Bollington

BOLLINGTON, RAINOW AND ENVIRONS

Distance: 8.6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Windy but sunny

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Dearsley, George Whaites,  Peter Beal, Jock Rooney and Tip, Tom Cunliffe, Steve Courtney, Mickey Barrett

Apologies: Colin Davison (Euro motorbike tour), Lawrie Fairman (France), Julian Ross (unavailable)

Leader: Beal  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The main car park in Bollington

Starting Time: 9.28am. Finishing Time: 1.50pm

With the usual leaders absent Mr Beal took on the mantle very effectively and orchestrated an enjoyable walk, mostly in sunshine.

We took in the so called “permissive path” and negotiated the ridge we have previously walked in what appeared to be London smog. This time we were treated to Cheshire vistas that would bring a tear to a glass eye.

Thinking we had a full complement we set off slightly early at 9.28am when Mr Courtney arrived in his Porsche. We elected to let him join us at F Smith’s famous pie shop, which he duly did.

We continued left from the car park and turned into Ingersley Road, passing the Cotton Tree pub on the right.

The road begins to rise and we took a left fork, following a sign to Pott Shrigley. This is Spuley Lane.

We went right into Hedge Row and left over a stile after about 250 yards.

We went through a kissing gate and over a tiny, old stone packhorse bridge.

We began to climb, first up a path fenced on both sides, then past a duck house on the right.

The hill becomes increasingly steeper and there was some breathing normally heard in small, ill-lit Soho picture houses or emphysema wards.

We went through a five bar gate and turned immediately right (10.05am).

This took us to another incline.

We reached a metalled track and crossed a cattle grid.

Steep early climb

We then squeezed through a gap in a wall and followed a track to a farm. At the road we turned right.

Brink Farm was on the left (10.27am).

I was intrigued by some huge logs lying in the fields, like a Neanderthal showjumping course.

However, it transpires Brink Farm is the venue for motorbike racing. You can see more by clicking the link here. http://www.oaktreephotography.co.uk/enduro

There is also a You Tube video here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4aG571N_WA

Motorsport at Brink Farm.

At this point I also noticed the wind and not only from Mr Cunliffe’s digestive system.

(Cue Tommy Cooper joke. “I went to the doctor and asked him if he had anything for wind. He gave me a kite.”)

We reached a road and turned right.

After 50 yards we turned left, went over a fence and found ourselves on the “permissive path”.

This begins with the kind of a steep incline that might make an alternative venue for Gloucester’s annual Cheese Rolling event.

But the climb was certainly worth it.

Cheshire vista

The wind was the kind of strength that might have got Hornblower excited but could play havoc with a line of washing or an ill-fitting toupe.

Indeed I noticed that Mr Barrett had removed his Tilley-style hat for fear of having to chase it.

Coincidentally, Mr Beal alerted us to the view of Windgather Rocks in the far distance.

Shutlingsloe could also be spied on the horizon.

We were actually walking into the wind at this point.

At 10.56am Pie Time was declared and we sheltered behind a dry stone wall.

Ignoring Mr Cunliffe’s Windsor Davies-style commands to get back on our feet, we enjoyed a full 10 minutes of feasting.

We set off at 11.06am crossing a stile on our left.

We soon began a steep descent but after a couple of minutes found ourselves climbing again to negotiate a tricky right turn around an occasionally boggy escarpment.

We went over a fence and found a path with large tractor ruts.

Pie Time, with White Nancy arrowed and Mickey with his hat back on.

Another wonderful vista

This brought us to a metalled road and we passed Round Knoll Farm on the right.

At a T-junction we turned left.

We then took a right turn through the gates of Waggonshaw Farm.

Here, Mr Hart gave a rendition of a Siegfried Farnon, rescuing an escaped new born lamb and putting it back under a wire fence to join the rest of its flock.

He seemed disturbingly expert in the way he held the animal’s hind quarters.

At the farmhouse we circumvented the buildings to the right. There was a huge reservoir below us to our left. Some thought this to be Lamaload. We were not sure but I believe this was correct.

We passed Croft Cottage on the right.

We went over another cattle grid and on reaching a road, turned left.

We were now in Rainow and we reached the Robin Hood at 12.10pm.

