Rainow

July 29, 2015.

RAINOW, DEAN VALLEY, BULL HILL LANE, WOODBINE COTTAGE, SADDLE OF KERRIDGE, WHITE NANCY, LORD STREET, THE CROWN AT BOLLINGTON, POACHERS INN, INGERSLEY VALE MILL, WAULKHILL FARM, INGERSLEY WATERFALL, VIRGINS’ PATH AND THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW

Distance: Eight miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mainly dry, cloudy, sunny intervals and one brief shower.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (w*^king), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (watching Cheltenham races), Jock Rooney (domestic duties) and Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Robin Hood at Rainow, Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.32am. Finishing time: 2.05pm.

What a difference a reverse walk makes ! For this journey we covered a tried and tested route but in the opposite direction. With clear visibility – we really did see the spire of Liverpool Cathedral – this back-to-front walk gave us a new perspective of the pretty undulating landscape of the Dean Valley.

We also saw the artistry to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on the walls of White Nancy and two of us celebrated the reopening of one of our favoured pubs as the afternoon ended in a blaze of sunshine.

From the Robin Hood’s car park we turned left past the pub’s front entrance and walked uphill along Church Lane. When we reached the former chapel, we turned right and went over a stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow and into a field. By following the beaten path we reached a farm wherewe went to its left through a gate marked with a yellow arrow (11mins).

We crossed a stone step stile also marked with a yellow arrow , through a field and turned sharp right over a cattle-grid (14mins) before turning left (16mins) over a stone step stile and heading diagonally left through a field. We went over a ladder stile and crossed a wooden footbridge over the River Dean (19mins).

Another ladder stile marked with a yellow arrow was crossed and we turned left, then went through a white gate to the right of a farmhouse. After crossing a wooden stile by a cattle-grid we turned left for ten yards and then went right over a stone step stile to head uphill through fields.

Another stone step stile brought us to a lane (34mins) where we turned right. This gave us impressive views of Jodrell Bank, Fiddlers Ferry power station and the top of Liverpool Cathedral poking out on the distant skyline.

Our group went to the right of a farmhouse and then took a left fork to go through a metal kissing gate (39mins). This led us to a wooden stile by a wooden gate which we crossed and turned right uphill(48mins). We reached a road and turned right (52mins), Crossing to the left side of the road (57mins), we followed a green public footpath sign and went through a gate marked “No Through Road.”

This led us through a farmyard and a metal gate marked with a yellow arrow (63mins). After heading through another metal gate (65mins) we reached a wooden stile on our right (70mins) which would have been the way to Bollington. However, after Colin pointed out there were two picnic tables in the field above us, just 100 yards away, we were persuaded to make a minor diversion.

On reaching the tables (73mins) we found them overgrown with weeds. After beating back thistles four of us were able to find seats. Peter, however, chose to sit on the table. He was chastised on the basis that it is rude to put your elbows on a table but Peter is clearly a man who does know his arse from his elbow.

After pies and port we walked back to the wooden stile (75mins) and crossed it. This led us down steep steps to a major road (78mins) where we turned left for 40 yards before turning right down Bull Hill Lane. We went left at a wooden public footpath sign, through a wooden gate into a field (86mins). We reached a road and turned right (92mins).

After passing Woodbine Cottage on our left (93mins) we turned left and then right through a gate by a stone step stile (94mins). Peter then opted to take a higher path, followed by Colin and your diarist. Colin briefly led, going into a gorse bush cul-de-sac allowing Peter to resume as leader and reach a drystone wall blocking the way forward (104mins).

We clambered over the wall, marched through a jungle of bracken and wet shrubs, to reach the proper path and see Lawrie and George 100 yards ahead of us. We were now on the Saddle of Kerridge, passing the Trig Point (110mins) and reaching the landmark folly of White Nancy (129mins).

White Nancy was built in 1817 by John Gaskell Jr, of North End Farm, to commemorate our victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo two years earlier. He was a member of the Gaskell family who lived at Ingersley Hall, and they had a daughter called Nancy. This was also the name of a grey horse which carried uphill the stone to build the landmark and it is widely believed that it was named after the horse rather than the human.

White Nancy is a Grade 2 listed building. Originally it had an entrance and a single room with a circular stone table surrounded by stone benches. The entrance has now been blocked. From the summit on a clear day you can see the hills of North Wales, Shropshire and the Pennines.

