Taddington

TADDINGTON,HUBBER DALE FARM, FLAGG, DUKE OF YORK AT POMEROY, THE CHURCH INN AT CHELMORTON, BANK PIT SPRING, PENNINE BRIDLEWAY, SOUGH TOP AND QUEENS ARMS AT TADDINGTON

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry but cloudy with mist on the hills.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Alan Hart and Phil Welsh.

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, George Dearsley and George Whaites (various hols), Steve Courtney (professional sailing), Colin Davison and Jock Rooney (attending caver’s funeral), George Fraser (prior engagement), John Laverick (attending job interview) and Julian Ross (w*^king).

Starting point: Outside Queen’s Arms at Taddington, just off the A6 Buxton-Bakewell road.

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2pm.

Four holidays and a funeral reduced our numbers for this walk. Phil made a welcome return to our ranks as he continues to rest between engagements, as they say in the acting profession. This reduced considerably the average age of those taking part. It also added 50 per cent to the personnel along with an ingenious technical aid which might make flappy things redundant in future.

Although Tom had planned the route with a traditional ordnance survey map of the area, Phil had brought back up in the shape of a GPS on which he had downloaded a Maverick app. This is a free facility which enables the user to plot every inch of the way with a hand-held device.

The days of unfolding huge maps in the wind and rain, only to find your target destination in the middle of a double crease may be over.

With the Queen’s Arms on our left we walked along the main road through Taddington, turning right at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (2mins). Where the path forked (3mins) we turned left. At a T-junction (12mins) we turned left again.

We reached a lane where we turned right (18mins). This brought us to a barn on our left (28mins) where we turned right opposite it at a wooden public footpath sign. After crossing a stone step stile we kept a drystone wall on our left.

This took us through a farmyard (36mins) and straight on down a lane. We reached a road and turned left (39mins). At a set of crossroads we turned right towards Chelmorton, passing Hubber Dale Farm and Rockfield House on our right.

We went left at a wooden public footpath sign, crossed a stone step stile and kept to the right of a drystone wall (50mins). We entered a field by a wooden stile (57mins) and carried straight ahead to the right of some farm buildings. We went through a six-barred metal gate on our right and then left to cross a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (60mins).

Our trio now crossed a stone step stile on our left and headed diagonally left through a field. We exited by a stone step stile to emerge at a bus shelter next to Flagg Methodist Church where we paused for pies and port (55mins).

Resuming we walked down a road passing Flagg Village Hall on our right and went through a gate on our right to follow a wooden public footpath sign along a path keeping a drystone wall on our left. We exited the field and turned left uphill along a lane (67mins).

After 40 yards we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign, crossing a stone step stile and keeping a drystone wall on our right.The path took us through a car park and we then headed diagonally left through a field (71mins). This was the first of a series of fields and stiles which we followed in the same direction.

These brought us out at a road to the left of The Duke of York at Pomeroy (80mins). This Robbies’ pub was still closed at 11.30am so our resolve remained untested. We turned right, passing the pub on our right. After 200 yards we went down an overgrown path on our right and crossed a stone step stile into a field (83mins).

We turned left, keeping a drystone wall on our left and entered a second field via an open gate. In doing so we had to pass through a herd of bemused cattle. Tom decided attack was the best form of defence so he immediately swore at them and jabbed his walking pole in their direction.

This is standard procedure when entering a pub in Tom’s native Wythenshawe. It’s a far cry from the genteel behaviour in Little Hayfield, but though you may be able to take the boy out of Wivvy,  you can’t take Wivvy out of the boy.

After passing through the gate we headed diagonally right across the field to cross a stone step stile and turn left (89mins). We crossed another stone step stile and kept to the left of a field where Tom discovered a giant mound of manure. He insisted on having his photo taken in front of the poo pile, as if it had been the Taj Mahal or the Sphinx.

We exited the fields by a series of stone step stiles and turned right along a gravel track (95mins). We reached a road (111mins) and turned left at a sign for Chelmorton. We took the next road on the right (113mins), which brought us to a T-junction, where we turned right, passing the ancient church of St John The Baptist on our right and The Church Inn on our left (123mins).

This is one of the best country pubs in the area and the Marston’s bitter at £3-10 a pint and the Adnams at £3-20 were in great form. On leaving we turned left uphill, passing Bank Pit Spring. A plaque tells passers-by that this was known locally as “illy willy water” so we were not tempted to try any.

We reached a lane and turned right along the Pennine Bridleway (138mins) for 20 yards before turning left at a wooden footpath sign. The route took us straight ahead over a series of stone step stiles, crossing a lane (145mins) and heading east before pausing for lunch (155mins).

Continuing we passed the underground reservoir at Sough Top (159mins) before heading diagonally right towards a wooden public footpath sign. We followed the well trodden path, crossing several stiles to enter Taddington (168mins).

After turning right down hill, we reached the Queen’s Arms (174mins) for pints of Barnsley bitter at £3-40.

B walk diary

Walkers: Tony, Wally, Gaz.

Route: 9.45 392 bus to Nab Quarry, Styperson Pool, Macc. Canal, Bollington, Middlewood Trail, Macclesfield, 15.00 392 bus back to Poynton.

We followed the intended route as far as Holehouse Lane car park, where the new plan was to go via Holehouse and Butley Town to Prestbury (Admiral Rodney), then follow the Bollin to Beech Hall car park. Instinct told us to carry on along the canal for a while, but when we reached the viaduct over the Bollin, we realised instinct was perhaps not as good as a map.

So plan C was hatched - follow the Middlewood trail to Macc. The walk runs parallel to the Winterton Way. after crossing the road by a footbridge. Not many features, but traffic noise was reduced by a wooded bank. We left the path as we crossed the Bollin, passed Beech Hall playing fields, and proceded to the centre of Maa. Wally had promised pubs of character, the first one being the Bate Hall, now under the management of Carl and Helen. The Marston's bitter was good enough for a second pint, but as the round also included Carling and JD and Coke, I cannot hazard a guess at the cost. We proceded past the dole office, turned left at the former T.J.Hughes car park, crossed it, and there was The Ale House, a.k.a. The Prince of Wales, and Porters .Again, the round was mixed, so no info about the cost of a pint of good bitter. Wally was right about the character of the pub -  nothing fancy.

Gaz and Wally are off to a fellow-bowler's wedding tomorrow, and Gaz is coming back to Macc for a rehearsal later. The final point about Porters is that it is about 100 yards from Macc bus station, which makes it a good last call.

Photos courtesy of Phil Welsh

Tom, up to his head in sh*t as usual

                                    The famous locust weather vane at Chelmorton Church

The Church Inn (half way stop)

Sign showing the old spring in Chelmorton

Harty examining an apple in the fog

Next week’s walk, led by Phil, will start from the car park of New Mills Golf Club in Apple Tree Road, New Mills, at 9.30am. We will have a bracer either in Mellor Golf Club, if Phil can secure admission, or at The Devonshire Arms at Mellor around 12.30pm. Then we will return to New Mills Golf Club, where we are assured they welcome hikers, about 2.30pm.