Wainwright and Bombardier were both £3.05, while Black Sheep was £3.

Mr Barrett had some kind of device about his person that claimed we had travelled 6.7 miles (some disputed this) and that he had personally burned off 905 calories, while making 14,908 steps.

He then revealed a T-shirt carrying the name of the blues combo The Hoax, whose website (see the link) http://thehoaxuk.tumblr.com/  helpfully carries a photograph of a urinal.

As every schoolboy knows, the British blues band The Hoax was founded by Cornishman Robin Davey, the second most exciting thing to come out of Bodmin after the mythical Beast of Bodmin Moor.

The band signed to East West Records in 1994 and released their debut album Sounds Like This to critical acclaim.

Q magazine likened the band to the Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones and gave the album a 4 star review. The album was produced by Mike Vernon whose early work included Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall's Blues Breakers (with Eric Clapton).

The Hoax split in 1999 having released four albums and shortly afterwards Davey formed the Davey Brothers, a blues rock outfit with his older brother Jesse.

The duo signed to Interscope records but split in 2006 without actually releasing anything through the label.

However, the Davey Brothers' song "Heart Go Faster" was featured over the closing credits in the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and featured on the soundtrack album.

In 2009 Davey embarked on a European tour with his former band The Hoax. The band recorded the shows for release of a live album and DVD.

The band’s current so called “Big City” tour has taken in such legendary venues as the Picturedome …..in Holmfirth.

Robin Davey now lives in a small town in Orange County, north of Los Angeles, a place, he says that “reminds me of Bodmin... or Devizes”.  How very rock n’ roll.

We left the pub at 1pm and turned down Stocks Lane to the left and then right into Chapel Lane.

We passed an interesting sign on a gate to The Old Hall.

Warning sign

Formerly a farmhouse now a house, The Old Hall was built in the early 17^th century with additions dating back to 1690.

I’m sure, like me, the Wanderers were agog at the coursed squared buff sandstone rubble, Kerridge

stone-slate roof, stone ridge and 3 stone chimneys.

The right gable end has four, 2-light chamfered stone mullions under hood moulds, too.

The route back is one with which we are very familiar, taking in the Virgins’ Path and the waterfall where we had lunch at 1.22pm.

We resumed at 1.32pm passing the derelict mill and entering Bollington via Church Street, with its boarded up church. We have passed this many times but never written about it.

St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington, is a redundant Anglican parish church designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.

The church was built between 1832 and 1834, and was designed by William Hayley and Thomas Brown but was declared redundant on 1 February 2006.

The building was due to be converted into 13 apartments and the planning application was duly approved by Cheshire East Council Northern Planning committee on 20th October 2010.

Work started by clearing that part of the graveyard that  was to become the car park. Then all work ceased for many months.

On 2nd December 2011 the developers Simply Group made the following announcement regarding commencement of building work.

"Unfortunately once the floor was removed it became apparent that there was significantly more subsidence than originally anticipated and so new Structural Engineers had to be drafted in to redesign the sub structure.

“This meant that after receiving the original tender quotations back, we then had to re-tender which considerably delayed our start on site.

“ I am pleased to now advise that the project will be beginning at the start of January 2012.”

Clearly nothing more has been done so it appears that the costs of saving the building vastly outweigh the potential profits.

We turned left at the end of Church Street and were back at the cars at 1.50pm.

After de-booting a libation was taken in the Dog and Partridge where Unicorn was £2.80, cheap but not up to Mr Cunliffe’s high standards.

Next week’s walk will start from the Wheatsheaf in Old Glossop at 9.45am. We are going to explore Bleaklow with no mid-way point stop for refreshments.

Happy Wandering!

Ollersett Moor

LANTERN PIKE INN AT LITTLE HAYFIELD, GIGGLE-GAGGLE PATH, BIRCH VALE, MORLANDS ROAD, OLLERSETT MOOR, BIG STONE, PEEP O' DAY, STONES HOUSE FARM, SPORTSMAN INN, HAYFIELD, LANTERN PIKE INN

Distance: 8.5 miles. Weather: Sunny.