It is regularly painted, both officially and unofficially. On our visit soldiers in the uniforms of 2015 were depicted on the side of the building, where we posed for photos.

After admiring the views (140mins) we descended to Lord Street, Bollington, where we turned right and reached The Crown at its junction with Church Street (145mins). Here we enjoyed pints of Doom Bar for £3-10 and watched England’s cricketers gain the upper hand over the Aussies. A party of a dozen “ladies who lunch” arrived and the commentary was drowned by their chatter until the food arrived.

Resuming, we walked down Church Street to the mini-roundabout where our leader and diarist diverted left for 80 yards to call in the orgasmic pie shop, otherwise known as F. Smith’s bakery. We then rejoined our colleagues at the bus stop opposite the Cotton Tree pub for lunch (152mins).

Continuing we headed up towards The Poachers and turned right up Mill Lane by the side of the pub (159mins). We reached a lane and turned left (163mins), passing the derelict Ingersley Vale Mill and later Waulkmill Farm on our left and Ingersley Vale Waterfall on our right (166mins). This brought us to the route known locally as “The Virgins’ Path”.

The Virgins’ Path was so called because in the 18th Century there were no churches in Rainow. Any brides were obliged to walk two miles through muddy fields to the nearest church in Bollington, and this occasionally resulted in the bride-to-be arriving at church with mud on the hem of her dress. Local farmers, anxious to protect the honour of the village girls, laid a set of flags through the fields so the maidens could arrive at church with their dresses and their reputations untainted. Many of the flags are still there but others have vanished in the mists of time.

We emerged at the back of Flagg Cottage on a lane where we turned left and reached a road (181mins). We turned left and at the top of Chapel Lane we turned left again to reach The Robin Hood (186mins).

The pub had been shut for several weeks and was in danger of extinction but the landlord told me they had secured a low fixed rent for five years which would give him an opportunity to invest in making the business successful. He had been licensee at The Highwayman nearby until ten years ago when the owners had increased the rental charge. Significantly, after a couple of other tenants tried and failed to make it pay, the pub closed down completely three years ago.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am from the lay-by at Topley Pike on the right of the A6 as you drive out of Buxton next to the entrance to a quarry, opposite the start of the Monsal Trail and its paid-for car park. We anticipate arriving at The Church Inn at Chelmorton around 12.15pm and returning to our cars at about 2.15pm to de-boot and drive to the Wye Bridge Wetherspoons in Buxton for further refreshment.

Another date for your diaries is Wednesday, August 26, when Lawrie will be celebrating his 80thbirthday with a walk which will start and finish from The Lantern Pike at Little Hayfield.

Happy wandering !

Ridgegate

July 22 2015

RIDGE-GATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, CLOUGH BROOK, VICARAGE QUARRY, CLOUGH HOUSE, THE CRAG INN AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, SHUTLINGSLOE, TRENTABANK, LEATHER’S SMITHY AT LANGLEY

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Cloudy with occasional showers.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney and Tips.

Apologies:  Mickey Barrett and George Whaites (visiting Cheshire Show at Tatton Park – as was Wendy Fairman !!!), Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road at side of Ridgegate Reservoir 300 yards past Leather’s Smithy, Langley.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2.20pm.

Despite meteorological promises of a dry day, we endured a couple of prolonged showers which necessitated the donning of waterproofs in the early part of our journey. Nonetheless this did nothing to dampen the spirits of The Magnificent Seven – with apologies to our four-legged friend, who technically took our number to eight.

Before we proceed, can you name the cast of the seven heroes of the original movie of that title ? Answers at the end of this report.

Lawrie led us through undulating scenery, disproving once again that Cheshire is a barren flatland, and our new boy Mark scaled Shutlingsloe, known ironically as “Cheshire’s Matterhorn,” for the first time.

There was also a disturbing, but ultimately comical cameo at the halfway pub where we were desperately trying to find Tips, while she was under our noses trying desperately to find us.

From our cars we walked with the lake on right, turning right at a green gap stile on our right to walk parallel with the road, exiting on the left and walking back a few yards before turning right into Macclesfield Forest through another green gap stile (5mins). We followed a sign for Shutlingsloe (13mins) and turned right uphill (14mins).

