Millers Dale

MILLERS DALE, LIMESTONE WAY, WHESTON HALL FARM, THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS AT PEAK FOREST, HAY DALE, MONKS DALE AND ANGLER’S REST AT MILLERS DALE

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Overcast but mainly dry with occasional light drizzle.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison and Alan Hart, plus Tips.

B walkers: Lawrie Fairman, Tony Job, Peter Morrall, Ken Sparrow and Mike Walton.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Nigel Crank (w*^king), George Dearsley (w*^king), John Laverick (funeral), Jock Rooney (supervising builder), Geoff Spurrell (hols), George Whaites (Spanish hols).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road near Angler’s Rest at Millers Dale, near Buxton.

Starting time: 9.56am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.

After a short delay while we waited for a bitch to arrive, Jock drove up and handed his border collie friend Tips to Colin. Jock was one of many apologists caused by a variety of circumstances, and the defection of Lawrie to the B team as a result of housemaid’s knee meant that they outnumbered the A team by 5-4.

The weather forecast predicted scattered showers, but we reached the halfway pub just in time to dodge one moderate shower shortly before noon, and then we observed a heavier one at 2.45pm from the shelter of our final watering hole.

Although we had been lucky to largely escape the rain, conditions underfoot were tricky with a combination of mud and limestone coated in algae. Tom was not a happy bunny, first swallowing a fly, then declaring his Perroni draught lager at The Devonshire Arms to be undrinkable, its replacement Guinness to be too warm, and the march through Monks Dale to be dreadful.

There is little doubt that the scenery in this part of the world, with wild orchids of purple and yellow adding a splash of colour to the green fields, is spectacular. Unfortunately, there is little chance to admire it on wet ground because you must concentrate on where you are placing your feet.

Wild flowers

More wild flowers

From the road leading to The Angler’s Rest, we walked up a flight of stairs opposite the water wheel to the main road, which we crossed and turned right, soon turning left uphill past Rock View. We turned sharply left at a wooden public footpath sign marked Limestone Way (4mins) and left again at a similar signpost to the right of a farmyard (8mins).

After going through one gate (14mins) we went through a second gate (21mins) and turned left. Our quartet crossed a lane and went straight ahead to the left of a cottage (33mins). Where the path divided we took the left fork (40mins).

Upon reaching a road we turned left into the hamlet of Wheston, turning right opposite Wheston Hall Farm (48mins) to follow a sign indicating Peak Forest three miles away.

By now, with 11am approaching, the talk turned once again to Tom’s urgent need to defecate. Some might say that discussion of bowel movements is a distasteful topic in any polite conversation, but especially as we were approaching Pietime. Your diarist couldn’t possibly comment. 

However, could he ask whether it is normal to be taken short in the countryside at the same time every week ? Answers on a postcard please.

On reaching a wooden footpath sign on our left (66mins), we followed a route slightly to the left of the road and headed through a field. After crossing the first of a series of stone step stiles leading to the road linking Sparrowpit with Chesterfield, we stopped for pies (70mins).

Continuing, we reached a wall in front of the road to Chesterfield (84mins), and turned left through a series of fields, trying to keep the road on our right. Eventually we turned right to emerge on the road with The Devonshire Arms in sight on our left (96mins).

Rain then began to fall but two minutes later we were beneath the smoker’s shelter at the back of the pub (98mins). It was 11.45am – 15 minutes before opening – but we had cause to thank the smoking ban which resulted in the creation of such covers and to Colin for mistiming our arrival by precisely the same margin as he had when leading us along the same route a year ago.

After leaving us standing outside while she attended to cleaning the floor, the landlady opened her doors at 12 noon sharp and Tom rushed past her with a dazzling display of speed in the direction of the toilets.

 Last time we called in The Devonshire the cask beer was cloudy and had to be sent back. This time they had run out, so Mickey and your diarist opted for bottles of Crabbies’ ginger beer at £2-50.

No shrinking violets

Despite the jeers of our comrades who accused us of “going all girly,” we agreed with the advertising campaign that it was “simply spiffing.”  After a long absence, Tom emerged from the gents looking lighter and with some colour in his cheeks. 

But his first taste of Peroni Italian lager soon took the smile off his face. The substitute draught Guinness he deemed to be not cold enough, so it was agreed that The Devonshire Arms should go on to a black list for not less than three decades.

Tom, happy, having emptied his bowels

Tom, glum, at the Peroni

Departing, we crossed the road opposite the pub and walked along a lane, passing a children’s playground on our left (102mins). We went over a stone step stile and through a farm marked “M.J.Barrett Construction” to make us wonder whether Mickey had added another acquisition to his business empire.

Continuing along the path through a series of fields, we saw examples of yellow and purple wild orchids and a blaze of bluebells in the woods to our left. After passing a sign for Hay Dale (129mins) we paused for lunch on a large rock. Resuming we followed the path until we reached a gate leading to a road (140mins).

Here we turned right along the road for 25 yards before turning left at a wooden public footpath sign, over a stone step stile. The route led us to a sign for Monks Dale (158mins) which we passed and continued along the path until it brought us into a wood comprising mostly hawthorn trees to the left of a river bed.

The mud and algae-covered limestone made conditions treacherous for more than a mile and we were relieved, after crossing a wooden footbridge to emerge unscathed from Monks Dale, descend a steep flight of steps and return to our cars (215mins).

After de-booting, we were soon enjoying  Adnams’ Southwold cask bitter or Wincle Brewery’s Life of Riley at £3 a pint. Jock arrived to claim Tips and join us, but at 2.50pm we were informed that any drinks ordered would have to be finished by 3pm when the pub closed.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park at Poynton Pool off Anglesey Drive. We shall be heading along the Ladybrook Trail into Lyme Park, passing The Cage and Lyme Hall before descending back to The Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton around 12.20pm. We will then continue our descent down Princes Incline, alongside Poynton Pool and return to the car park to de-boot before driving to The Bull’s Head, Poynton. We expect to arrive at 2.15pm.