Difficulty: Moderate

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, George Waites

Apologies: Alan Hart (assignment in Lakes),  George Dearsley (w^*king), Colin Davison (motorbiking in Europe), Jock Rooney (diving in Belize), Laurie Fairman (France)

Starting time: 09.42 Finishing time: 14.05

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Beal

Sunshine, clear skies and a cooling breeze made perfect walking conditions for the four walkers today – far fewer than for the packed extravaganza of beer and curry in Manchester the previous week.

We welcomed back Micky Barrett after his recent knee operation and after his longest outing since the op – including a stiff climb – he happily reported no ill effects beyond a slight twinge.

We assembled outside the Lantern Pike Inn and here speculated on the significance of the format and colours of the Derbyshire flag, which has flown from Tom's pole for some time.

Micky's suggestion that the flower in its centre appeared to be the yellow rose of Texas seemed unlikely, so we headed off in ignorance down the lane towards Clough Mill at 09.42.

Subsequent research however revealed that the standard in question came in to being only in 2006 as a result of a local radio campaign. Designed by Martin Enright from Derby, its green cross on a blue background represents the countryside, rivers and reservoirs of the county. The golden flower in the centre is in fact the Tudor rose, depicted in that colour to distinguish it from the roses of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The flag has since achieved official status.

We passed Clough Mill and continued left up the track in front of a row of terraced cottages to join the "giggle-gaggle" path. Local folklore has it that it was so-named after the groups of chattering mill girls who would use it to walk to and from work at the mill from nearby Hayfield.

Joining the path we bore left and shortly after ignored the left hand fork leading to Hayfield to continue to the minor road of Sitch Lane. We turned right and 200 yards further on took a stile on the left to lead through a field down to Heginbotham's Farm.

Turning right, a stile to the left after a few yards took us along a very muddy stretch of path – the only real mud of the day – and down a field to cross the bottom of the small Birch Vale reservoir.

High Peak Council's local plan suggests this should be opened for recreational use so pedalos and ice cream stalls could greet us on future outings here.

We climbed up to cross the Sett Valley Trail, the former two-and-a-half mile branch railway line between New Mills and Hayfield until its demise in 1970. 

Before the Second World War the line would carry at a weekend upwards of 5,000 passengers a day from Manchester – most of them ramblers seeking respite from the grim working conditions in the city' mills and factories.

We took a short footpath opposite to emerge on the main Hayfield to New Mills road opposite the Grouse pub at 10.08.

This marked the start of the long steady climb of Ollersett Moor, continuing for some two miles.

At the end of a roughly metalled lane we went through a gate (10.28) to reach the open moorland with the TV repeater mast serving Birch Vale close by on our right.

The path – recently churned up by four-wheel-drive vehicles of contractors erecting new fencing on the moor continued for another mile until reaching a gate next to a three-way public bridleway sign (10.46).

We ignored the trail on the right and heading straight on across the open field to rejoin the trail just before a small stream.

The way here took us two hundred yards to a fingerpost where we following a public footpath sign indicating diagonally left up the hillside. We crossed a stile 300 yards further on and shortly after emerged at the rock outcrop of Big Stone (11.05), with sudden and dramatic views of Kinder Scout ahead of us and the Cheshire Hills in the distance away to our right.

We descended sharply to the foot of the outcrop where we sheltered from the cool but pleasant breeze in a rocky alcove created by the extensive mining and quarrying operations along Cracken Edge here in the 19^th and early 20^th century.

Tom, obviously in benign mood, allowed us an unprecedented full ten minutes here for pie time, after which we started our descent left along the grassy track heading for the house at Peep O' Day and the main Hayfield to Chapel-en-le Frith road.

A quarter-of-a-mile down the track we were pleased to see that the old farmhouse of Whiterakes – derelict for as long as anyone can remember – is in the process of being made habitable again, its doors and windows repaired and the farmyard and track being made serviceable.

Our descent continued to join the A624 at Peep O'Day. Legend has it that the builder and original owner designed the from door with an eye-shaped window above – apparently so the first rays of the morning sun would light up his new bride's face as she lay sleeping. Her reaction to being woken like this early every day in the middle of summer is unrecorded.

We crossed the main road (11.45) and headed briefly left towards Hayfield before taking a track on the right winding up for 300 yards past a small quarry. Emerging on a bridleway we crossed this and went through a gate opposite to emerge shortly after on the ridge with Mount Famine above us on the right.