Carrying straight on where the path swings left (33mins) we continued to a gate which led out of the forest. Ahead was a memorial to Walter Smith (1872-1949), described as a Macclesfield historian and countryside lover (Does this mean he enjoyed sex al fresco ? Ed)

We took the road on the right of the memorial, soon passing Standing Stone car park on our left. When we reached a major road, we turned left towards Macclesfield and Buxton (54mins). After 30 yards we followed a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow on our right (55mins).

Our party crossed a wooden footbridge and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (62mins) tocross a stone step stile. The distinctive shape of Shutlingsloe was on the skyline to our right.

As Lawrie dithered about the best way forward, having ruled out the possibility of reaching The Cat and Fiddle on the skyline to our left because of the time it would take, Colin took the lead. Five minutes later we reached a giant sign reading “NO PATH” and we retraced our footsteps as Lawrie resumed control.

We then followed a wooden public footpath sign pointing in the direction of Shutlingsloe, pausing for pies and port at a pile of rocks (88mins).  Resuming we carried on to a stream, Clough Brook (94mins), where we turned right for a few yards then crossed by a wooden footbridge on our left.

By going through a gate we emerged in front of a farmhouse, where we turned right along a gravel track (95mins). We reached a road (103mins) and turned left downhill, passing Vicarage Quarry car park on our right (112mins) and Clough House car park on our left (121mins).

As we crossed a rebuilt bridge over Clough Brook, Lawrie recalled a tragic flood in May, 1989, when torrential rain caused the brook to burst its banks, washing away the old bridge. A college lecturer and colleague of Lawrie was out walking with his wife when the torrential rain started. He left her sheltering under a tree while he attempted to retrieve his car. But after he got in the car, the floodwater caught up with him, swept the car away and he was drowned.

We continued, passing three pretty cottages on our right which had been filled with floodwater 25 years ago and reached The Crag Inn on our right (136mins). As we entered the pub, through two sets of doors, there was some confusion as Tips bounded enthusiastically into a pub where dogs are barred from the inside rooms.

She disappeared and Jock spent several minutes shouting “Tips....In” at the top of his voice. There was no response. Then your diarist heard a familiar yelp and saw that Tips had become stranded in the space between the outer and inner doors of the pub, darting vainly first one way and then the next as she heard her name being called.

There was a happy reunion as we drank Bombardier, Haymaker or Wobbly Wallaby at £3-50 a pint and sank them in the covered area for smokers just outside the main pub.

Continuing, we turned left to retrace our footsteps for a few yards then turned left uphill (138mins), then left again (145mins) steeply uphill towards Shutlingsloe. On reaching a stile (154mins) we stopped for lunch.

After the break the main party opted for the right shoulder of the hill while your diarist led Mark on the arduous climb up to the summit, reaching the Trig Point (163mins). It was a breath-taking climb in more ways than one and we were rewarded with panoramic views for miles in every direction.

Descending on the far side we followed stone slabs down to a gated stile (170mins). With a burst of speed through a metal gate (174mins), through a wooden kissing gate (182mins) and a left turn towards Langley, we caught up with our comrades.

We turned left at a wooden public footpath sign marked Trentabank (183mins) and then carried on downhill at another sign for Trentabank (193mins). This path took us past Trentabank Ranger Centre on our left (200mins) with Trentabank Lake on our right.

On reaching the road we turned right to reach our cars and de-boot (207mins). We called in the Leather’s Smithy where a glamorous barmaid poured pints of Theakstons’ Old Original. Sadly your diarist was too focussed on her décolletage to note the price of the beer.

Leather’s Smithy was an 18th Century smithy where William Leather, a local farrier, obtained a licence to sell beer, ales and porter in 1821.

Pictures courtesy of Tom Cunliffe

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of the Robin Hood pub at Rainow, intending to arrive at The Crown in Bollington around 12.15pm and returning to The Robin Hood at about 2pm. We are led to believe the pub has reopened, but if this does not prove to be the case we will drive to a nearby hostelry for further refreshment.

*The movie “The Magnificent Seven”, directed by John Sturges, was released in 1960 with an unforgettable soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein. It was based on a Japanese film called “The Seven Samurai” and told the story of a Mexican village whose people were at the mercy of local bandit Calvera (played by Eli Wallach).

The seven cowboys who helped the villagers defeat the bandits were played by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughan, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz.

Happy wandering !

Longnor

July 15, 2015.

