Taddington

June 10, 2015.

TADDINGTON, ROCK LODGE FARM, LYDGATE FARM, MILLERS DALE, CHEE DALE, WYE VALLEY, MONSAL TRAIL, FLATT FARM, CHURCH INN AT CHELMORTON, THE QUEENS ARMS AT TADDINGTON

Distance: 10 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm and sunny with fluffy white clouds.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney and Tips.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Colin Davison, George Whaites (hols).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Queens Arms at Taddington, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.54am. Finishing time: 2.25pm.

After more than a year out through injury, Mickey returned for this beautiful walk around the Wye Valley. Any thoughts of a joyful reunion were dashed however when he was abandoned, along with your diarist, at the half way stage.

Friendless, mapless and clueless we were given the slip by our so-called comrades while we visited the gents’ toilets prior to our departure from that magnificent country pub, The Church Inn at Chelmorton. On emerging from the hostelry’s ablutions we found no sign of the treacherous trio. An attempt to call them by mobile phone failed because of a lack of signal.

We had two choices: to head back uphill and left in the direction from which we had approached the pub, or go downhill and right in the hope that those with maps might be ahead of us. We gambled on the latter course and lost.

Fortunately Mickey and I are not bitter men: nor do we lack resourcefulness in the face of adversity. But the bastards who left us behind weren’t to know that.

From The Queens Arms we walked downhill and took a wrong turning into Church Farm Lane (3mins) before returning (10mins) and continuing along the road out of Taddington. We turned right into Horse Mill Lane (17mins) and crossed the A6 (18mins) to follow the track opposite. This took us past Rock Lodge Farm, the White Cottage and School House Farm, all on our right, and then Lydgate Farm on our left.

We turned left at a wooden public footpath sign over a broken stile (41mins), exiting the field by a wooden stile (45mins) and turning left. This brought us to a T junction where we turned right (46mins). When we reached a road (51mins) we went right downhill into Millers Dale and turned left over a bridge (56mins).

After starting to follow the wooden public footpath sign for Chee Dale (57mins) we stopped by a footbridge (71mins) for pies and port. We ignored the footbridge over the Wye and continued along its right bank. At one point the route became a boardwalk and later stepping stones until we reached a wooden footbridge (97mins) and crossed it.

On the far side we followed a sign for Monsal Trail and Blackwell Mill. A flight of steps brought us on to Monsal Trail, the former railway line linking Buxton with Bakewell. We walked through Chee Tor No 2 Tunnel (100mins) and Rusher Cutting Tunnel (107mins) emerging to climb up steps on our left and cross a stone step stile (116mins) into Chee Dale Nature Reserve.

A climb brought us to the A6 (125mins) where we turned left and reached the A515 for Chelmorton on our right (129mins). After passing Flatt Farm on our right (142mins) we reached a sharp bend and followed a wooden public footpath sign on our left(145mins). As we walked through the field, Mickey was “adopted” by a cow, which followed him rather like Mary’s little lamb.

This touching relationship ended when we went through a six-barred wooden gate, leaving the desolate, love-struck cow behind. The footpath emerged on the left of the Church Inn (157mins), where excellent pints of Marstons’ Pedigree, Southwold and Moonshine were available at prices ranging from £3-30 to £3-45.

After a couple of pints each in the beer garden, Mickey and I headed for the gents, leaving our rucksacks by the table. When we returned the rucksacks were there but our companions were not. We later learned they had turned left and presumed we would follow them. Sadly our psychic powers failed to rise to the occasion.

As we made our way back to the A6 and reached it three kilometres from Taddington, Lawrie stopped and gave us a lift back to our cars.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from the road beside The Cock at Whaley Bridge, calling at The Shady Oak in Fernilee around 12.15pm, aiming for a 2.15pm finish back at The Cock.

Happy wandering !