We started our descent towards Hayfield on the bridleway slanting left down the slope. After joining a metalled track a quarter of a mile further down, we immediately headed off left again on another track, slightly uphill, to take us past Stones House Farm and its small herd of Highland cattle.

The track descended towards the attractively-sited Hayfield campsite, where we took a footpath between the two camp fields, crossed the River Kinder on a small bridge, and ascended a path to reach the road leading from Hayfield to Bowden Bridge, only a short distance from the Sportsman Inn, which we reached at 12.27.

Here the Thwaite's Wainwright was on good form at £3.40 a pint.

We left at 12.57 to take Kinder Road down to Hayfield village, where several houses, the pub and the newsagent have been transformed in appearance back to the 1920s for the filming of the second TV series of the grim and gloomy The Village, starring John Sim and Maxine Peake.

We crossed the River Sett, passed the church, and recrossed the main Hayfield to Chapel road in to the Information Centre car park.

We turned right in to a new housing development and took a signed path to the right, crossed the river again and reached the Old School Field, where two benches provided us with seats for lunch (13.17) in the sunshine.

We emerged at the top of the field in to Swallow House Lane, and turned left past houses under construction in a development named Mainwaring Gardens, after the Dad's Army character of Hayfield's most famous son, the late Arthur Lowe.

We turned right in to Primrose Lane, passed the former Slack's paper mill, and reached a cluster of cottages marking the start of the recently much-improved footpath linking the village to Little Hayfield.

We followed this to reach the Lantern Pike at 2.05 pm, where we enjoyed Timothy Taylor's Landlord at a mere £3.40 a pint representing tremendous value for an award winning ale of the finest quality, mmmmmmmmmmmm. Excellent chips were also kindly provided by our leader.

Next week's walk will start in Bollington at 0930 at the (free) public car park opposite the Spinners Arms, with a stop en route at the Robin Hood in Rainow. Drinks afterwards will be at the Dog and Partridge.

Manchester

MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE, CASTLEFIELD, SPINNINGFIELDS, SINCLAIR’S OYSTER BAR, NORTHERN QUARTER

Distance: 5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Dry with sunshine later

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Whaites, George Dearsley, Colin Davison, Mickey Barrett, Tom Cunliffe, Alistair Cairns, John Crellin, Julian Ross, Chris Corps, Nigel Crank, Steve Courtney

Apologies: Lawrie Fairman (hearing aid test), Pete Beal (Cotswolds), Jock Rooney (Belize)

Leader: Cunliffe  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting point: Manchester Piccadilly Station

Starting time: 10am. Finishing time: 4.40pm

A walk with a difference…a tour of Manchester, taking in the canals, the River Irwell, a number of city centre hostelries and a wonderful cheap curry house.

Amazingly, it was a Tom Cunliffe designed walk which did not include any coronary-inducing hills and for which he actually turned up. Top man.

Leaving Piccadilly Station we walked down what was once known as the “Lazy S” and turned right at the lights opposite 111 Piccadilly with Café Nero on the right.

We turned left into Dale Street and then immediately right down some steps onto the canal.

We turned sharp left and found ourselves under a building at lock 85.

Mr Ross pointed out a security camera and described how this was once linked to a Tannoy system (now defunct) which would warn homosexuals engaging  in sexual coupling to clear off.

My picture below shows two individuals smiling at the camera and I’m presuming their faces are now on the digital records of Greater Manchester Police.

Gotcha!

 We emerged from the canalside and walked into Canal Street, part of the Gay Village, of course.

We turned left at Princess Street and returned to the canal, going back on ourselves at lock 97.

We past lock 98 and just after Tib Lock, Mr Ross described how a man who had jumped into the canal and tried to swim across died of hypothermia.

There were insinuations that he, too, had been engaged in lewd acts with another man.

If he wasn’t stiff when he entered the water, he certainly was when they dragged him out.

The Wanderers enter Canal Street….buttocks clenched.

We passed lock 91. Here the Bridgewater Canal becomes the Rochdale Canal.

We entered Catalan Square, passing Barca, the restaurant founded by Mick Hucknall.