LONGNOR, MANIFOLD TRAIL, NEW HOUSE FARM, BRUND, THE STAFFORDSHIRE KNOT AT SHEEN, FERNY KNOWL COTTAGE, UNDER WHITLE, YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT LONGNOR

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm and sunny.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Tom Cunliffe (running pub single-handed while wife skives off on holiday), George Dearsley (in Turkey).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Main square in Longnor, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 10.10am Finishing time: 2pm.

There was a bright golden haze on the meadow and even though the corn wasn’t as high as an elephant’s eye, it was the sort of day where it was tempting to sing a chorus of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning.” Blue skies, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze were a glorious contrast to last week’s prolonged showers.

The scenery was also spectacular around the Derbyshire-Staffordshire border as we enjoyed the views of rolling hillsides whilst walking along the flat but picturesque Manifold Valley.

Mickey was back from Turkey, where temperatures had been on the far side of 30 Celsius, having evidently recovered from the pain of being abandoned in Chelmorton on his previous walk.

We were also in a position to act as Good Samaritans when we found a mobile phone near a stile and returned it to its grateful owner.

From the cobbled area of the main square we turned left towards Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, passing it on the left and turning right at a wooden public footpath sign marked Brund (2mins). This brought us into a farmyard which we exited to its right by a stone step stile (5mins)

From here we walked in virtually a straight line through wooden, gap and stone step stiles which took us through a succession of fields where sheep and cattle grazed lazily in the heat. Sometime there were yellow arrow and sometimes there were signs stating that we were on the Manifold Trail, but we kept going straight on towards Brund, at one stage crossing a wooden footbridge over a stream.

On a grassy bank overlooking the River Manifold we paused for pies and port (50mins) before resuming our journey through fields by a series of stiles. When we reached a road (58mins) we followed a sign for Sheen, passing New House Farm on our right (63mins). A road sign on the left informed us we were in The Brund.

When we reached a gap stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign on our right, Lawrie found a mobile phone, which he pocketed (68mins). We reached a lane and turned right uphill (77mins). This brought us to a road where we turned left for Sheen and Longnor (81mins).

After passing a Wesleyan Chapel, built in 1878, on our left (83mins) we reached the Staffordshire Knot (86mins) at 11.50am.But before we had a chance to jeer our leaders for coming too early – if you’ll pardon the expression – landlady Jacqueline Allesbrook opened her doors and put our her welcome sign.

As we basked outside in the sunshine on trestle tables, it was an idyllic setting. Sadly the Hartington IPA at £3-20 was not to everyone’s liking. It was certainly not popular as far as Mickey’s delicate palate was concerned.

After failing to find a signal for the lost mobile and unable to ring one of the contact numbers on it, Lawrie handed the phone to the landlady. A few minutes after leaving the pub we were stopped by a motorist who thanked us for its safe return.

The Staffordshire Knot dates back to 1666 and is the base from which The Sheen Farmers gained their reputation as one of the world’s best tug-of-war teams. They have taken on teams from all over the globe and featured on TV.

Sheen itself is a one-street hamlet sitting on a ridge just out of view of Hartington on the Staffordshire side of the River Dove. However Sheen Hill is a distinctive sugarloaf mound rising to 1,247 feet and can be seen for miles.

Resuming we turned left out of the pub to head uphill and pass St Luke’s Church on our right (91mins).

St Luke’s is a well-known landmark with its copper-covered short spire which has been weathered green. Sheen has had a church since 1185 and the oldest grave slab in the churchyard is dated 1200. The original church was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries but rebuilt in 1552. The present church was rebuilt between 1828 and 1832. In its grounds are 19 lime trees which have survived from 20 planted in 1761.

Grotesque gargoyles date back to medieval times although your diarist thought he was looking at a mirror as we trooped past the building.

After leaving the village we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (93mins). This brought us to High Sheen Farm on our left (114mins) where we stopped for lunch. Continuing along the road into Longnor we passed Ferny Knowl Cottage on our left (119mins) and the Dove Valley Centre at Under Whitle on our right (127mins).

We ignored a wooden public footpath sign on our left (132mins) and continued along the road to reach the main road between Longnor and Crowdecote (152mins). Here we turned left, soon passing the sign for Longnor (154mins) and reaching Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on our right (157mins).

Once again we were able to sit outside at sunny tables to quaff pints of Robbies’ cask bitter at £3-10.

