Whitehough

WHITEHOUGH, CHINLEY, WHITEKNOWLE FARM, REDGATE HOUSE FARM, SOUTH HEAD, PENNINE BRIDLEWAY, SHIRE OAKS FARM, ROYCHE FARM, WATERSIDE COTTAGE, THOMAS BECKET PARISH CHURCH AT CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, THE ROEBUCK AT CHAPEL, HALL HILL FARM AND THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH

Distance: 10 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate with strenuous, nay dangerous, ascent of South Head.

Weather: Mainly cloudy with outbreaks of sunshine and showers.

Walkers: Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

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

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sailing off Turkey), Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Tom Cunliffe (pub duties), George Dearsley (Turkish hols and lecturing), Jock Rooney (domestic chores) and Ken Sparrow (domestic chauffeuring).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of Old Hall Inn at Whitehough, Chinley.

Starting time: 9.36am. Finishing time: 2.46pm.

Even by his own abysmal standards, our leader excelled himself on this walk. We felt rather like a lost tribe of Israel as Colin wandered off piste with what has become his familiar rallying cry – “Trust me. I think I know where we are.”

In the past we have forgiven him his trespasses but this time we were in sight of our half way watering hole when he diverted us away from civilisation and back onto muddy moorland. Watching him studying his map was rather like observing a chimpanzee trying to work out the plot of a novel by Kafka.

At one stage he led us into jungle so deep that I expected to meet members of that legendary pygmy tribe known as The Fukawes.  Need I go on ?

Indeed I must. As we ascended South Head, our leader managed to direct us up the steepest route, terrified lest a slip would send us tumbling hundreds of feet downwards.

It is something of a miracle that our only faller was Steve, who, on a level piece of track, went down as if he had been picked off by a sniper. The way he executed his commando roll on hitting the ground made one wonder whether he spent some of his time in the Royal Navy with the Special Boat Squadron.

Weather forecasts had prepared us for the possibility of squally showers, but we managed to avoid the worst of them by the tried and trusted trick of your diarist putting on his waterproof trousers. This device proved successful on both occasions when rain began to fall. On other occasions the storm clouds changed direction when they caught sight of the magic pants.

From the car park of The Old Hall Inn we walked along a pebbled path with the pub on our right, reaching a road where we turned left downhill. This led us over a road bridge into Chinley where, in the town centre, we admired a magnificent floral display.

We continued straight ahead until the main road swung right past The Turnpike Chapel on the left and St Mary’s Church on our right. Soon after we turned left into Alders Lane (13mins) at a wooden public footpath sign. We turned right at The Alders following a green public footpath sign towards White Knowl (23mins).

We went through a gate and turned right into a field. Another gate brought us into the yard of Whiteknowle Farm (24mins). We turned left along a lane for 20 yards before heading right at a wooden public footpath sign. This brought us to a house with the unlikely name of East Meats (34mins).

Just before the house we turned right, down a flight of stone steps and entered a field. At the end of the field we turned left through an open gate and right through a metal gate leading to a road (44mins). At this point our leader consulted with a dog walker before instructing us to turn left uphill.

We carried on past a cul-de-sac sign, passing a Shetland pony and her foal in a field. This was to be the first of three encounters with Shetland ponies during the course of our walk. This brings us to today’s nature note.

Shetland ponies have been bred in the Shetland Isles of northern Scotland since the Bronze Age. They have a minimum height of 71cms to a maximum of 107cms at their withers. They have heavy coats, short legs and are considered to be the brightest beasts in the equine world.

They can pull twice their own weight where an ordinary horse can manage only half its own weight. For this reason, and their diminutive build, thousands of Shetland ponies were brought to mainland Britain and bred here during the Industrial Revolution to work as pit ponies down the coalmines.

Some spent so much time underground that they had an adverse reaction to daylight and went blind. Their normal longevity of more than 30 years was significantly reduced by conditions in the mines. Nowadays they are used to give riding confidence to small children and for use as packhorses.

We passed Redgate House on our left (a lovely home with magnificent views and for sale at £499,950) and just beyond it a wooden public footpath sign by the gate to Redgate House Farm Cottage (57mins).