We crossed a footbridge and walked down to the canal with Barca now away to our right.

This took us through Castlefield. Here are two “epic” cast iron viaducts, one built in 1877 (to bring London trains into Manchester Central Station) and the other in 1894 (which took goods trains into the Great Northern Railway Company’s warehouse).

Castlefield is named after the Roman fort that once stood here. The railway viaducts chopped up the Roman site. But the Victorian engineers and architects acknowledged the existence of the Roman heritage by embellishing their viaducts with castles.

Canal Treat

We came off the canal at Hulme Hall Road. We crossed a bridge over the Irwell and turned right.

Mr Ross then gave a gory account of the murder of Lee Erdmann in September 2011 at the Wellington pub not far away.

 Lee had been standing at the bar talking to another man. At around 2.50am it is believed he turned to walk away from the bar and was shot. He died almost instantly.

The gunman then walked over to Lee and shot him again in the chest before stamping on his face. He then turned the gun on the remaining twenty or so people in the pub told them all his name and threatened them not to say anything to police.

The killer left the pub and Lee's body was driven to a nearby hospital. The firearm has not been recovered, neither has a hard drive containing the pub's CCTV footage which was removed that very night. Surprising that.

Police believe they know the identity of the murderer but no one will testify.

A villain called Bradley Walsh (who helped beat a pub landlord to death during a botched robbery some years earlier) has been questioned by police in connection with Erdmann’s death but not charged.

We crossed a bridge, went left and left again and walked down to the River Irwell.

Here we turned left.

However, our progress was halted by a workman who said the path was being repaired and a new footbridge built and that we were trespassing. He guided us onto the road and escorted us 50 yards or so on to a walkway which led back to the riverside.

He looked a bit sorry that he couldn’t join us for the rest of our walk.

We headed forward and took a footbridge just before the Mark Addy pub. (11.30am).

This brought us to Spinningfields, with Café Rouge on our left.

We turned right and passed the Crown Court on our left turning right just before the Oast House.

We turned into St Mary’s Street and onto Deansgate turning left, crossing the road near the Cathedral.

At 11.49am we found ourselves at Sinclair’s Oyster Bar. Lager was £2.12, Sam Smith’s bitter £1.84 and Sam Smith’s mild £1.38.

The building (next door) that is now The Old Wellington Inn was built in 1552 next to Manchester's market square.

 In 1554 it was purchased by the Byrom family and became part residence and part drapers shop. The writer John Byrom was born there in 1692. The premises were licensed in 1862 and became the Vintners Arms, then the Kenyon Vaults and later The Old Wellington Inn. The building was extended in the 18th century to house John Shaw's Punch House which, as the name suggests, was licensed for the sale of strong alcoholic punch and became a meeting place for High Tories and possibly Jacobites.

Customers usually assembled around 6 o'clock and, according to rule, called for "sixpennyworth of punch". John Shaw was a stickler for discipline, having formerly been a trooper and fought in the wars of Queen Anne's reign, and the rules of the establishment were strictly enforced.

Eight o'clock was the hour fixed by law for closing and, as soon as the clock struck eight, Shaw would present himself before his guests and proclaim in a loud voice "Eight o'clock gentlemen, eight o'clock!" accompanying the announcement with the suggestive cracking of a horsewhip.

This would normally soon clear the house but, if the cracking of the whip failed his maid, Molly Owen, was ordered to bring in a pail of water to "expedite the movement of the loiterer". Maybe Tom can bring that one back, if he already hasn’t.

Shaw was master of the punch house for 58 years until he died in 1796 at the age of 83. After Shaw's death the punch house became "Sinclair's", until oysters were introduced to the menu in 1845 and it became known as "Sinclair's Oyster Bar", the name it retains to this day.

When the area around these buildings was redeveloped in the 1970s, the Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar were jacked up and secured on a steel and concrete foundation. They became part of a square behind the old Marks and Spencer store.

We set off again at 12.31 pm, passing the Corn Exchange where we met a man dressed up as a rabbit, or maybe your diarist was hallucinating.

We passed the Printworks and headed for Shudehill.

We turned onto High Street and left into Thomas Street.

