High Lane

HIGH LANE, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, LYME HALL, DEER PARK, MONKHOUSE MEMORIAL, BOWSTONES, HANDLEY FOOT, MOORSIDE HOTEL, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, THE PEAK FOREST CANAL, HIGGINS CLOUGH, DISLEY, AND THE HORSESHOE AT HIGH LANE

Distance: 12 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

 Weather: Dry and warm, but cloudy with a gentle breeze.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Nigel Crank, Alan Hart, John Laverick, Jock Rooney plus Tips, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, Peter Morrall and Ken Sparrow.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrowboating), George Dearsley (Turkey hols), Colin Davison (Welsh hols), Geoff Spurrell (French hols) and Mike Walton (wounded knee).

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside Colin's home at 11, Carr Brow, High Lane.

Starting time: 9.17am. Finishing time: 2.43pm.

Senior moments are a natural hazard and occasional source of joy for the Wednesday Wanderers. There have been many occasions when Lawrie has arrived the best part of an hour early, only to discover at the last moment that his boots were standing on the drive of his home 20 miles away. This usually happened on an extremely muddy day. The same affliction was suffered by George W.

One time your diarist emptied his entire rucksack to search for the walking socks he clearly remembered packing, only to find he was already wearing them. Jock once set off but had to return with an empty lead after 200 yards when he remembered that Tips was still in the car.

On this occasion it was John who provided the entertainment. While marching metaphorically to the tune of The Happy Wanderer, long before the Valderee, Valderah, let alone the Valderahahahahahahahah section, he reached the line "And as I go, I love to sling my knapsack on my back." He was then heard to mutter: "Oh bother. What a silly boy I am."  - or words to that effect, before returning to George's car to pick up his rucksack

Holidays had once again taken their toll on our numbers, but Mickey made a welcome return after his sailing trip off the coast of Turkey to buy us a belated drink in celebration of his 63^rd birthday last month. For he's a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us.

                                     Free parking provided by Colin.

From outside Colin's house we walked back to the A6, crossed the road and turned left until we reached Park Road and turned right downhill (8mins). After awaiting John's return to complete The Magnificent Seven, we went left into Woodlands Road (10mins) and along a path leading to a T-junction. We turned right downhill (12mins) and then left over a wooden stile towards Bollinhurst (13mins) along the Ladybridge Trail. After crossing a stream on our left via a footbridge, we went right over a ladder stile and into Lyme Park (24mins).

We turned right at the ticket cabin and soon left the road by a path on the left which led us to Lyme Cage (28mins), pausing to admire the view and catch our collective breath after a continuous climb. Continuing (31mins), we passed the entrance to Lyme Hall on our left, the foyer and the picnic area to aim for the left corner of the car park.

This brought us to the entrance to the deer park (43mins) and another opportunity to admire the view across the lake to the hall. This is now known as "Darcy's Lake" since it was the setting for Mr Darcy's plunge in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice. After passing the lake on our left we spotted a small group of fallow deer grazing a few yards to the right of our path.

Spot Mr Darcy

After reaching the exit gate to the deer park (53mins) we turned right uphill and climbed over a ladder stile (54mins). Another long climb brought us to the memorial to Alan Monkhouse, literary editor of the Manchester Guardian (72mins). We continued ever upwards until we reached Bowstones Farm (88mins) and paused for pietime.

             Mr Hart trying to educate, (not sure about the dodgy shorts)

In the absence of the impatient Tom, we lingered for 15 minutes before following the footpath sign for Whaley Bridge via Handley Foot. This took us down through a series of fields and stiles until we reached a road by the side of a farm (103mins). We turned left, passing Handley Barn Farm on our left (109mins), before heading right at a public footpath sign on our right (110mins). This soon led us across a footbridge over a stream and a choice of footpaths.

We followed the one heading left, numbered 54, and walked through fields until we came to a gravel track running across our route. The Moorside Hotel, in the process of being converted into a home for wayward juveniles, was to our left covered in scaffolding. We can only suppose the authorities were adding pool tables, plasma TV screens and bidets to make the facilities acceptable.

We turned right (116mins), heading slightly uphill. Some 20 yards before we reached a cattle-grid, we turned left uphill (119mins) and over a ladder stile (123mins). The route now afforded us splendid views to our right across the picturesque valley as we walked along a flat beaten path just below a ridge. We crossed a footbridge ((132mins) and went over a wooden stile (133mins) before crossing a stone step stile to reach a road (137mins).

After turning left for 80 yards we went right following a wooden footpath sign (138mins) which took us over a wooden stile (143mins). We exited a field on our left through an open gateway (148mins) and went through a farmyard (152mins).

Continuing downhill along a gravel track, we turned left at the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park on our right (155mins). The track became a tarmac road called Yeardsley Lane, which we followed downhill until we reached the A6 (162mins). A left turn soon brought us to The Soldier Dick on the left (163mins).

B walkers Tony Job, Pete Morrall and Ken Sparrow had just arrived to avail themselves of a choice of well-kept cask beers, including Bad ToThe Bone, at £2-70 a pint. Just before we left, a group of kindred spirits arrived in the form of some retired railway workers sporting matching ties. I am indebted to John for discovering that they had all been employed by British Rail in Manchester in various capacities, and they all called for a tipple at 5pm before heading home from work. In comradely fashion, they continued to meet regularly for pub visits after their retirements. We salute them.

Suitably refreshed, we left the pub and turned right back to the traffic lights, where we crossed the road and headed left downhill over the level crossing. This took us to The Peak Forest Canal (166mins) where we turned left to walk along the towpath with Furness Vale Marina on our left. Lunch was taken on a bench near the Swizzels factory at New Mills (190mins).

As we continued past the factory on our right the aroma of Love Hearts was heard to bring nostalgic sighs from some of our group. We walked on until we reached Higgins Clough Swing Bridge (No. 25) where we turned left (217mins). This took us uphill under a rail bridge until we reached the A6 again and turned right (225mins).

There then followed a somewhat tedious walk along the A6 for more than a mile until we reached Carr Brow on our right (248mins) and turned right back to our cars.

After de-booting we returned to the A6 in our cars, turned right and reached The Horseshoe at High Lane on our right at the first set of traffic lights. Here we were reunited with the B walkers and enjoyed Robbies' Unicorn at £2-80 a pint after the Trooper cask bitter costing £3 had been rejected and replaced by the landlord. Mickey kindly stood the first round.

Next week's walk will start with a meeting at your diarist's home, 68, London Road North, Poynton, Cheshire SK12 1BY, at 9am with bacon butties, accompanied if requested by brown sauce. We will then leave around 9.40am for a walk led by John through the southern section of Lyme Park and Sponds Hill prior to a livener at The Boar's Head, Higher Poynton, around 12.20pm.

John will then lead us via Princes Incline to The Bull's Head in Poynton, arriving at about 2.30pm. I am reliably informed that sandwiches will then be provided.