Marple Bridge

 

October 28, 2015. 

Marple Bridge, Peak Forest Canal, Strines, Brook Bottom, Mellor 

Distance: 9 1\2 miles. 

Difficulty: Easy 

Weather: Wet, poor visibility. 

Walkers: Colin Davison, George Whaites, John Jones,  Gibby 

B walkers: unknown 

Apologies: Alan Hart (whimped out due to the rain), Tom Cunliffe (sore knee again), Peter Beal (visiting whores) 

Leader: Jones. Diarist: Jones 

Starting point: Brabyns Park 

Starting time: 9.20am. Finishing time: 2.20pm. 

 

 

 

Today's Wednesday Wanderers' walk began at Marple Bridge under a wet, oppressive sky. Our route was to take us tGibbyo the Mellor Arms and the Norfolk in order to meet up with a faux- leather clad Hart..Only four braved the elements today;... You Wusses ! These being George, Colin , Mark and myself, John... The route took us down to the Goyt bridge where we crossed over the road and soon we turned right onto Low Lea road. Nearing the "roman Lakes" we had a short history lesson from Colin with regards to a muddy pile of stone and hollows , (which he assured us was a mill incorperating a 120 HP, mid shot , water wheel . After which we reluctantly dragged ourselves away and took the next right, over the Goyt ,railway and Strines Road leading onto The Peak Forest Canal. After one mile in a southerly direction we took a left at an underbridge down to Strines Centre crossing over the road and past the mill pond and dove cote there. We swiftly strolled++ onwards under the railway bridge and up a delightful woodland track which brought us out at Brook bottom. There , Colin found a smoking shelter at the Fox for our lunch. The blowsy, landlady came and went and so did we..... taking a right turn for fifty metres or so before  a left up again joining an unmetalled , rocky track and golf course. taking the first left (330') to  a farm,(which welcomed careful walkers) past a slurry pit and a few muddy bits soon got us to Castle Edge farm where the road gave us respite from the muddier conditions."enjoying " The stunning Kinder views Left down a track @ 270 '  we passed Black lane and continued on Primrose Lane down to Birchenough Farm. taking a left by silage bales , past horses and two single storey stone buildings then  brought us to a hidden, much- overgrown track at 290' , which Colin assured me he had single-handedly kept open despite threatening behaviour by the house owners !.. I just wish he had done more of it .. Across a stile or two , now downhill and onto Gibbon Lane where Colin advised that we take a right to the mellor Arms,(which we did,) and there enjoyed a fair pint of Robbies bought by Birthday Boy George and chips from Mark.. 

 

Donning wet weather gear once more, we exited the front door and turned left to follow the adjacent footpath to Mellor Church where we examined the exposed trench of the Iron Age hill fort and the Masonic inscriptions on the church. 

 

 Taking the steps we descended to the farm below which we passed on our left and crossed the field behind. In the far corner we went through a gate, kept the wall on our left and reached Townscliffe farm. Continuing straight ahead, the road lead through houses to Mellor Road where we turned right into Marple Bridge and found are septuagenarian chum, Alan propping up the bar of the Norfolk Arms and trying to charm the teenage barmaid. 

 

Next week's walk will start from the car park behind the Co-op in Chapel en le Frith at 9.40am. We anticipate taking refreshment at the Wanted Inn, Sparrowpit, around 12.30pmbefore returning to the Roebuck in Chapel at approximately 2.40pm 

 

Buxton

October 21, 2015

BUXTON

BUXTON TOWN CENTRE, FORMER LIGHTWOOD RESERVOIRS, HOGSHAW BROOK, FLINT CLOUGH, ROUND THE BEND, WHITE HALL OUTDOOR PURSUITS CENTRE, OLD ROAD, OVER HILL FARM, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, GOYT VALLEY, PARK WOOD, TAXAL, TODDBROOK RESERVOIR, WHALEY BRIDGE, HOCKERSLEY, RINGSTONE CLOUGH, THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE

Distance: 10 miles

Total ascent: 1550 ft​Descent:: 1950 ft

Difficulty: Moderate, challenging at times

Weather: Rain and mist with strong wind on high ground

Walkers: Peter Beal, Ron Buck, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, John Jones

Leader: Davison Diarist  Beal

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (Anglesey), Laurie Fairman (cruise ship lecturing), Jock Rooney (Turkey), Micky Barrett (injured), Ken Sparrow (weather wimp-out), George Whaites

B walkers: George Fraser. Tony Job, Geoff Spurrell

Starting point: Buxton town centre​Finish: The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale

Starting time: 11.23am​Finishing time: 4.17pm

The ambitious plan to achieve a rare linear walk with the help of public transport to Buxton resulted in the latest start and finishing times in anyone's memory.