Sign of the times

Bunny boiler

Chip Advisor

You can’t curry love….no you just have to wait

We turned left into Soap Street and soon found ourselves (at 12.39 pm) at a curry house called This and That.

As one correspondent to Trip Advisor said: “Decent. Just don’t take your bird here”.

Others (on a site called Yelp, for example) make the grandiose claim that the rather scruffy restaurant serves the best Indian food in the UK.

In 2013 the Guardian no less described it thus.

Tucked down a side street in the Northern Quarter, This & That is one of the area's original curry cafes, where you can pick-up a filling "rice 'n' three" (choices of curry) for a few quid. It's a no-frills joint, but the food is fresh, homemade and uses whole spices to give the dishes the kind of wallop of flavour that you wouldn't normally expect at a sub-£5 price. The various lamb curries usually deliver a good savoury gravy and a reasonable amount of tasty meat, but, for me, its the veggie curries – particularly the chana masala, the daals and the spinach curry – that really sing with flavour. The help-yourself curry toppings (coriander, green chillies, raw onion) are a nice touch, and, of the supplementary snacks, the samosas (a shade greasy, perhaps, but packed with beautifully seasoned mince, potato and onion) are recommended.

After enjoying a fine repast (my chicken curry and an onion bhaji side dish came to £5.20) we left the diner at 1.03pm, turning back into Thomas Street, right into High Street and across Market Street into Fountain Street.

We went left into York Street and right into Mosley Street.

We walked through Chinatown turning left into Nicholas Street and right onto Portland Street.

Our next destination was the Old Monkey, which we entered at 1.17pm. Joseph Holt’s bitter was £2.57, Crystal Lager £2.84.

We left the pub at 2pm and headed for the City Inn. Here Tim Taylor’s Golden Best was £3.30.

On the wall was a haunting quotation, which, it turns out had been slightly altered.

It should read:

"From the towns all inns have been driven; from the villages most….change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns drown your empty selves for you will have lost the last of England."

As every schoolboy knows this comes from the pen of Hilaire Belloc, (27 July 1870 – 16 July 1953) an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902, but kept his French citizenship.  He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, sailor, satirist, man of letters, soldier and political activist.

He is most notable for his Catholic faith, which had a strong impact on his works, and his writing collaboration with G. K. Chesterton. He was President of the Oxford Union and later MP for Salford from 1906 to 1910. He was a noted disputant, with a number of long-running feuds, but also widely regarded as a humane and sympathetic man.

His most lasting legacy is probably his verse, which encompasses comic verses for children and religious poetry. Among his best-remembered poems are from his humorous Cautionary Tales for Children, including "Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion" and "Matilda, who told lies and was burnt to death".

At this point Mr Davison bailed out (2.25pm) as did Mr Crank, who at least had the excuse that – suitably full of ale - he was going to a job interview. (Good luck with that). Mr Corps went with him to ensure he arrived.

We moved on to the Town Hall Tavern, to be greeted by Tim Taylor’s at £3.40 and the inimitable landlord “Mad George”, a Greek former club owner and bar manager who has been a Manchester legend for at least four decades.

On the wall is a collection of photographs with George meeting many other legends including George Best, Franny Lee and Joe Mercer.

Mad George

Our final stop was the Bull’s Head, on London Road, near Piccadilly Station. Congratulations to the five who completed the course.

Walkers : John Laverick, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow, Mike Walton
Non Walking Drinkers : Tony Job
Weather : Fine and dry
Distance : 5.75miles
Diarist and Leader J Laverick

Despite the Diarist being accused of trying to finish off the B Team one by one (according to Wally) the Diarist was allowed to plan and lead a walk around the Poynton area. It has to be said thought that the leader faced a rebellion half way round the route and was forced to take up a shorter route in order to maximise the beer time at the first comfort break.

For the third week running the B Team walk exceeded 5 miles with out the aid of a bus during the walk. The route was chosen to try and incorporate paths not usually walked by the B
Team. It was noticed that one walker felt unhappy with the route because at each turn he was heard to say "we always go the other way".

Leaving the Sports Club at the appointed hour of 10:00 hours we turned right away from Poynton turning right up the Princess incline. Continued up the incline to Towers Road here we turned left. Proceeded along Towers Road until the first footpath sign on the right which runs past the remains of the ice house.

