Whitehough

WHITEHOUGH, BLACK BROOK, LOWER MEADOW FARM, CLOUGH HEAD FARM, SOUTH RIDGE FARM, PHOSIDE FARM, PEEP O’ DAY, CHINLEY HEAD FARM, THE LAMB INN AT BOLE HILL AND WICKEN CLOUGH, VALLEY VIEW FARM, MOSELEY HOUSE FARM, CHINLEY AND THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mainly Cloudy with Sunny Intervals.

A walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman,  Alan Hart, Phil Welsh and George Whaites.

B walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (hols), George Dearsley (w*^king in Leeds), John Laverick (gone fishing), Jock Rooney (diving supervisor in Columbia), Julian Ross (domestic duties).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Old Hall at Whitehough.

Starting time: 9.39am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

Colin led us to pastures new on this undulating walk which contained many a steady gradient but none of the lung-bursting variety. We were also introduced to a pub which had not been visited for many a year and one which we will doubtless grace with our custom again.

Most of the seasoned Wednesday Wanderers were familiar with the general area, but much of the route was unfamiliar. Your diarist certainly cannot recall scribbling “Turn right at the rhinoceros” in previous reports ! This makes recent sightings of a cormorant, a weasel, llamas and alpacas pale to insignificance.

From the car park of The Old Hall we turned right by the main pub entrance and headed downhill crossing a road-bridge across Black Brook to the left of a weir (4mins). We then headed uphill past the entrance to Stephanie Works on our left until we reached a road where we turned left (8mins).

After passing a small pillar box on our right we left the road to our right and went through a gate marked with a yellow arrow (9mins) which took us into a field. At this point there were a magnificent seven of us, later to become eight when Peter joined us at Peep o’ Day.  Our route was now steadily uphill as we went left over a wooden stile (16mins), exited one field by a metal gate and then turned right over a stone step stile (19mins) to the right of a farm.

We clambered over a board stile to the right of a field (21mins) with Lower Meadow Farm below us to our left. We followed a yellow arrow right uphill and left the field through a gate in a drystone wall (26mins). Our group crossed a lane (31mins) and went to the right of a farmyard before going right over a wooden stile (32mins) By heading diagonally left through a field we crossed a stone step stile (34mins) to reach Clough Head Farm.

Going to the right of the farm through a gate (38mins) we reached a paddock containing a tethered life-size wooden rhinoceros. We turned right at the rhino and reached a stony track where we turned left downhill (44mins) We ignored a footpath on our right and passed Moor Lodge before following a wooden public footpath sign on our right (54mins), then crossing first a ladder stile and then a wooden stile (60mins) to march through fields towards a telecom mast.

We reached the state-of-the-art mast, named ironically “Wireless”, and paused for pies and port. Resuming, we headed downhill, through a gate and continued downhill (64mins) until we reached a standing stone with stone steps down to our left (65mins). We followed these to take a path to the left of a barn and to the right of a house at South Ridge Farm (71mins).

Turning right up steps (73mins) we went through a gap stile and followed a green public footpath sign for Peep o’ Day via Phoside. We passed Phoside Farm, built in 1784, and the ruins of a mill (84mins) before following a footpath sign for Peep o’ Day. We reached the former chapel (106mins) and were joined there by Peter, who had made a delayed start because of a visit by friends.

In answer to questions from Steve, Peter recalled how Peep o’ Day had been used by film-makers shooting the Alan Bleasdale TV series G.B.H to depict the embattled home of a schoolteacher played by Michael Palin. Peter prides himself on being a mine of such useless information.

On reaching the road, Colin’s pleas to cross it and head up a small incline leading to a footpath fell on deaf ears as Tom insisted he could see the roof of the pub and began marching right along the main road (108mins) He was soon joined by other rebels and Colin was obliged to follow suit. After passing Chinley Head Farm on our left (115mins) we reached The Lamb Inn on our left (119mins) It proved to be a real find, although its roaring fire was unnecessary on an unseasonably warm day.

This charming hostelry started life in 1769 as three cottages in an area known as Bole Hill and Wicken Clough. By 1830 one of the cottages became a beer house called The Board Inn. The cottages were eventually joined together and a full licence was issued in 1839. The pub changed its name to The Lamb Inn two years later.

One of its former landlords was a celebrated crown green bowler called Noel Burrows, who was licensee from 1988-99. He was a winner of the Waterloo Cup, the bowls equivalent of Wimbledon, and he currently plays for The Wagon and Horses at Handforth, near Wilmslow.

Of the cask beers on offer, most opted for a Cornish brew called Betty Stogs at £2-80 a pint. Tom declared it to be in top form – a tremendous accolade considering The Lamb is only three miles down the road from The Lantern Pike and its beer is 60 pence cheaper.

Leaving The Lamb we crossed the main road and walked a few yards to the left where we eventually found a steep descent to a well-hidden wooden public footpath sign. We followed it with Cracken Edge ahead of us and reached Valley View Farm, where we turned left through a series of gates, with Cracken Edge now to our right.

After stopping at a grassy bank for lunch (139mins) we continued to a road, where we turned left. This took us past Grey Stead, a semi-detached house on our left with magnificent views across the valley. It was for sale and Colin informed us the asking price was £375,000.

We then passed Moseley House Farm on our left and reached the war memorial on our right to the fallen from Chinley, Bugsworth and Brownside. Our octet turned left across the Hope Valley railway line to enter Chinley. At the sign for Whitehouse we carried straight on and soon came to The Old Hall (164mins) for pints of Marstons cask bitter at £2-90.

Next week’s walk will start from the free public car park opposite The Spinners Arms in Bollington at 9.25am. After calling at the orgasmic pie shop we intend to scale White Nancy and follow Kerridge Ridge to Rainow, then heading for Lamaload Reservoir. We will return to Rainow, calling at The Robin Hood for a livener at 12.20pm, before returning to Bollington for further refreshment in The Dog and Partridge about 2.20pm.

Colin has offered to drive, calling at your diarist’s house at 9am with the possibility of picking up two other passengers.