Eckersley.

Apologies: George Dearsley (working) and Jock Rooney (North Sea diving).

Starting point: Disley Station free public car park.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2,42pm.

The popularity of the Wednesday Wanderers’ walks appears to be growing. Despite negative weather forecasts, there were five A team walkers, six B team representatives and two non-walking drinkers in our convivial crowd. With two apologies for absence from George D. and Jock we seem to have captured the mood of elderly keep-fit fanatics.

Not only that: in addition to creating a junior section with the addition of B walkers John Laverick and Mike Walton, we have now added a crèche in the form of 28-year-old Gareth Roberts. The future looks bright, and I am sure our revered old-timers such as Roy de Courcey and Ivor Jones will be delighted to see their pioneering days now in the steady hands of younger men.

Pessimistic forecasts of heavy showers in the north-west never materialised and credit should go to the much-maligned Colin for plotting a superb route for the A walkers through the foothills of the Peak District.

It was something of a roller-coaster ride as we traversed the hills and valleys surrounding Disley, Furness Vale and Whaley Bridge. The B walkers were also led to new limits by Geoff as they ventured from Disley to Hague Bar, the Millenium Bridge, The Torrs, and The Peak Forest Canal. Their meandering journey from The Dandy Cock  to The Soldier Dick and back was estimated at a little over seven miles.

Furthermore, we now have our own Wednesday Wanderers’ personalised Ordnance Survey guide. Wally has used his internet skills and considerable thoughtfulness to kindly provide Geoff with a map of the area, with Poynton at its heart, which covers most of the nearer routes we like to visit.

The following guide describes the journey of the A walkers, who headed towards the Disley Rail Station ticket office  and then turned left up a steep flight of steps at the start of the Gritstone Trail. At the top we reached Red Lane and turned right towards the entrance to Lyme Park.

On entering, we headed towards a cabin and turned left, going over stream before striking out to the left of the path uphill. This brought us to Lyme Cage (26mins), which was the building from which the gamekeepers could keep an eye on the deer herd and protect it from poachers. It was also the building from which ladies could take tea while their gentlefolk blasted the local wildlife.

We noticed that the sundial was showing 9am, which would have been spot on but for the advent of British Summer Time. Colin led us left downhill and pointed to a herd of deer to our left 100 yards away while giving us his imitation of a stag during the rutting season. I am happy to report this was merely a vocal impersonation.

It was only as we left the beaten track to reach the park path that we looked back to see a sign warning us: Deer Sanctuary. No Entry. Unabashed Colin led us over a wooden stile (37mins) to a ladder stile leading to Lantern Wood (43mins). It was only a few yards along the path where we saw the building, shaped like a lantern, which gave its name to the area.

Trees had been cleared to provide a spectacular view of Lyme Hall below and the vista beyond.

Returning to the path we exited Lantern Wood by a ladder stile (51mins) and headed left uphill. At the angle of two drystone walls we turned right and continued our uphill trudge (57mins). En route we passed a memorial to Allan Monkhouse (64mins), playwright, novelist and literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, who was born in Disley.

At the end of the drystone wall we climbed over a ladder stile on our left (71mins) to reach Bowstones Farm. To the right of the farm are The Bowstones which gave the farm its name. They are two late Saxon crosses which had once been used, it is surmised, as landmarks or boundary stones, as well as objects of devotion.

We headed away from Bowstones Farm along the Gritstone Trail, going through a metal gate and turning left at a public footpath sign (78mins) marked via Handleyfoot to Whaley Bridge and Kettleshulme. Pietime was taken (81mins) in a sheltered gulley.

Continuing through a series of fields, we recognised Black Rock ahead in the distance. Where a yellow arrow pointed left (87mins), Colin led us to the right despite Lawrie’s mutinous mutterings and turned left to take us through a farmyard. On reaching a road he smiled smugly at this vindication of his route. It was only when we closed the gate of Handley Fold Farm behind us (93mins) that we were able to read the warning “Beware of the Dog.”

We turned left for 20 yards along the road and then headed right over a stone step stile marked with a public footpath sign. As we crossed Todd Brook it seemed like scarcely a trickle after last week’s raging torrent. We reached a lane just past the brook (100mins) and turned right.