Continue up this path ignoring signs to the right and left. Follow the path up to the track. Through the gate turn left along the track. Follow the track to the end bear left following footpath sign along the path until 2 styles are met. Take the second style turning right to proceed along the fence line. Continue up the field until a style is found, over the style turn left towards the gate, style to the left of the gate.

Over the style following the track past New House Farm until it meets Middlewood Road, turn left proceed along to Pool House Road, turn right. Proceed along through Jackson Brick Works Car
Park picking up the Ladybrook Valley Interest Trail footpath. Turn left at gate past Pool House Farm following the trail up to a bridge over the canal.

Over the bridge follow the track to Middlecale Farm. At the farm turn left up the track until footpath crossroads, turn right along foot path to style. Over style turn right to next style, over turning left following field boundary to next style, over turn right towards Barlow House Farm. Follow signs to next style, over turning right onto drive which leads to bridge over canal.

Cross bridge turn left along canal path to Poynton Marina, through car park, over Middlewood Way to the Boars Head.

Beer was Black Sheep and was very good. It was here that Wally was going to get a bus back to Poynton but the kind Mr Job offered him a lift to the final stop, Farmers Arms.

Suitably refreshed the remaining 3 set off back to the Farmers via the usual route down Anson Road.

Next weeks walk will again leave from the Sports Club at 10:00hours. The walk will be to Bollington via the Middlewood Way. Comfort break at the Dog and Partridge, returning to Poynton via a bus.

Next week’s A walk will start from the Lantern Pike at 9.40am and Tom is threatening to take us all up Kinder again. The half way point will be the Sportsman. Sadly your diarist will be w*rking.

Topley Pike

TOPLEY PIKE, MONSAL TRAIL, WYE VALLEY, CHEE DALE, MILLERS DALE, BLACKWELL HALL FARM, FIVE WELLS FARM, THE CHURCH AT CHELMORTON, AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES’ QUARRY AND THE WYE VALLEY HOTEL (WETHERSPOONS) AT BUXTON

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, cloudy and misty on high ground.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

Apologies: Chris Corps, George Dearsley  and Jock Rooney (all w*^king).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by near entrance to Aggregate Industries’ quarry at Topley Pike, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2.07pm.

A sirocco wind gave our cars a coating of sand from the Sahara Desert while a mist severely reduced our visibility on a scenic route devised by Colin to visit a pub chosen by your diarist. 

Dusty Spring Field 

(courtesy of Colin Davison)

The best efforts of Mother Nature failed to dampen our spirits, however, as we reached both our targeted hostelries on schedule.

The only compromise to the elements was a majority decision not to climb to the top of one of Derbyshire’s highest hills, which was the site of ancient burial grounds, known as barrows or tumuli. It was felt that the exertion involved would not be rewarded with the spectacular panoramic views available on a clear sunny day. 

The decision was not unanimous and our leader’s bottom lip was seen to quiver momentarily.

From the layby at the side of the A6, we crossed the main road and walked to the start of The Monsal Trail with the River Wye on our left. We passed Topley Pike Wood and then the Blackwell Mill Cycle Hire premises on our right (14mins) before crossing a wooden footbridge over the Wye.

Turning right on the far side of the bridge by following a yellow arrow we took a path a few feet from the river, which was now on our right. We spotted a pair of grey wagtails and large quantities of an attractive hyacinth-shaped weed called butter burr.

The pleasant path alongside the river was littered with slippery rocks on dry land as well as a series of stepping stones where the river overlapped the trail. We crossed the Wye (39mins)by a wooden footbridge and briefly followed a wooden footpath sign for Millers Dale before re-crossing to the left bank (40mins) to continue our journey.

As the path led us briefly away from the Wye, we crossed a wooden beam (55mins) over Wormhill Springs and followed a footpath on the far side which took us right to complete a hairpin turn. We were now leaving Chee Dale to enter Millers Dale.

Lawrie was feeling a troublesome knee injury so we stopped for Pietime (62mins), although Tom and Steve had forged ahead and failed to hear our cries to halt nor three blasts on your diarist’s whistle. 

Colin had just declared that he had no signal to alert the breakaway group when his phone rang ! Consequently the information was relayed, the mid-morning break was held in two groups 400 yards apart and Lawrie’s knee made a full recovery.

