Whaley Bridge

June 17, 2015.

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), GOYT VALLEY, TAXAL, HILLBRIDGE WOOD, KNIPE FARM, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, SHALL CROSS, SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 7 miles.

Difficulty:  Easy.

Weather: Light drizzle turning to steady rain.

Walkers: Chris Corps with Fergus and Finola, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Colin Davison (touring Ireland), George Dearsley (in Turkey) and George Whaites (at Cheshire Show).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 1.31pm.

The second coming of Mickey Barrett failed to materialise, even though we waited a full three minutes for him to appear. Perhaps, we speculated, he was still smarting from his abandonment the week before when he returned after an absence of more than a year. A call to his mobile phone failed to explain his non-arrival.

However, as one door closes another one opens and after a prolonged absence we welcomed Chris Corps back to the Wednesday Wanderers’ fold, along with two of his four dachshunds. Another rover returning was Julian, who, like Chris, has been busy w*^king.

Sadly the weather disappointed as a light drizzle which began soon after our start became steadily heavier and turned into incessant rain for the main part of our journey. A zip malfunction on your diarist’s waterproof trousers deprived them of their magic powers so we got a good soaking and opted for an early finish.

We passed The Cock on our left and 20 yards beyond it turned left at a yellow arrow which pointed us uphill across a stream. This brought us to the former track of the Cromford and High Peak Railway Line, where we turned right. The site of the line’s former goods yard is now a retirement home called Cromford Court which we passed on our left.

Just before the start of the Shallcross Incline Greenway (10mins) we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign which led us through a children’s playground and down Mevril road back to the main road. We crossed this (14mins) as the first drizzle began and followed a gravel track until we reached a wooden footbridge across the River Goyt (21mins).

On the far bank we started a sharp climb up to St James Church at Taxal on our right (24mins). We turned left and ignored the wooden stile on our right which would have led us up to Taxal Nick and Windgather Rocks. Instead we continued straight ahead, went through a gate and turned diagonally left  at a wooden public footpath sign (31mins) to cross a field. This brought us to Hillbridge Wood (37mins) which we entered and followed a path downhill.

After leaving the wood we turned right over a wooden stile (44mins), following a wooden public footpath sign for Knipe. This brought us along a path protected by electrified fencing to Knipe Farm on our right. We went through a gate and up to a farm track where we turned left downhill (52mins).

This emerged at Fernilee Reservoir (61mins), where we turned right keeping the reservoir on our left.

Ferniless Reservoir was the first of two built in the Goyt Valley, the other being Errwood Reservoir, which lies next to it separated by a dam. It was built by Stockport Water Corporation for £480,000 and finished in 1938. It is owned and operated by United Utilities and holds up to 4,940 million litres of water.

We turned left via a gate into woods (62mins), slowly rising above the lake but still on its right bank. We crossed a wooden footbridge (72mins) and stopped at a wall for pies and port (83mins). Resuming we walked back down to the lakeside and turned right (74mins). We walked through a gate on our leftand followed a signpost for Bunsal (79mins). This took us to the far side of the reservoir where we turned left.

We were now walking with Fernilee Reservoir on our left. At the end of it we turned right (105mins) and reached the main road (110mins). We turned left and reached The Shady Oak (118mins) two minutes before opening time. Ere long the cheery sound of bolts being drawn back were heard and the pub’s doors opened promptly at noon.

The Ringwood cask bitter at £3-45 was deemed to be in good fettle.

Continuing after refreshment, we turned right out of the pub and immediately right uphill. This brought us to Elnor Lane (121mins) where we turned left. This took us past Shall Cross on our right (129mins) before we ignored Shallcross Avenue on our left, turning instead at the next left into Shallcross Road (132mins).

At the end on the right (133mins) we turned on to Shallcross Greenway Incline, which brought us back to Cromford Court. We then retraced our footsteps back to the cars (149mins) where some of us had a swift lunch followed by a swift pint of Robbies’ Unicorn for £2-90 at The Cock.

Next week’s walk will start from The Lantern Pike Inn at Little Hayfield at 9.30am with the aim of reaching The Snake Inn on the A57 at the foot of Lady Clough Tor at 12 noon. It is anticipated the walkers will return to the Lantern Pike around 2.45pm.

Happy wandering !