Next week’s walk will start from the free public car park at Lamaload Reservoir at 9.40am. We anticipate calling at The Crag Inn at Wildboarclough at 12.15pm and returning to our cars around 2.15pm to de-boot and drive to the nearby Stanley Arms at Bottom o’ th’Oven.

Happy wandering !  

Disley

July 8, 2015.

DISLEY, BOLLINHURST RESERVOIR, DRAKE CARR COTTAGE, MILLENIUM WOOD,BLACK ROCKS, MUDHURST LANE, PEAR TREE COTTAGE, SWIZZELS MATLOW FACTORY AT NEW MILLS, HAGUE BAR MEADOWS, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES STATION, PEAK FOREST CANAL, THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy with frequent light showers.

Walkers: Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sailing), Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Tom Cunliffe (running pub while wife skives off on holiday), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jock Rooney (domestic duties).

Leader and diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The White Horse at Disley.

Starting time: 9.23am. Finishing time: 1.58pm.

A prompt start and a fast pace meant we were in severe danger of arriving at our first watering hole before the pub opened. But in a dazzling display of flexibility, ingenuity and downright luck we were able to arrive at the appointed hostelry with split-second precision as its doors opened.

Only the weather disappointed as the forecasts of mainly dry with occasional showers proved in reality to be mainly showers with the odd dry spells before lunch. After our break there was little rain but it remained a dull day apart from the sparkling company.

We were pleased to welcome Mark back into the fold as his previous trek with the Wednesday Wanderers had involved getting lost on the moors with Tom and Steve on a walk which lasted six hours and 15 miles. The gruelling experience had clearly not frightened him off and we hope that a modest nine miles is not too short for him.

From the pub car park we turned right uphill along Ring O’ Bells Lane until we reached the Quaker Meeting House, which used to be the Ring O’ Bells pub with the inn sign on the wall still remaining. In front of the sign we turned right over a bridge across a stream and headed uphill with the cemetery of St Mary’s Church on our right.

We turned diagonally left along a path, reached a track and crossed a stile to go diagonally right through a field, aiming towards the distinctive landmark of Lyme Cage atop a hill within Lyme Park in the middle distance. We exited the field by another wooden stile and now headed along a farm track with Lyme Cage on our right.

Just before the farm we turned left at a footpath sign (14mins) and headed uphill with Bollinhurst Reservoir on our right. We skirted the reservoir until we reached a wooden stile on our right leading into a wood. This brought us out at a lane where we crossed The Gritstone Trail and headed for Drake Carr Cottage (29mins).

Just before the cottage on our right, we turned left into Millenium Wood and followed the path until we exited at the road out of Disley. We turned right for 200 yards and then turned left at a wooden public footpath sign by the side of a holly bush.

At this stage Lawrie, taking advantage of your diarist stopping to put on waterproof pants, seized the lead and led his meek followers on a low route avoiding Black Rocks. The ostensible leader, plus Mark, took the route to the ridge at the top of Black Rocks (53mins) from where, on a clear day, you can see beyond Lyme Cage to the distant shapes of the Welsh mountains. On this occasion we could just make out Lawrie’s party some 200 yards below us.

The dynamic duo turned left along the ridge, crossed a ladder stile and caught up with the second- raters just before we passed The Owls’ Nest, Manchester Grammar School’s outward bound centre, on our left. Instead of proceeding on our normal route through a farmyard and a path alongside Byrom House, we turned left through a field which exited via a gate on to Mudhurst Lane.

At the end of the lane we turned right and then left along a gravel track downhill (72mins). This took us past Pear Tree Cottage on our left. Just beyond a recently-renovated building on our left we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (79mins), fearing that the direct route ahead would result in us reaching the pub too soon. We did not want to come prematurely.

The path led us through fields until we reached a pair of wooden footbridges (86mins). Just before them we turned left at a green public footpath sign and continued downhill until we reached the A6 (95mins). The boarded-up Swan Inn was 30 yards to our right. We crossed the road, turned right and then turned left at the traffic lights.

Before we reached the Swizzels Matlow factory, the aroma from its products, especially Love Hearts and Parma Violets, brought back youthful memories.

The confectionery manufacturer now employs more than 600 people and has a turnover exceeding £50 million a year. It started life more modestly as a stall on Hackney Market, London, in the 1920s run by brothers Maurice and Alfred Matlow.

