Chapel-en-le-Frith

January 21, 2015.

CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, BOWDEN HEAD FARM, SLACK HALL FARM, CHESTNUT CENTRE, THE WANTED INN AT SPARROWPIT, BAGSHAW HALL AND THE ROEBUCK AT CHAPEL

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy but hampered by snow.

Weather: Cloudy with light snow showers.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart and Julian Ross.

Non-walking drinker: Jock Rooney.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (w*^king), George Dearsley (in Turkey), George Fraser, Ken Sparrow (hearing test) and George Whaites (grandchild-minding)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Miry Meadow free car park, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Starting time: 9.45 am. Finishing time: 2.08pm.

Snow which had disappeared from the roads and fields of those of us living in the lower foothills of The Peak District was present in great abundance around Chapel. It provided Christmas card scenery although progress was slowed by its presence on the moors we crossed.

We welcomed the return of Steve after his arduous two months as chief officer on a billionaire’s yacht in the Caribbean. We also toasted the 72nd anniversary of the birth of Jock, who joined us at The Roebuck especially to buy us a birthday drink. Cheers, Jock, and many happy returns.

Although conditions were potentially hazardous, there were no accidents apart from one comical moment when Colin stepped inadvertently off the hidden path and plunged up to his waist in a snowdrift. His chums would undoubtedly have been delighted to pull him out if we had not been laughing so much.

We exited the rear of the car park and turned right along a path which led uphill to the left of our final watering hole, The Roebuck. We turned left by the side of the pub in Market Place and walked to the right of the Thomas Becket Parish Church (3mins)

I need hardly tell you that Thomas Becket (1120-1170) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder by four knights inside Canterbury Cathedral. He was subsequently venerated as a saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Becket clashed with King Henry 11 over the rights and privileges of The Church and was charged with contempt of royal authority. Convicted, he stormed out of his trial, fled to France and threatened the king with ex-communication. In 1170 Henry 11 offered a compromise which allowed Becket to return from exile.

But later that year, when three bishops crowned Henry’s young son as heir apparent, Becket ex-communicated them. At this stage the king uttered the famous question “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest ?” – or words to that effect.

Four knights then confronted Becket at his cathedral and hacked him to death. The assassins, instead of being rewarded for their loyalty, were then obliged to flee north to Knaresborough Castle when King Henry said they had misunderstood him. Pope Alexander 111 ex-communicated all four of them and they were only forgiven when they went to Rome and agreed to serve in the Holy Land for 14 years.

(The moral to this story is: always make sure your boss puts his orders in writing)

As we walked to the right of the church, we turned right into a passageway which we followed as it went between houses, along roads, to the right of a stream (7mins) into The Crescent and followed a green public footpath sign which took us across the A6 (15mins) On the far side of the trunk road we followed the footpath sign until we reached a lane and turned left downhill (18mins)

After 20 yards we crossed a stone step stile on our right into a field. Heading diagonally left we crossed another stone step stile into the next field and then turned right towards some barns (25mins) We went to the left of the barns and through two gates, crossed a stone step stile and reached a lane. We turned right for 15 yards then walked up a flight of steps to go through a gate into a field (29mins)

After crossing a wooden stile into the next field, we kept a drystone wall on our left (32mins) We now crossed first a stone step stile and then a wooden stile to reach a lane (40mins) We turned left uphill passing Bowden Head Farm on our left (46mins) We swung right, following the lane and reached Slack Hall Farm on our right.

To our left was a farm building wall, on which was a sign for “M.J.Barrett Constructions of Uttoxeter”. We wondered whether this was another firm in the portfolio of businesses owned by Mogul Mickey, our absent walking colleague.

We passed The Chestnut Centre on our left. This is a 50-acres conservation area providing a sanctuary for otters, 16 species of owls, Scottish wildcats, pine martens, polecats, deer and foxes. It is also the new home of Manoki, a giant otter from South America.

On reaching a road we turned left towards Rushup and Edale (64mins) before pausing for pies and port by a gate leading into woods (75mins) Resuming we continued uphill until reaching a wooden public footpath sign on our right (85mins) We went to the right corner of a field and through a gate (93mins) keeping a drystone wall on our left.

We then crossed a series of wooden and stone step stiles and metal gates to reach a farmhouse (115mins) We turned left down a lane which passed Sparrowpit Methodiest Church on our left before we reached The Wanted Inn (120mins) for pints of Marstons’ Pedigree at £3.

Continuing, we retraced our footsteps past the Methodist Church but kept left where the road forked (118mins) and turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (123mins) This took us through a series of fields which we entered and exited by stone step stiles until we reached a road where we stopped for lunch (137mins)

After this short break we continued downhill, with first cottages and then Bagshaw Hall to our right(143mins) After crossing a wooden footbridge (155mins)  we reached a main road (160mins) and turned left. This took us under the A6 into Chapel-en-le-Frith – “the home of Ferodo.” We turned right into Market Street (163mins) and right again up Church Brow (170mins), soon swinging left along a cobbled street to reach The Roebuck (173mins) Jock treated us to pints of Black Sheep at  £2-95.

Next week’s walk will start from the free car park opposite The Spinners Arms in Bollington at 9.30am. The A walkers are planning to stop for a bracer in The Robin Hood around 12.15pm, finishing at a new finishing point, The Poachers in Bollington, at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering.