Little Hayfield

LITTLE HAYFIELD, HAYFIELD, BIRCH VALE, ROWARTH

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Chilly, windy, some blue skies, showers later

Walkers: Pete Beal, George Whaites, Phil Welsh, George Dearsley, Alan Hart, John Laverick, Julian Ross, Colin Davison, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Micky Barrett, John Jones

Apologies: Jock Rooney (Isle of Man)

B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Tony Job, Mike Walton, Ken Sparrow

Leader: Cunliffe Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The Lantern Pike, Little Hayfield

Starting Time: 9.40am. Finishing Time: 1.50pm

On several occasions during our rollercoaster walk a number of Wanderers appeared to opine to leader Mr Cunliffe:  “You can’t”. (At least that’s what I thought they said).

However, having taken on the mantle, he was not going to be swayed from his carefully charted course, which involved more than the usual number of climbs.

I am indebted to m’learned friend Mr Beal, whose computer calculated we completed 1830 ft of ascent/descent.

We also had the pleasure of a new recruit’s company.  John Jones was given a warm welcome and like his fellow walkers was to enjoy some thoroughly energising views as we negotiated a loosely designed circle on the Cheshire-Derbyshire border.

We set off just five minutes late, walking from the Lantern Pike across the road and past the long abandoned public swimming baths to the gate at the end of the track.

In previous walks we have turned left here. But our leader was like an Exocet going straight on and up the heather-carpeted hill opposite.

On reaching the top we turned right, following a well worn path to Hayfield village.

This eventually brought us onto the road where we turned right  and passed the former grammar school on our left before turning left.

Here, like a TV chef revamping a traditional dish, Mr Cunliffe introduced some new “ingredients”, finding paths that even seasoned Wanderers had not previously walked.

We went through a children’s play area and came upon another road, going straight over up some stone steps.

Having walked past some houses we turned left again onto Highgate Road and past a dwelling called The Old School.

Within a few yards we took a path to the right and saw a steep hill facing us.

Initially we went to the left of it. But any lingering hopes that there might be a tunnel or even a funicular in the locality were soon dashed.

Around this time Mr Jones showed his prowess as a Horse Whisperer, when we came across a miniature pony, which appeared to have escaped from a field. Mr Jones removed two wooden bars from a fence and coaxed the beast to rejoin its equine pals. Let’s hope they don’t end up any time soon as Tesco value meals.

                                                             Jones, horsing around.

We came to a barn and turned right and then first left. There was a multi-directional sign here, one offering “to Peep-o-Day”. But we took another signalling “Birch Vale”.

Around this point we passed a rather spooky, derelict building, pictured below. It was clearly a mill of some kind but whether industrial or private was hard to tell.

We were soon in for another steep climb. On the top we turned right and began to go downhill.

Mr Welsh, accessing a new App called Maverick on his mobile phone, volunteered that we were 392m above sea level and that Barnsfold Farm was to our right.

                                                                      Spooky Mill

At this point the wind picked up and Pie Time had to be delayed as we descended for some shelter. Pie Time was eventually declared at 11.09am on Morland Road, just a few yards from The Grouse pub.

But almost before you could say “cucumber sandwiches, vicar?” we were off again at 11.17am. Our leader was later to exclaim:  “eight minutes is a long time” as no doubt many of us have told our wives.

However, it seemed to set a new Wanderers record for brevity. The fact that our leader had brought with him no food may have had something to do with his urgency to move forward.

We crossed onto Station Road and took a short path almost directly opposite. We turned immediately left and walked a few hundred yards to return to the road we had been on.

This is the road that leads to Mellor. But at the Sycamore pub we swung right onto a path which, after a short climb, took us to a T-junction of tracks. Here we turned left and right and then right again, following a “public footpath” sign.

Impressive view.

We negotiated a wall on our right and soon found ourselves passing a very grandiose pile called Aspenshaw Hall. It is a Grade 11 listed building dating back to the earthy 18^th century. I’m sure as they passed, many Wanderers would have appreciated the notable rusticated quoins. I know I did.

The building also boasts a Tuscan doorcase with open pediment. You don’t see many of them nowadays!

Originally the seat of the Buckley family, it passed by marriage to the Bower family, a clan of some note in the neighbourhood. Names of two of the Bowers appear on the Trust Deed of the first Hayfield Grammar School erected in Jumble Lane in 1719, namely Thomas Bour, of Worksop, yeoman and George Bour of Aspenshaw.

The Bower family were the first to recognise the industrial potential of the area around the Torrs in what is now New Mills. In addition to farming they developed a Fulling Mill, a Paper Mill and a Tanning Yard in the gorge around 1700.