They merged with a business rival, David Dee (who has no connections with Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch), in 1933 and expanded. But in 1940 the Blitz forced them to relocate to New Mills at the disused Albion Mill, built in 1856, as a wick factory.

They started making parma violets in 1946 and love hearts in 1954. The firm became Swizzels Matlow in 1975. Their most popular product today is “New Refreshers.”

We swung left around the factory and spotted a BMX track with two convenient benches in a playground on our right where we stopped for port and pies (106mins).

Resuming, we crossed the River Goyt by a long wooden footbridge (113mins) and turned left to walk through Hague Bar Meadows (122mins). This led us to steep steps on our right (126mins) which we climbed and turned left at a building site. This soon brought us to a road where we turned right (129mins). This took us over a railway bridge to a main road which we crossed and headed up Hague Fold Road.

After a steep climb we emerged at a T-junction by the side of a memorial bench to Eric Burdekin (141mins). We turned left, passing the bench and soon arrived at The Fox at Brook Bottom (143mins), whose doors had just opened. Pints of Robbies’ Unicorn or the pub’s own Fox cask bitter were enjoyed at £3-05.

Continuing, we retraced our footsteps for 20 yards then turned right down a rocky path which passed Strines Station on our left (155mins), then Strines Hall and its revamped lake on our right. In a field on our left there was a picnic table where we stopped for lunch (161mins). On our resumption we crossed Strines Road (163mins) and turned left at a wooden stile before reaching a canal bridge (170mins). This short path brought us to the Peak Forest Canal (171mins) where we turned left with the canal on our right.

We turned right over Higgins Clough Bridge (189mins) and reached the A6 by the left side of The Dandy Cock (196mins). We crossed the road, turned right,then left at the traffic lights to bring us to the White Horse and its car park (199mins).

After de-booting we enjoyed a friendly welcome from the barmaid and pints of excellent Robbies’cask bitter at £3. We joined B walkers Tony Job and Geoff Spurrell, who had arrived just before us.

Next week’s walk will start from opposite the Crewe and Harper pub at Longnor, Derbyshire, at 9.55am. We anticipate having drinks at one of the pubs in Hartington around 12.15pm and returning to Longnor around 2.20pm to find out whether any of their pubs are open at lunchtimes this summer.If not, we will find another hostelry deserving of our trade.

Happy wandering !

Alport

July 1, 2015.

ALPORT, BRADFORD BROOK, STANTON IN PEAK, STANTON ESTATE, THE FLYING CHILDERS , STANTON MOOR, CORK STONE, RED LION AT BIRCHOVER, HERMIT’S CAVE ON Cratcliffe Tor, ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH, BIRCHOVER, ROCKING STONE FARM, LIMESTONE WAY, ROBIN HOOD’S STRIDE ON HARTHILL MOOR, YOULGREAVE, ALPORT AND THE GEORGE AT YOULGREAVE

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Hot and sunny with brief thundery shower.

Walkers: Chris Corps with Fergus and Finola, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Steve Courtney (job-hunting in Liverpool !)), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing) and Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Gravel lay-by at the side of Cockpit Hill Cottage, Alport.

Starting time: 10.13am. Finishing time: 2.31pm.

It was the sort of hot sunny day which used to produce tabloid headlines such as “Phew: What A Scorcher!” On a trip further down Memory Lane your diarist was reminded by the sight of five wanderers in shorts of the time he covered the Knobbly Knees competition at Butlins for the Oldham Evening Chronicle during Wakes Week.

Who would have thought an illustrious Fleet Street career could be built on such a flimsy platform ?

Tom was the only member of our sextet in long trousers, which have become noticeably baggy. We do hope his diet is not turning into anorexia.

This walk led by Jock through pretty moors, streams and villages around Youlgreave would normally have been described as easy. But with the sun beating down relentlessly we were struggling in the unaccustomed heat which had arrived suddenly amid a disappointing summer.

We were almost relieved after lunch when a passing thunderstorm produced a brief, light shower to cool our fevered brows.

The start was delayed because three of us had been held up by two sets of temporary traffic lights in Doveholes and been obliged to make a lengthy diversion. Nevertheless our reluctant leader Jock achieved our accolades when he led us to our first watering hole just as its doors were opening for business at noon

From the cars we walked downhill, passing a red phone box which contains no phone but a heart defibrillator. We turned right and crossed Bradford Brook, observing a brown trout enjoying the shade of the bridge.

