Whitehough

March 4, 2015

WHITEHOUGH, CHINLEY, CRACKEN EDGE, PEEP O' DAY, MOUNT FAMINE, LAMB INN, MAYNESTONE ROAD, CHINLEY, OLD HALL INN AT WHITEHOUGH

Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Moderate Ascent/descent: 1,700 ft

Weather: Dull, cold but dry

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney and Tips, George Whaites

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (knee), Micky Barrett (foot), John Jones (chest)

Leader: Fairman Diarist: Beal (adaptation of original work by Hart)

Starting point: Old Hall Inn at Whitehough, near Chinley

Starting time: 9.35am Finishing time: 1.50pm

Leaden skies and a cold northerly wind dominated throughout our circuit of Ashen Clough, the wide valley that stretches down from Peep O' Day to Chinley.

However, cheerful banter and an excellent halfway stop at the welcoming Lamb Inn made for a good day's walk enjoyed by our party of seven.

The early badinage centred on the previous week's excursion, during which Colin and Laurie appeared to be eager to pass responsibility to each other for a foray up the slopes of Kinder Low, leading to the group missing their planned drink stop at the distant Lamb Inn.

But this was soon forgotten - for at least a minute, before Laurie led the party first left, then right, then left again from the Old Mill car park before deciding on our route down the road towards Chinley.

We descended on the road to cross Black Brook before continuing up the slope to Chinley Village, past a block of apartrments at Squirrel Green, formerly the Squirrels pub and later the Princes Hotel (10 minutes).

At the bridge over the railway line, in front of the war memorial, we turned left in to Maynestone Road. The railway played a major role in Chapel's development, and in fact the village was named after the station - previously it was known as Maynestonefield or Four Lanes End. The station became a major junction on the Hope Valley line, and it was common in Victorian times to change trains here en route to Manchester, Sheffield or London.

We next turned left from the road up a narrow footpath (15 min) and crossed a stile to climb steeply through a field towards Cracken Edge. A short eroded path brought us to the crest of the slope, where at a fence we turned right along the flanks of Cracken Edge. We climbed steadily before turning left up a bridleway, which Laurie correctly surmised had been engineered for the use of workers at the extensive quarries, now disused, that stretch along the Edge.

At a junction of paths our parties split. Laurie led the main group straight on along a path across a badly-eroded slope that a few months before had been closed due to its state. It turned out there were no real problems, although it could prove tricky if descending.

Your diarist, Colin and George took a path up the hill to the left before swinging right along the top of the ridge towards the prominent landmark of Big Stone.

We dropped down towards the main track and passed on our right the partially-restored farmstead of Whiterakes before descending further to Peep O' Day, where our two groups were reunited and pie-time was declared (78 min).

After a 12-minute pause we continued to the nearby Glossop to Chapel road and turned left for 100 yards before taking a bridleway to the right next to a house. The track wound up past a small quarry before emerging at a larger bridleway (86 min).

Here we decided we were running ahead of schedule for our planned arrival at the Lamb Inn, so our leader agreed to a suggestion that we take in the heights of Mount Famine. We went straight ahead through a gate and followed the path to emerge at a saddle on the ridge linking Hayfield and the summit.

Here we turned right to a ladder stile (93 min) which we crossed to begin the shortish but very steep climb to the summit ridge. We reached the summit at 1552 feet with its splendid views (105 min) and dropped down to the track with the peak of South Head in front of us (113 min). Here we turned right and soon came to a metal gate, immediately after which we climbed a stone stile on the left to descend sharply.

We veered right to join a path across a field, joining a track leading down to a path that led to a makeshift gate and steps that brought us back to the Glossop to Chapel road a short distance from the Lamb Inn, which we reached - as correctly predicted by our leader - at 12 noon on the dot (133 min).

Pints of Cornish Knocker (£2.90) were consumed. Alan (aged 69 going on 15) could not resist the schoolboyish order of 'a pair of knockers please', which caused much schoolgirlish sniggering and giggling from the manageress, not herself in the first flush of youth to put it kindly.

Steve, the youngest of our members, caused further ribaldry by ordering an Old Man (jokes on a postcard please).

The only downside to this splendid establishment is that it appears to be the only watering hole known to us where you have to take your boots off to go for a pee.

Refreshed, we crossed again the main road and joined a track immediately opposite taking us down to the hamlet of Monk's Meadows. Here we turned left (138 min) and through a gate on to a path through four fields that could politely be described as quagmires and more accurately as Fifty Shades of S***.

Alan correctly pointed out that most of this is caused by irresponsible farmers letting livestock loose on perfectly good fields and churning it up to the detriment of country-lovers. It should be stopped.

At a final stile we turned right through a field above a brook where we took lunch on a mercifully-dry grassy knoll (153 min).

We crossed the brook by a stone footbridge and climbed up the hill to rejoin Maynestone Road (163 min). We turned left, reached the point at which earlier we had climbed to Cracken Edge and retraced our steps along the road to the Old Hall (191 min).

Marston's Bitter was on form at £2.80 a pint. Sadly there were none of their many brands of cask ales leading themselves to smutty jokes, but Colin stepped in to the breach by ordering a pint of Directionless (£2.95). Much mirth ensued and further comment would be superfluous.

Pictures below by Colin

Next week's walk will start from the Ring o' Bells in Marple at 9.30 am. A refreshment stop is planned at the Dandy Cock in Disley at 12.15 pm, with a finish back at the Ring o' Bells at 2.15 pm.

Alan wishes it to be known that there is a quiz at Poynton Sports Club at 8pm on Friday, March 13, to which Wanderers are cordially invited. Teams are up to six people. Alan has devised and is presenting this quiz and indeed has drawn up the questions. Participants are advised to swot up on the French extentialist poets and (more likely) Manchester United (1927-2015).

Happy wandering.