Whaley Bridge

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE, SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, COOMBS RESERVOIR, HANGING GATE PUB AT COCKYARD, CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH GOLF COURSE, BRADSHAW HALL, WOODSIDE FARM, ECCLES PIKE, OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, BUGSWORTH BASIN, BUGSWORTH VILLAGE, SILK HILL, SHEPHERD’S COTTAGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, mainly cloudy and chilly.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Chris Corps with Fergus, Nigel Crank, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, John Laverick, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Geoff Spurrell and Mike Walton.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (car trouble), Lawrie Fairman (tummy trouble) and Jock Rooney (Isle of Man).

Leaders: Beal and Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

After several weeks of rain which has brought flooding to the southern softies, we enjoyed a dry day with good visibility. Unfortunately it was inevitable that the footpaths were covered in watery mud and they proved treacherous.

Chris plunged to his knees , smearing his trousers with sludge.  Julian managed to save himself from an ignominious fall with an almost balletic grace not often seen in a rugby player, barely scraping his knuckles as he pirouetted back to the upright position. The rest of us managed to slip and slide our way around the course to record clear rounds.

After passing The Cock on our left we turned left to cross a stream and head uphill to the disused Cromford and High Peak railway line, which led us to the Shallcross Incline Greenway (10mins). This brought us to Shallcross Road where we turned left, crossed Elnor Lane and entered the field opposite by a wooden stile (19mins).

The route took us remorselessly upwards until we reached a farmyard (43mins), walked through it and headed down a lane which brought us to Coombs Reservoir (50mins). We continued along a lane with the lake on our right until we reached a road and turned right (55mins).

We left Tomlane and entered Manchester Road, ignoring a public footpath sign on our left and proceeding past a sign for Chapel-en-le-Frith (56mins). Entering Cockyard and passing The Hanging Gate pub on our right, we turned left along a lane, passing cottages on our left and then the clubhouse of Chapel Golf Club (63mins)

This brought us to Bradshaw Hall on our left (71mins). We turned left to pass the front of the building and went through double gates to enter a field. Ladder Hill, with its distinctive telecom mast, was on our left.

We went through a gate and to the left of a farmhouse before turning right uphill at a sign for Woodside Farm (81mins). We paused for pies on a pile of rocks and stones (84mins) before following the public footpath sign for Eccles Pike. On reaching a lane we turned right (94mins),passing a pair of curious alpacas on our left.

 At a public footpath sign we turned left, passing the sign for Eccles Pike (103mins). Just before we reached the summit we discovered a memorial to George Sugden in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the conservation work of the National Trust.

But this is only part of the extraordinary story of George “Hickey” Sugden, OBE, MC and bar, JP. He won two Military Crosses with the Royal Tank Regiment.

In June, 1942 in Libya, Sugden, then a second lieutenant, was acting as column intelligence officer of the 8^th Battalion. A column of guns and tanks was advancing when armoured cars reported that an enemy column of 16 tanks with 88mmm guns and two batteries of field guns was deploying behind a ridge on the left flank.

Signalling to the tanks to follow, he at once drove his truck up on to the ridge. Disregarding machine gun and shell fire, he stood up in the open truck so he could direct the tank squadron commander into the best position. After battle was joined, Sugden drove over to the commander’s tank under a hail of fire and gave him a concise and accurate appreciation of the situation. He then drove back to column HQ and provided a clear report of the battle to the Armoured Divisional HQ over the wireless.

The citation for the bar to his earlier MC stated that by daring bold leadership, in the face of enemy fire, he was wholly responsible for the successful action.

Sugden, the son of a flour mill owner from Brighouse, Yorkshire, won his first MC in Libya as commander of the remaining five tanks of the battalion and was largely responsible for preventing the over-running of the 6^th New Zealand Infantry Brigade by the German advances. A month later, with only one tank left under his command, he destroyed an 88mm gun which was harassing the rest of his squadron.