On the far side of the bridge we turned right uphill, and turned left at Back House (7mins). The footpath took us past a trailer park on our right (11mins) and through two gap stiles. At a second group of static caravans we made a diagonal right turn through them to follow a green public footpath sign marked Stanton (15mins).

This soon took us to a lane (16mins) where we turned left, and then right over a stone step stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign (17mins). We exited the field we had entered by a stone step stile and followed the road opposite towards Stanton in the Dale. The road took us past a sign for Stanton in the Peak (25mins) passing Stanton Estate on our right (32mins).

The road passed The Flying Childers pub (34mins) and Holy Trinity Church, Stanton in the Peak, both on our right. The church bells were ringing to welcome us, or possibly to warn the villagers to look out for six suspicious characters.

We took the left fork when the road divided (41mins), passing the Wesleyan Reform Church, built in 1828, on our left (42mins). We passed Stanton in the Peak Cricket Club on our left and stopped for pies and port (45mins) at convenient rocks just before the entrance to Stanton Moor.

When we resumed, any hopes we might have entertained of seeing The Nine Ladies Stone Circle and King Stone – a site for mysterious rituals carried out 4,000 years ago during The Bronze Age – were dashed when Tom took the lead along a path which by-passed this historic scene. We skirted to the right of the stones without seeing them and headed downhill into a wood (70mins).

On the far side of the trees we took a path up to The Cork Stone, a free-standing gritstone pillar in the shape of a cork and of ancient vintage (75mins). After pausing for a photo opportunity, we turned right down a track (78mins), turned right again at a main track (80mins) and crossed a wooden stile to reach a lane. Here we turned right for 50 yards and then left at a wooden public footpath sign (83mins).

The route took us past a campsite on our right and through a farmyard, where we turned right (87mins). As we continued down the farm track we were approach on our left by a curious herd of six alpacas. We entered the outskirts of Birchover and headed downhill into the village to reach The Red Lion on our right (95mins).

Here we enjoyed pints of cask ale, including Tinge of Ginge and The Nine Ladies, for £3-10 on the garden benches at the front of the pub. As we turned right to leave we passed Brimsbury Well, a horse trough, on our right and went through the car park of The Druid Inn on our right (98mins) to climb thepath leading up to the Hermit’s Cave on Cratcliffe Tor.

At the summit we stopped for an early lunch (102mins) before retracing our steps downhill, turning right and passing St Michael’s Church, Birchover on our left (107mins). The path then took us into Rocking Stone Farm (108mins) where we followed a footpath which led us over a stone step stile.

We turned right to cross a wooden stile (114mins), reached a road and turned left (117mins). We turned right and then right again to cross a cattlegrid and follow signs for The Limestone Way (120mins). Our group followed a wooden public footpath sign left (124mins) and ignored another local landmark, Robin’s Stride, on our left (129mins).

Robin Hood’s Stride, also known as Mock Beggar’s Mansion,  is a rock formation on Harthill Moor near Elton village consisting of gritstone boulders deeply seamed by water flows.

We proceeded to a stone step stile (131mins) which your diarist crossed and then realised his pen was missing. Appeals to inquire whether anybody had spotted the blue pen were in vain, so a forlorn walk was made back to Robin’s Stride.

Ten minutes were spent before my return empty-handed to the stile where Colin was beaming from ear to ear (141mins). He had thought it such a jolly jape to pick up the pen which had fallen out at the stile and to hide it while I wasted ten minutes of our lives. Hilarious fun or childish behaviour ? You be the judges, dear readers.

We went through a gap stile and crossed a road, following a wooden public footpath sign for Youlgreave (146mins). We kept to the left of a farm (149mins) and followed yellow arrows to continue towards Youlgreave. We reached the outskirts of the village (169mins) and crossed a stream before turning right along a path to Alport with a stream on our right.

This brought us back to Alport and our cars, where we de-booted and drove to The George at Youlgreave for pints of cask beer at £2-90. Tom, who reached the pub first, claimed to have spotted FA chairman Greg Dyke setting off on a walk from the pub.

Photographs by Tom Cunliffe 

 

 

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The White Horse at Disley, calling at The Fox at Brook Bottom around 12 noon and returning to the White Horse around 2.15pm. Parking facilities in the pub car park have been arranged.

Happy wandering !