Peak Forest

Peak Forest, Dam Dale, Hay Dale, Peter Dale, Monksdale House, Wheston, Dam Cliff, Dogmanslack Farm, Old Dam.

Distance: 7.8miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm overcast with light drizzle early on.

Walkers:  Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, and Jock Rooney with Tips.

Apologies: Alan Hart (whimped out due to unfavourable weather forecast), Peter Beal (Greek island holidays), Steve Courtney (French holidays), George Dearsley (Turkish summer holidays), George Whaites (Spanish holidays).

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Davison. Photographer: Davison. Dog handler: Rooney.

Starting point: Church Lane, Peak Forest, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 12.55pm.

A poor forecast saw our numbers depleted. But, come the moment, come the men and happily the weather. Despite horizontal rain at 9.30am when your diarist arrived at venue, by the time the last straggler (and most closely domiciled) arrived, the rain had more or less stopped

From the church we made our way South to the main A623 road, turned left for 100yds then right into the lane for Damside Farm. Beyond the farm we turned left across the dam of a disused mill lodge and then right along the far side of the Dale.

Crossing the wall the path is pressed tightly between the huge modern cowsheds of Dam Dale Farm and the limestone scar of Dam Dale. The going soon opens to reveal the dale itself and our route kept us to the Eastern edge.

Earlier in the month of May there is always a great display of orchids along the lower Dam Dale and Hay Dale. Sadly this had passed and we were treated to lesser displays of campion and dogwort.

At Dale Head we crossed the metalled road and continue along Peter Dale to the Road from Tideswell to Hargate. Here, at 11.10am we availed ourselves of the convenient bench and declared pietime.

Other Wanderers will be interested to note that the provision of a white flappy thing keeps Tom quiet. Not one peep did he make. Not once did he suggest that we had had sufficient time to take sustenance. Indeed, once it had been turned the right way up in his hands, he became quite animated and proposed a variation in our habitual route.

Despite the subversive nature of this change, we turned left along the road and arrived at  Monksdale House where we turned left again. At the ‘Y’ junction we took the left hand unmetalled track into Wheston.

A short dogleg left and right took us along the metalled road signposted as the Limestone Trail. Most of a mile along this we came to a track 90 degrees on our left to Sheep Wash and signposted to Peak Forest. We eschewed this for the path diagonally across the field perhaps 45 degrees to our left over the hill to Dam Cliff and on to Hernstone Lane, the A623.

Here we turned left for 300yds and then crossed the wall on our right before Snelslow Farm. Keeping the wall close on our right hand side, we passed through three fields and turned left. 

This time the wall was on our left. Through a gate we made our way diagonally across a field to a stile into Dodmanslack Farm.

We turned left into Old Dam Lane and left again into Church Lane to arrive back at the cars at 12.55pm.

Apparently, the inheritor of this local estate was initially quite unimpressed when he heard of the bequest. The Wanted Inn

Beer was imbibed at The Wanted Inn. Tom pronounced the Doom Bar too fresh. He says it needs to breath.

The followıng pictures courtesy of Colin Davison.

Next week, the ‘A’ walk will start from The Soldier Dick on the A6 at Furness Vale at 9.40am. We will stop for a bracer at TheDandy Cock in Disley around 12.30pm and finish back at The Soldier Dick around 2.45pm.