On many occasions Sugden took his tank into strong points, pinning down the enemy with fire until the infantry could close on them. He fought at El Alamein. Of the 52 tanks in his battalion, his was only of only eight serviceable ones to emerge.

Sugden was wounded twice and mentioned in despatches in the Italian campaign which followed. Demobilised with the rank of major, he then served for five years with the Army Emergency Reserves, acting as Lieutenant Colonel.

He rejoined Henry Simon for whom he had worked prior to the outbreak of war, became a director in 1949 and joint managing director for ten years. He was a director of the parent company, Simon Engineering, from 1960-71. A lifelong bachelor, he was a JP from 1967-81, a keen walker and a dedicated volunteer for the National Trust.

The Wednesday Wanderers salute a remarkably brave and resourceful man.

On reaching the summit (107mins) we turned right with Coombs Reservoir on our right and the village of Chinley on our left below. We reached a lane and turned left (126mins). A stone step stile on our right brought us to a road where we turned right and then swung left downhill (130mins).

After crossing a roadbridge over the A6 (136mins) we reached The Old Hall (139mins) for pints of excellent Marston’s cask bitter at £2-80.

Suitably refreshed, we walked downhill from the pub entrance until we reached the Peak Forest Tramway on our left and passed a lake on our right containing four black swans. After passing the Stephanie Works of Vinyl Cupboards Ltd on our right, we stopped at a bridge on our right over Black Brook for lunch (155mins).

Resuming, we reached Buxworth Canal Basin(160mins), passing The Navigation Inn on our right (165mins) and noticing that the canal had been drained for repair work. We crossed a bridge over the canal, headed uphill and took a road on our right called Silk Hill.

At a sign for Shepherd’s Cottage (178mins) we followed a green footpath sign downhill. This brought us to the disused Cromford and High Peak railway line on our left just beyond a public car park. We walked uphill, passing a shrine on our left to Steven O’Riordan, who disappeared from Whaley Bridge in June, 2011.

By dropping down from the line we emerged back on the main road by the railway bridge and turned left to reach our cars (193mins).

We were joined for pints of Robbies’ bitter at £3 by the B walkers. They had caught the bus to Chapel-en-le-Frith, from where they had walked a circular route of nearly five miles. This had taken them past Slack Hall, Ford Hall, Malcoff and Wash before returning to The Roebuck. From there they had caught the bus to Whaley Bridge.

B Walkers' Diary

Walkers: Geoff, Tony, Wally, Terry.        Apology: Ken (unbalanced again)

 

Route: Chapel (Town End) - Slackhall - Ford Hall - Malcoff Farm - Wash - Chapel (Federal Mogul) - Roebuck

(5.5 miles).

We started with 2 plans - 1. As above to Wash, then on to Bridgeholm Green and the Old Halls to join the A team, and                       2. The 10.30 bus to Peep o'Day, and walk back to Chinley via South Head.

Although we were early enough for the bus, it looked as if the Chapel to Hayfield bus route has gone, so that left plan 1.

The path to Slackhall, crossing the Chapel by-pass, was slippery and muddy, with a couple of tricky stiles, so progress was slow. We paused for elevenses at 11.45 near Malcoff Farm, and then it started to drizzle, so we stuck to the road back to Wash and Breckend. After another break, and now too late to make the Old Halls,we continued under the by-pass to the Federal Mogul (ex-Ferrodo) factory and turned right for Town Centre. Chapel church loomed  and just beyond it the Roebuck. Tetley's cask bitter was £2.80, Black Sheep £2.85 - both OK.

After a rushed pint or two, we got the trusty 199 to the Cock to join the A team. The price of Robbies' Unicorn appeared to have gone down 5p under Mitchells' management-of-pubs-without-a-tenant-or-manager scheme.

Next week’s walk will start from the free public car park some 100 yards above and behind the Roebuck at 9.45am. We hope to reach The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit for a libation at 12.15pm, returning to The Roebuck around 2.30pm.