An obstructed wooden stile took us through a field of goats which we exited by a metal gate. In front of us was South Head, which we proceeded to climb. At some stage our leader managed to find the most precipitous route to the summit (90mins).

After giving thankful prayers for our deliverance we paused at the top for pies and port. We then headed down from the cairn which marked the summit, taking a gentler descent to reach a sawn-off telegraph pole where we turned right (93mins). We left South Head by a metal gate (97mins) and picked up a sign for the Pennine Bridleway heading towards Perryfoot.

Leaving the bridleway by turning right through a metal gate (110mins), we went to the left of Shire Oaks farm (115mins) and headed downhill with a drystone wall on our right. This path goes left to a bridge across the Manchester-Sheffield railway line (119mins) which we crossed.

By following yellow arrows we swung first left and then right along a path which went through two five-barred wooden gates. We turned left down a lane (126mins), passing Royche Farm on our right. Although the sight of Chapel and its welcoming pub were clearly in view on our right, we were led instead to follow yellow arrows which pointed first left and then right (128mins).

After several minutes wandering through various fields, Colin confirmed our belief that we were lost. It was now official. He led us over a barbed wire fence where your diarist had to help George W. get his leg over with the sort of tactility not normally exhibited by heterosexuals. Eventually we emerged by good grace at a wooden stile by the side of a cottage (150mins).

Here we turned left and immediately right and entered a field to the right of a garage. We turned left to enter a field and then headed diagonally right to cross a wooden stile (155mins), passing Waterside Cottage on our left before reaching the ruins of some ancient buildings on our right (165mins).

Immediately after passing these buildings we turned right and entered head-high vegetation normally found in Borneo rather than Derbyshire. Amazingly this brought us to the main road into Chapel, where we once again ignored the obvious route, crossed the road and re-entered the jungle.

This manoeuvre brought us out in Burnside Avenue, which we exited and crossed the road (168mins) and followed the sign for Town Centre. Passing the overgrown cemetery on our right, we entered Market Place and reached The Roebuck on our right (175mins).

Our B team colleagues were already settled here and the Black Sheep cask bitter at £2-95 was described as being in fine fettle. Your diarist can also vouch for the Tetley’s mild at £2-50.

After bidding a fond farewell to the B team, we left the pub and turned left to head back towards the Thomas Becket Parish Church of Chapel-en-le-Frith. Just before the church we turned left along a public footpath (176mins).

This took us past our second field of Shetland ponies before another heavy shower fell. Once again your diarist’s magic pants protected us as we found shelter in a railway tunnel where we paused for lunch (184mins) as the rain blew away.

Resuming we proceeded through the tunnel and turned right up a bank (185mins) and some stone steps to reach a wooden stile which led us into a field. We crossed a stone step stile (190mins) and went through a series of gates and stiles directly ahead of us to reach a lane (198mins) where we swung first right and then left downhill.

At a slip road we went left and through a wooden gate at the side of a cottage which in turn led us to a gate into a field (206mins). We were now walking uphill away from our destination of Chinley on our right below. Once again our leader sought our trust, which had somewhat evaporated.

Muttering revoltingly, we went through a metal gate (212mins), crossed a road and followed a wooden public footpath sign by Hall Hill Farm (216mins). Here we found our third Shetland pony which enjoyed the core of your diarist’s apple. After crossing another wooden stile we turned right downhill (218mins), went through a gate and turned left along a lane before turning right at a wooden public footpath sign (226mins).

This brought us to a road where we swung right and then left (227mins) to cross a road bridge over the A6 (230mins) and reach The Old Hall (232mins). As ever the Marstons’ cask bitter was in excellent form at £2-80 a pint.

Next week’s A walk will be a break from tradition, starting from the Ribbleshead railway station near Settle at 10am. Tom and George W. will be arriving there by train, while Colin will be collecting your diarist from his home at 68, London Road North, Poynton, Cheshire, SK12 1BY, at 8.30am. The possibility of pick-ups from Bramhall can be made by arrangement with Colin on 01663-810002 or 07889-998528.

Happy wandering !