High Lane

HIGH LANE, DISLEY GOLF CLUB, STANLEY HALL, PEAK FOREST CANAL, STRINES, GOYT VALLEY, STRINES HALL, GREEN CLOUGH FARM, WINDYBOTTOM, ROMAN BRIDGE, BARLOW WOODS, RING O’ BELLS AT MARPLE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, DOG AND PARTRIDGE AT HIGH LANE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy but dry during walk.

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

B walkers: Tony Job, Gareth Roberts, Ken Sparrow and Mike Walton.

Non-walking drinker: Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Steve Courtney (sailing in West Indies), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jock Rooney (supervising diving in Persian Gulf)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, Disley.

Starting time: 9.55am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

Despite forecasts of light rain throughout the day, the weather gods smiled down upon the Wednesday Wanderers as we worked up our appetites as well as our usual thirsts for the Christmas lunch which followed.

The day started with what has become traditional Yuletide hospitality from “Santa” Colin, this time with his helper Angela, at his grotto in High Lane. Bacon barm cakes, mulled wine and mince pies set us up nicely for a walk which was timed to perfection. 

Not only did we reach both pubs on schedule, but our stay in them coincided with the only rain of the day. Was this a case of the sun shining on the righteous or the Devil looking after his own ? Answers on a postcard please.

From Colin’s house The Magnificent Seven turned left uphill, turning left at a public footpath sign for Stanley Hall Lane (7mins) This brought us to a wooden stile which we crossed to enter Disley Golf Club (10mins) The public footpath led us across a fairway and past a sign for Disley Golf Club on our left (15mins) After passing the sign we turned left across a car park in front of the clubhouse.

This took us to the side of Stanley Hall, a listed building which has been in a state of decay but which is now surrounded by scaffolding and building materials. We turned right along a footpath, crossing a fairway and followed a blue arrow on a yellow circle (20mins) which brought us to the Peak Forest Canal (26mins)

We crossed over it by a bridge and turned right along the towpath with the canal now on our right. We passed Wood End Lift Bridge and just before we reached Higgins Clough Swing Bridge we squeezed through a gap stile on our left (38mins) to follow a muddy path downhill. We crossed a wooden footbridge over a stream (44mins) and climbed steps to reach a fence in front of a paper factory. 

We turned left (45mins), re-crossed the stream by another footbridge and reached a bridleway where we turned left (50mins) This brought us to a road (55mins) where we turned left and entered the village of Strines.

At Station Road we turned right (65mins) and found a field on our right which contained a suitable  wooden table and chairs for Pietime (67mins) It being the season of goodwill, Peter produced a supply of mince pies to complement the port. Continuing back on the road we crossed the Goyt and passed a lake on our left and Strines Hall on our right.

Opposite the hall we turned left along a gravel lane towards Green Clough Farm (70mins) We passed the farm and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign for the Goyt Way (77mins) This took us past the delightfully-named Windybottom Cottage on our left (87mins) before we went under a railway tunnel. This route took us to the right bank of the fast-flowing Goyt (90mins).

We turned left, crossing the Goyt by Roman Bridge into Barlow Woods in the direction of Strines Road (94mins), soon heading right uphill along a flight of steps (95mins) We emerged at a road (101mins), turned right and crossed the road to turn left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (102mins).

This led us back to the Peak Forest Canal (105mins) We walked along the towpath with the waterway on our right. After going under a bridge (114mins) we left the towpath, going to the left of Churchgate Lodge and heading uphill. This took us past All Saints School on our left to reach The Ring o’ Bells at Marple across a main road (119mins).

Although the pub had only been open for four minutes, three enterprising members of the B team were already inside. The fourth member of their team, Wally, had retired hurt with a knee injury and retreated to our ultimate watering hole, The Dog and Partridge at High Lane. At the “Ringo” the Robbies’ bitter (£3) and mild (£2-80) were both in good form.

The heavens opened while we were safely ensconced inside the pub. Magically, the rain stopped just as we were leaving. From the pub we turned left to join the right bank of the Macclesfield Canal for our homeward journey. We left the canal when we reached the A6 opposite the Bull’s Head at High Lane (165mins)

A left turn soon brought us to The Dog and Partridge on the far side of the road (169mins) for  Christmas lunch at the bargain price of £4-39 and IPA cask bitter at £2-25. The B team, including our once-a-year Wanderer Gaz, joined us as we raised a festive glass to absent friends. Jock will be pleased to learn that his world height record for the amount of food piled on a plate remains intact.

Next week’s walk (Christmas Eve) will start from your diarist’s house, 68, London Road North, Poynton (SK12 1BY) with a 9am breakfast of pizza and a stirrup cup or two. We will then set off around 10am on a meandering route aimed at reaching the Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton around 12 noon, before returning to The Bull’s Head, Poynton, at about 1.40pm.

Please note there will be no Wednesday walk on Dec 31 (New Year’s Eve) because the following day, January 1 (New Year’s Day) we will be having our traditional walk with wives and girlfriends (but not both) setting out from Poynton Sports Club car park at 10.30am to head for The Miners’ Arms at Wood Lane Ends, Adlington.