At a public footpath sign we turned left (106mins) and followed the path through a farmyard and fields with the distinctive sight of Windgather Rocks on the skyline to our right. We walked to the right of a farm and then crossed a wooden stile on our left to rejoin the path and turn right (112mins).

We went through a metal gate to the right side of a farm (115mins), passing Parr Fall Hey Farm on our right (116mins) and taking a left fork (117mins) which later swung back to the right. After crossing a cattlegrid we turned left into a lane (124mins), then left again at a public footpath sign, and made a third left turn through a small wooden gate to head diagonally left through a field.

We climbed over a ladder stile (130mins) from where we could see Todd Brook Reservoir in the middle distance below us on the right. We aimed diagonally left again towards a stone step stile, through a small gap in an electrified fence and over a wooden stile on our left (135mins). Another wooden stile brought us out in a narrow passage to the right of a garage.

It led us out at the side of The Posting House on the Buxton-Disley road (138mins). We turned left uphill and then turned right at a public footpath sign just before Clare Cottage Boarding Kennels (141mins). We headed downhill towards Ringstones Caravan Park, going through a metal gate which led to a stony track (150mins).

We reached a tarmac lane and passed a bench in memory of David Hallworth (1956-2007) – “farming pastures new.”  Your diarist later learned that Mr Hallworth, aged 50, had been crushed to death by one of his own cows in a tragic accident at his farm.

Passing Chapel Barn on our right (159mins), we continued downhill to reach the A6 at Furness Vale by the side of The Imperial Palace, a Chinese restaurant (166mins). A left turn soon brought us to The Soldier Dick on the left (167mins). We had walked more than seven miles.

The B walkers had already made themselves comfortable with pints of cask Wainwrights bitter available at £2-70. The Postlethwaite bitter, created by The Castle Brewery in Warrington for the late actor of that name, was in excellent form. It was our first visit to The Soldier Dick, which had stood empty for the best part of two years but now appeared to be thriving once more thanks to its friendly atmosphere.

Continuing our journey, we turned left out of the pub and left again at a public footpath sign obscured by vegetation (168mins) to pass Sunnybank Farm on our right. We crossed a wooden stile at a public footpath sign and swung right to cross a stone step stile. We were now walking parallel with and above the A6 on our right.

The first shower of the day arrived, but your diarist used the old trick of donning waterproofs to drive the rain away. After pausing for lunch (178mins) we continued, passing through a farmyard and a metal gate (186mins) to reach a grass track with drystone walls on either side.

We went into a yard and turned left before reaching a farmhouse (189mins). This took us through a gate where we went straight on then started bearing left. We crossed a wooden stile on our right and as we reached the crest of a hill we had a magnificent view of the Kinder Rim to our right.

Crossing a stile marked with a yellow arrow (197mins), we reached a lane and turned left and then right just before a cottage (203mins). We emerged at a small car park with Seven Springs Cottage on our left (205mins).

We turned left up steps by the side of a footpath sign and through a kissing gate (206mins). This took us through a gate between two houses to a road at Higher Disley. We turned right (209mins) then left at a bridle path (212mins), passing Muslin Cottages on our right.

At the end of this path was a house with a red phone box, pillar box and a collection of statuary in the garden (216mins). We turned right and then turned right again to leave the Gritstone Trail via a path through what appeared to be a car junkyard (224mins).

The downhill path led us through a gaggle of geese to a wooden stile (228mins) where we turned left down steps to reach the former pub, The Ring o’ Bells, which is now a Quaker meeting house (230mins). We turned right to the end of Ring O’ Bells Lane, by the side of The White Horse, and left for Disley traffic lights by The Ram’s Head. We crossed the A6 to reach The Dandy Cock on the right (234mins).

There we found John and Frank, together with Tony, who had missed the homeward leg of the B walk because of a blistered foot. He had returned from The Soldier Dick by bus. We were soon joined by the B team, who had returned along the banks of the Peak Forest Canal to enjoy pints of Robinsons’ cask bitter at £2-40.

Next week’s walk will start from the free car park opposite The Wheatsheaf at Old Glossop at 9.45am. It is anticipated we will reach The Peel Arms at Padfield by 12.30pm for a livener, returning to The Wheatsheaf around 2.30pm.