We were reunited and crossed the Wye (68mins) by a concrete bridge. On the far side of the river we began a steady climb which brought us to a drystone wall. We turned left and Colin pointed out a series of mounds which were the remains of a 2,000-year-old settlement.

There was evidence of diggings, presumably by treasure hunters armed with metal detectors. We continued a more gradual walk uphill with a drystone wall on our right until we reached a gate on our right marked with a yellow arrow (81mins). This led us through a field which we exited through another gate marked with a yellow arrow (84mins).

After reaching a drystone wall we turned right for 30 yards and then left (89mins) following a pebbled track. We passed The Farming Life Centre on our right (94mins) and emerged on a lane with a caravan park on our left. We exited Blackwell Hall Farm and turned left downhill (98mins).

This led us to the B6049 Buxton-Bakewell road which we crossed and headed uphill towards Taddington. We crossed a wooden stile on our right to enter a field (100mins) and headed diagonally right to reach a drystone wall. Keeping the wall on our right we emerged on the A6 (109mins).

We went straight across and over a stone step stile to enter the left side of a spinney, which we left by another stone step stile (110mins). Yet another stone step stile took us on to a stony track (117mins) where we turned right to follow it. After swinging left, we took a grass path on our right (120mins) to the left of a drystone wall.

After crossing a stone step stile on our right (121mins) we followed the direction of a yellow arrow on a broken fingerpost which ultimately led us through the yard at Fivewells Farm. We emerged on a lane and turned left. At a crossroads in the paths, we dog-legged across to follow a wooden footpath sign for Chelmorton (133mins).

The path brought us out at Bank Pit Spring (141mins). This, a sign informed us  (and I want no sniggering at the back ), was known locally as “The Illy Willy Water.” It lay at the end of Grove Rake, an important lead-mining site, so it may have put too much lead in the villagers’ pencils.

We may never know. What we do know is that 50 yards beyond the spring is The Church pub (142mins), where the Marstons’ bitter was in excellent form. The landlord, having originally told us it cost £3 a pint, corrected himself and said it had gone up to £3-10 a pint following the recent budget. It was hard to follow the logic of this in view of the fact that our munificent Chancellor had knocked a penny OFF the duty on beer.

However, with a roaring fire and good ale, we decided against further interrogation. Tom was of the opinion that he sold his beer too cheaply anyway !

We were joined, moments after our arrival, by Peter B, who had been attending a routine blood test that morning and then walked to Chelmorton on a direct route from Topley Pike. This was the way we were later to take back to our cars.

As we left the pub we turned right, passing on our left the Chelmorton Parish Church of John The Baptist. Built into the hillside of Chelmorton Low, this is claimed to be the highest church with a spire in England. It earned that title when a 15^th Century spire was added to its 13^th Century tower. This includes a weathervane in the form of a locust – a reminder of John The Baptist’s time in the wilderness. (Perhaps we should adopt this ourselves, Ed.)

Fifty yards from the pub we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign and followed a path which led to a road. On its far side we took the footpath sign slightly to the right (152mins). We crossed a stone step stile (157mins) and stopped at a convenient fallen log for lunch (162mins).

Continuing with a tricky descent, we passed a wooden public footpath sign which led to Deepdale on our left (177mins). The narrowing path took us past the entrance to the Aggregate Industries’ quarry on our left (182mins) and back to our cars (183mins).

After de-booting we drove to the Wye Valley Hotel of Wetherspoons in Buxton to have one for the road.

More pictures courtesy of Mr Davison follow

George walks on water

Rock of Ages

Petasites hybridus

Alan & George

A Bridge Not Far Enough

Next week’s walk is a radical departure from our norm when shall meet Tom at 10am at Piccadilly Station. 

The rendezvous will be under the station clock in what promises to be a scene reminiscent of “Brief Encounter.” Whether Tom will be playing the role of Trevor Howard or Celia Johnson remains to be seen.

In any event, he and Julian have promised to lead us on what they describe as “a murder mystery tour” along the footpaths, towpaths and byways of central Manchester. We are advised that trainers will suffice for this journey, although one suspects drinking boots may be required.