Fulling or tucking or walking ("waulking" in Scotland), as every schoolboy knows,  is a step in woollen cloth-making which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker.  The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker.  The Welsh word for a fulling mill is pandy, which appears in many place-names.

In 1710 George Bower the youngest son of Edward Bower married Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Buckley, of Aspenshaw and in 1722 inherited the Aspenshaw Hall and estate.

Their son was Buckley Bower. Though his wealthy background meant Buckley had no need to work he became a successful Stockport lawyer. His father died in 1753 and Buckley inherited Aspenshaw and its extensive lands which he, like his father, continued to expand.

Buckley was a far sighted man who enclosed and improved a large portion of the Thornsett uplands in 1774. Transforming the landscape, building farmhouses, constructing walls and changing moorland to productive pasture some half a century before the surrounding areas saw the same changes.  Buckley married Frances Pennee in 1747. They had 4 children George Buckley, Robert who died in infancy, Frances Clare and Lucy.

Buckley Bower was also “a lover of the chase”, but alas something of a coward when it came to jumping fences at speed on a horse. Therefore, he kept a servant to accompany him on these occasions for the purpose of taking down the fences when required.

This servant was called Ben Cooke who “with one arm, hunted his masters pack of harriers for a long period of years, until, both from age and infirmity, he could no longer follow them.” Doubtless he died a pauper for his troubles. If only we could have a manservant to give us a fireman’s lift up some of the more arduous climbs.

                                                            Aspenshaw Hall

Lovely view

After the hall we swung right onto a path on the right, through a farm (12 noon) and past Casper’s Cattery.

We now found ourselves on a particularly boggy path.

At 12.10pm we arrived at the Little Mill, where Bank’s was £2.70 a pint and on good form.

There was a lot of talk here of mettalurgy and the minerals associated with lead mining.

Lead ore, of course, is most commonly found as lead sulphide (PbS), galena, a heavy, shiny grey metallic ore with a conspicuous cubic cleavage. Not quite the conspicuous cubic cleavage, however, that normally gets MY attention.

We set off again at 12.56pm turning left out of the pub then right passing Brookside Cottage.

We then passed a rusting Fordson vehicle, badly in need of some TLC.

Fordson was a brand name used on a range of mass produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son,  from 1917 until 1920 when it was merged into the Ford Motor Company, which used the name until 1964.

American engineer, inventor, and businessman Henry Ford built experimental tractors from automobile components during the early 20th century, and launched a prototype known as the Model B in August 1915.

He formed Henry Ford and Son in 1910 in Dearborn, Michigan, taking his young son Edsel Ford as a partner, which was later incorporated on July 27, 1917.

I suspect the rusting carcass was probably originally something more like this (below).

Van

One of the best sellers in the Fordson range of commercial vehicles produced at Dagenham, the 10cwt van, was a very attractive and economical proposition for light delivery work. Like all Ford products, it was backed by first-class service facilities, and all components when due for overhaul were reasonably cheap and easy to replace. Those were the days, eh?

We came onto a road and turned left and then right and right again at an old fashioned red phone box.

We passed Harthill Farm and soon came to the house with some bizarre, bird-like creatures on gate posts. Gryphons anyone?

At the house we turned right, went through a gate and turned right again.

This track runs almost parallel with the road from Glossop to Chinley, although a lot higher up of course. At 1.30pm it began to rain and also we were hit by very powerful winds. It was a pleasure to descend to the back of Clough Mill, where your diarist lives and sadly had to take his leave to deal with an urgent e mail.

He was unable to return to the Lantern Pike, where the Wanderers met up with B walkers Tony Job, Geoff Spurrell, Ken Sparrow and Mike Walton.

The non-appearance of a scheduled bus had thrown the B walkers' plans into disarray. Eventually they set off from The Lantern Pike, taking the same route towards Park Hall and on to Middle Moor which the A walkers had taken earlier.

They reached the wall at the top of Middle Moor and turned right before dropping into Hayfield and the comfort of The Kinder Lodge.

From there they followed the Calico Trail back to The Lantern Pike, thus ending a walk which Wally described as "the longest four miles of my life."

The Wanderers were indebted to Tom and his chef Chris for sustaining us with a liberal supply of chips.

Next week’s walk will be setting off from Brabyns Park Car Park at 09:30.

Half way stop will be at the Oddfellows Arms in Mellor, and we will meet after the walk in the Norfolk Arms in Marple Bridge.

Happy Wandering.