Rushton Spencer

RUSHTON SPENCER, CHURNET VALLEY RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), GRITSTONE TRAIL, WINCLE GRANGE, MELLOR KNOWL FARM, THE SHIP AT WINCLE, THE WINCLE BREWERY AT DANEBRIDGE, DANEBRIDGE TROUT FARM, DANE VALLEY AND THE KNOT INN AT RUSHTON SPENCER

Distance: Eight miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry, initially sunny with cloud later.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

SOB walkers: Tony Job, Terry Jowett and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (returning from Turkish yachting holiday), George Dearsley (remaining in Turkey), Steve Courtney (remaining in France), Tom Cunliffe and Lawrie Fairman (on holiday in Anglesey !*).

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free council car park at rear of The Knott Inn, Rushton Spencer.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 2.09pm.

For the second successive week we arrived at the starting point with no idea of who would be leading our walk or where we would be going. Last week Colin accepted the baton and got us to the pubs on time. On this occasion, Peter came to our rescue – with the added advantage of having a map of the area in his rucksack.

After much discussion and map-reading, Peter dismissed the idea of either walking around Rudyard Lake to the south or The Cloud to the north on the reasonable grounds that we would not be able to reach our declared destination of The Wincle Brewery on time.

So we set off more in hope than expectation and, despite some minor delays for further map-reading and one missed turn, we once again arrived safely on time at both watering holes.

From the car park we walked back to its entrance with The Knot Inn on our right and a house engraved “Rushton Station 1844” on our left.

As the name suggests, the house was once a station which belonged to the North Staffordshire Railway, whose main routes were built between 1846 and 1852 and ran for 221 miles. The North Staffs Railway was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company in 1923.

Its main routes ran from Macclesfield to Norton Bridge, just north of Stafford, and from Crewe to Egginton Junction, west of Derby. The original railway company was based in Stoke. Rushton Station was sited between Bosley and Cliffe Park stations on the Churnet Valley Lineand its train was nicknamed The Knotty.

Passenger services were withdrawn from the northern end (North Rode to Leek) in 1960 and freight services stopped in 1964. The cargo was mostly coal or minerals but the trains also carried the majority of pottery goods manufactured in England.

We crossed the road next to the station and followed yellow arrows to walk along the disused line.Just before the path ended in undergrowth we turned left down steps and then right under the railway bridge (17mins). The path took us across the main A523 road from Macclesfield to Leek.

On the far side we climbed over a wooden stile following a footpath sign marked Gritstone Trail (20mins).This pointed to another wooden stile (25mins) which we crossed and headed diagonally right up to a gate marked Gritstone Trail (27mins).

The Gritstone Trail is a long-distance walk of 35 miles from Disley , Cheshire, to Kidsgrove, Staffs.

Our quintet went through a series of gates displaying the Gritstone Trail marker , including a sharp left turn (47mins), crossing a cattle-grid and the River Dane. Instead of turning left at a marker post indicating the Gritstone Trail we went straight on over a wooden stile(70mins)  and stopped for pies and cream sherry (Sophisticated or what ?)

Continuing over a stone step stile (76mins) and a wooden stile on our right (82mins) we reached a lane leading to Wincle Grange on our left. While Peter was studying his map, an attractive woman drove out of the farm and complained that Peter’s pole was sticking out. She was afraid she might run over it. Peter quickly put his pole out of the way and the danger was averted.

After a lengthy delay we turned right for 25 yards before heading left at a wooden public footpath sign (84mins). We crossed a plastic-protected section of electrified fence (88mins) and turned left. We reached a similar fence (90mins) but as George unhooked the protective cover a fence-post collapsed. Some time was spent while we worked out the logistics of getting the pole and George back in place as Peter had by this time determined that we had overshot a turn on the right.

We retraced our footsteps for about 100 yards and turned left (95mins). Our route took us over a wooden stile and a stone step stile to continue downhill until we reached a drystone wall and a dead end. We clambered over the wall on our right (97mins), continued through the adjoining field and a metal gate to reach a road where we turned right (100mins).

We passed Top House on our right (103mins) and Mellor Knowl Farm on our left (105mins) as we headed downhill. To our left on the skyline we could see Hanging Rock. After passing The Ship Inn at Wincle on our left we turned right at a green public footpath sign on our right (110mins). This took us through a field with a herd of four Shetland ponies on our left and a trout farm on our right.

We exited the field by a kissing gate and turned left along the track to The Wincle Brewery (113mins), where they dispense beer brewed on the premises. We opted for pints of Wincle Waller at £2-50, which were in fine fettle. As we sat at a picnic table in the sunshine, three kindly old gentlemen hoved into view and we were joined by the SOB team.

The Wincle Brewery was set up in 2008 at a redundant milking parlour at Heaton House Farm, Rushton Spencer, by friends Neil Murphy and Giles Meadows, who had been landlord on The Ship Inn. They won several prizes and moved to the larger state-of-the-art premises at Tolls Barn some four years ago.

We were served by bearded head brewer Justin, who seems to enjoy his work (he’s also head taster) while Molly the dog shared a bag of crisps with Mark.

Resuming our perambulations we retraced our footsteps along the lane, passing the trout farm and following a footpath on the right bank of the Dane. We crossed a footbridge over the river and stopped for lunch (137mins). Continuing we followed the wooden public footpath sign for Barleighford Bridge.

We went through a wooden gate (141mins) which warned us that ground-nesting birds and amphibians were “active.” We were on the alert for alligators from this point onwards. At the end of the path we crossed a wooden stile and turned left over a roadbridge (153mins). We turned right off the main track along a pebbled track towards a farm (157mins) and when we reached a cattle-grid we turned left following a yellow arrow (159mins).

After crossing a wooden stile (162mins) we headed diagonally right. This took us through a metal gate (164mins) and across a lane via two wooden stiles (166mins). We went through a metal gate (173mins) with a hedge on our left and crossed a bridge over the canal feeder (177mins). This led us across the A523 (179mins) and back to the cars to deboot (181mins).

Pints of IPA were enjoyed at £3-40 in The Knott Inn, which is currently open all day. We were advised this may change as imminently as mine hosts are about to leave this pub in the Punch Tavern chain.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am at a lay-by car park close to Upper Booth, near Edale, Derbyshire. This is reached by turning left towards Edale from the Chapel-Castleton road. At the bottom of the hill turn left under a railway viaduct and the car park is 200 yards further along. It is hoped we will head via Crowden Tor and Ringing Roger to reach The Nag’s Head at Edale around 12.30pm. After returning to our cars and de-booting we will head to The Roebuck at Chapel-en-le-Frith for further refreshment at about 2.45pm.

*Tom tells me that it is nothing more than a coincidence that he and Lawrie are having a holiday in Anglesey on the same day. This may be true. If it proves to be untrue, the enlightened Wednesday Wanderers would like to take this opportunity to wish them every happiness in the future.

Pictures below by Colin Davison