Persistent drizzling rain and mist with boggy ground on the 1,600-foot heights of Combs Moss led some of our number to muse whether they had mistakenly enrolled for some form of SAS training exercise.

This feeling was reinforced when our leader Colin took us on a precarious Krypton Factor-style scaling of a reservoir dam that had been closed off.

Our start was delayed when for complicated reasons the four walkers travelling from Hazel Grove on the 199 airport bus service had to transfer to a replacement bus at Doveholes. They then had to link up in Buxton town centre with your diarist for the day and Ron, who had unknown to each other travelled on the 61 bus from Little Hayfield and Birch Vale.

Our group of six joined together near the Aldi store near Buxton station and left the town centre along Charles Street, which brought us on to Lightwood Road, where we turned left. This turned in to a track (15 min) which took us alongside the former Lightwood reservoirs, now a nature reserve.

The decision to drain the two small redundant reservoirs was made in 2004. A report said that while the area around was used by picnickers and dogwalkers there were also "less desirable activities, such as outdoor parties, camping and swimming with associated problems such as alcohol and drug abuse". Sodom and Gomorrah apparently had nothing on Buxton.

We crossed a bridge near the stonework at what had been the top of the higher reservoir and climbed up a very steep and eroded footpath alongside the ravine of Hogshaw Brook, the spring at the top of which is from the same source as the acclaimed Buxton mineral water.

We became enveloped in heavy mist as we neared the top of the climb, to emerge on the Combs Moss plateau at Flint Clough (30 min).

Here we turned left in to a strong headwind along a faint boggy path through the sodden peat alongside a drystone wall. Visibility here was little more than 30 yards.

We passed a spinning wind turbine on our left at the other side of the wall - presumably used for power to an unseen renovated barn down the slope (43 min).

Where the wall turned sharply left ( 52 min) we took advantage of the meagre shelter it provided to declare pietime and reflect on the gloomy conditions, only alleviated by rations of port kindly provided by Alan.

We continued northwards after a 15-minute stop and reached a rocky outcrop appropriately named on the OS Explorer map as Round the Bend (63 min). As the escarpment swung right along Combs Edge (78 min), we descended from the plateau down a steep grassy slope, the White Hall Outdoor Pursuits Centre becoming visible to our left as we emerged from the mist.

We reached a footpath at a small gate (84 min) and turned left to reach the Old Road just behind the centre. This track, dating from Roman times, was for 1800 years the only passage from Whaley Bridge to Buxton, before the introduction of the turnpikes.

When Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Buxton spies posted by Lord Walsingham would patrol the road and while Mary remained in the town no strangers were allowed in for fear of plotting against Elizabeth 1.

We turned right along the track, which shortly became a metalled lane (91 min). At a stile crosssing the wall we turned left (100 min) to cross two fields, bringing us to Over Hill Farm, where we took a short track to the A5004 Whaley Bridge to Buxton road. We turned right and took the pavement alongside to reach the Shady Oak (112 min).

Here Alan marked his 70th birthday two days before by providing pints of the oddly-named Dirty Tackle bitter (£3-40), served to us by a friendly and welcoming but otherwise absolutely unremarkable barmaid (your diarist is afraid you will have had to have been there to appreciate the significance of that bit). Mark kindly treated the party to two bowls of excellent chips.

As we descended from the mist there had been mutinous speculation about catching buses from the Shady Oak, but a second round of drinks completed the revival of our spirits and after a lenghty sojourn we left and crossed the road to walk through Folds End Farm. We crossed a stile and headed downhill

through two fields to reach a footbridge over the River Goyt, a short distance below its emergence from Fernilee reservoir.(124 min). The rain had stopped by now.

A sign told us we were now on the Midshires Way, last encountered at White Hall. This apparently is a 230-mile long route starting in Stockport and bizarrely finishing at Wain Hill between the villages of Bledlow and Chinnor in Buckinghamshire, taking in parts of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire along the way. Why anyone chose to link those two places or whether anyone has actually ever completed this walk is far from clear.

We turned right and followed a pleasant path through a nature reserve alongside the river, soon stopping for a much-belated lunch just before 3pm (131 min).

We climbed up through Park Wood and then crossed a large newly-flattened field to come out on the narrow Whiteleas Road just above Taxal village and its picturesque church.

My Peak District Companion records that "Taxal has a pleasing air of privacy born of the prospect its secluded,arboreal setting commands." It also adds: "On the terrace outside its pub are church pews for the benefit of those who like a drink with a view."

