Whaley Bridge

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE, ST JAMES’ CHURCH, TAXAL, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, PYM CHAIR, ERRWOOD RESERVOIR, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, GOYT VALLEY AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 9-10 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry with cloud and sunshine.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Alastair Cairns, Chris Corps with Fergus, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Laverick and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, Pete Morrall, Ken Sparrow and Mike Walton.

Apologies: Peter Beal (hiking with wife), Nigel Crank (Portuguese hols), George Dearsley (prolonged Turkish hols), Malcolm Halley (ill), Jock Rooney (Isle of Man tax exile), Julian Ross (hols), Geoff Spurrell (hols).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.17pm.

We welcomed another newcomer to the Wednesday Wanderers for this familiar walk. Alastair Cairns is a friend of Mickey Barrett and the fifth man from our group to have connections with Burnage Rugby Club along with Jock, Tom, Julian and Mickey.

Alastair works as a drugs dealer, or, as he prefers to describe it, as someone running transport and logistics for a pharmaceutical firm, and we look forward to seeing him again occasionally on future walks.

We also had a dog debutant in the form of Fergus, a dachshund, sometimes known as a German sausage dog, which was brought along by Chris. As we started the walk with a steady ascent for an hour, he was panting, his head was lolling from side to side and his eyes were bulging. Fergus, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself.

From the car park we passed The Cock on our left and after 20 yards turned left across a stream to reach the disused Cromford and High Peak Railway line. This was opened in 1831 to carry minerals 33 miles between Cromford Canal Wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.

It was a remarkable feat of engineering with its summit at Ladmanlow one of the highest lines in Britain. It stood 1,266 feet above sea level, compared to the present highest point at Ais Gill (1,169 feet) on the Settle-Carlisle line. Following the reduction of Britain’s railway system, often referred to as The Beeching Axe, the first section closed in 1963 and the rest in 1967. Some parts now form part of The High Peak Trail.

At the disused line we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign just beyond Adelphi Mews (9mins). This normally well-trodden route had chest-high nettles, much to the chagrin of those of us in shorts. It brought us to a children’s playground which we exited by a road on the right hand side leading downhill to the main road.

We crossed this (13mins) and followed a gravel track downhill until we reached a footbridge on our right (17mins). This took us across the River Goyt and up a steep hill between gravestones to a T-junction with St James’ Church, Taxal, on our right. We turned left (22mins) for a few yards and then, opposite Glebe Farm, we turned right over a stone step stile.

There followed another uphill slog through fields until we reached a lane via two ladder stiles and turned left (31mins). After 100 yards we followed a footpath sign on our right marked Windgather Rocks (33mins). Another long climb brought us through Taxal Nick to a drystone wall (41mins), where we turned left.

Following the path with the wall on our right, we reached an arrow where we dog-legged left and right to walk to the right of a wood on our approach to the distinctive sight of Windgather Rocks ahead. We reached the edge (55mins) in record time and paused to admire the views across the valley below and to catch our collective breath (62mins). We then turned left along the ridge and took a path parallel with the road on our right to pass the car park and reach the placard for Pym Chair (76mins).

As we enjoyed Pietime, the placard informed us that the name Pym Chair was derived from a rock formation 300 yards ahead and that legend was divided over the origin of “Pym.” One was that he was a non-conformist preacher who gave his Sunday sermons from the rocks. Another piece of folklore was that Pym was a highwayman who attacked packhorse trains below the rocks. The route has been used since Roman times taking salt from Cheshire in one direction, and bringing coal, lime and lead from Derbyshire in the other.

Resuming, we headed left towards Buxton, passing a tribute on the second gate on the right (79mins) to the late Wednesday Wanderer Ian Price. Ian, born and raised in Poynton, was a landscape artist who loved hiking. He was a member of Stockport Ramblers, The Rucksack Club, The Over The Hill Club, and the Poynton Alpine Rapists. Ian was a bon viveur still much missed by those privileged to know him as a friend.

As we made the final descent towards Errwood Reservoir, we saw several sweet chestnut trees first to the left and later to the right just before we swung left to cross the dam between the Errwood and Fernilee reservoirs (103mins). A sign informed us that Errwood Reservoir was inaugurated in 1968 and provided 17 million gallons of water daily.

After crossing the dam, we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (113mins) and walked along the path with Fernilee Reservoir on our left. At the end of the reservoir we carried on by swinging right uphill along a road which led us to the main road (141mins). We turned left, crossed over and reached The Shady Oak on our right (151mins). By now the sun was beating down and we were able to enjoy pints of Marstons’ bitter for £3 at the tables outside.

Continuing, we crossed the road and walked downhill through a farmyard and through a gate marked with a yellow arrow. Instead of following the arrow pointing left and going round the edge of the field, we went straight ahead downhill, over a wooden stile, crossed a footbridge over a stream and reached the bank of The River Goyt (161mins). We turned right, crossed another wooden footbridge, went through a gate and stopped for lunch on the fallen bough of a tree (163mins).

Afterwards we went through a gate and carried straight on, passing the footbridge we had used four hours earlier below us on our left. The path rejoined our earlier route and we retraced our footsteps back to the Cromford and High Peak railway line, turning left and heading back to The Cock (195mins) for pints of Robbies’ Unicorn or Dizzy Blonde at £2-90.

We were joined 23 minutes (one pint) later by the B walkers who had caught the 199 bus from The Rising Sun at Hazel Grove into Whaley Bridge, walked half a mile and then caught the 61 bus to White Hall on Long Hill (getting off one stop too early, it seems). After leaving the grounds of White Hall upon being told by a polite-but-firm lady that it was private property, they followed a steep downhill track, using iron willpower to pass The Beehive at Coombs and then The Hanging Gate on the outskirts of Chapel. A bus took them to The Roebuck at Chapel-en-le-Frith, where they enjoyed pints of Tetleys and Black Sheep at £2-80. A bus then brought them back to Whaley Bridge.

31st July: Walkers and bus passengers: - Geoff, Tony, Wally, Pete.

It was raining hard at the Rising Sun at 10am, so to escape the rain we boarded the TransPeak bus (runs July and August only), and enjoyed the ride through Buxton, Chelmorton and Taddington to White Hill car park on the A6 above Ashford-in-the-Water. The rain had stopped, so we followed the path along the Wye towards Monsal Head as far as a footbridge. Here we crossed the Wye and began the climb to Monsal Head. At the top, we rested awhile, crossed the road, and proceded to The Packhorse at Little Longstone. The Thornbridge brewery ale at about £3.20 was not good enough to warrant a second pint, so we crossed the road and headed for Great Longstone. A path round the village led us to the disused railway bridge by Thornbridge Hall station. We followed the path in what we hoped was the right direction for Ashford, and with Wally's instinctive guidance, found a gate onto the Ashford - Wardlow road. We turned right, and reached Ashford about 1.50, starting to rain but in good time for the return bus to Buxton, getting off at the Market Place for the Eagle. Hyde's bitter was again £2 a pint, Carling £2.25. The Jekyl's Gold and the 1864 were not a patch on the Hyde's Original we had enjoyed last week - poor beer today, but the walk was excellent.

14th August:  Meet at Mottram Hall 10 am, and proceed towards Prestbury via Leigh Hall. Join the A team at the Admiral Rodney, and after at the Unicorn

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, near Handforth. We will be aiming for the Admiral Rodney in Prestbury for a 12.15pm livener before returning to The Unicorn around 2.20pm for further refreshment.