The pub was the Royal Oak, later known as Chimes of Taxal, which is presumably now the imposing house callled The Chimes which we passed on our left as we continued on the lane out of the hamlet. Research has failed to reveal when it closed.

We took a path on the right (142 nin), which brought us to the Whaley-Macclesfield road, which we crossed and continued along Reddish Lane towards Todd Brook reservoir, built in 1831 as a feeder for the Peak Forest canal (147 min).

We turned right on a path which brought us to the top of the Memorial Park and down to the dam wall of the reservoir (152 min).

Here we found that the raised footway above the dam wall was sealed off by metal barriers, presumably for some very sound health and safety reasons. Our leader decided to treat this as a challenge and clambered round the obstacle and on to the railings at the side of the walkway.

The rest of our party decided this was not wise and followed the advice of a passing young lady, to cross a low wall on to the 45-degree concrete bank below the dam and climb upwards under the walk way to reach the equally steep bank above the water of the reservoir. This we inched our way along before reaching a seven-rung metal ladder, which we climbed up to reach safety.

Colin, under later cross-examination, admitted he knew of this obstacle but "had completely forgotten about it".

The excitement of this assault course over we made our way through the residential outskirts of Whaley, taking Hockersley Lane, which brought us out on a moorland track leading to Ringstones Clough (174 min).

Here we passed on our left a stone memorial and plaque in memory of David Hallworth, the 50-year-old farmer at Ringstones, who was crushed to death by one of hius own heifers while working in February 2007.

We passed the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park and followed Yearsdley Lane down to the A6 at Furness Vale, where we turned left at the Imperial Palace Chinese restaurant to reach the Soldier Dick

a short distance away (206min).

The pub is named after a 17th wounded soldier who sought refuge here, probably after returning from the Anglo-Spanish wars, was nursed back to health by the landlady, and stayed on to become a local character who at the drop of a hat would regale drinkers with his experiences abroad. These days he would probably be called the pub bore.

The Wainwright's bitter was on fine form at £2-80 a pint.

Next week's walk will start at 9.30am at Brabyn's Park car park at Marple Bridge, stopping for refreshment at the Grey Mare in Charlesworth and returning for drinks in the Norfolk Arms in Marple Bridge at 2.15pm

Whaley Bridge

October 14, 2015.

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, TUNSTEAD HOUSE FARM, MANCHESTER-SHEFFIELD RAILWAY LINE, SPARK FARM, CROFT BARN, CHARLEY LANE PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, FORGE MILL RUINS, THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH.PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, BLACK BROOK, BUGSWORTH BASIN, SILK HILL AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance:  7+ miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry and sunny.

Walkers: Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Jones and George Whaites.

B walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job, Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Peter Beal, George Dearsley and Jock Rooney (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (in Canaries).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.37am. Finishing time: 1.47pm.

After the deluge of last week, we reverted to yet another glorious sunny day which gave us a total turnout of 11 walkers. Although the route was shorter than average, it took in some spectacular views across the hills and valleys between Whaley Bridge and Chinley.

On the historical front we passed Bradshaw Hall, family home of John Bradshaw, who was president of the court which tried Charles 1 in 1649 and whose name was first on the king’s death warrant. When the monarchy was restored in 1660, Bradshaw suffered a bizarre fate.

On the nature front, we saw a huge skein of geese and a nice pair of tits. Ron would have preferred it the other way round: more about the barmaid at The Old Hall later.

After passing The Cock on our left we turned immediately left over a stream and then headed right along the disused track which was once the Cromford and High Peak Railway. After passing Cromford Court retirement flats on our left, former site of the railway goods yard, we entered Shallcross Incline Greenway (8mins).

At the end we turned left (16mins), crossed Elnor Lane and followed a wooden public footpath sign across a stone step stile, through a field and over a broken wall (23mins). We crossed a wooden barred stile (36mins) and had a beautiful view over Coombs Reservoir ahead to our left.

We passed Tunstead House Farm (39mins), entered The Old Farm House gate and turned right over a wooden stile. There was no sign of the herd of Houdini goats which used to live here. Perhaps they had escaped !

After exiting the field they used to occupy via a wooden gate (42mins) we headed downhill through a tunnel underneath the Manchester-Sheffield railway line (46mins). We headed towards some trees, turned left and kept a fence on our right until it dipped and we crossed a wooden stile on our right. This brought us to two railway sleepers which had been reused as bridges across a stream (50mins).

A wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow led to a path which emerged on the Whaley Bridge to Chapel-en-le-Frith road. We crossed over, turned right and then headed left at a green public footpath sign (53mins). After crossing first a stone step stile and then a wooden stile we kept just left of a stream and crossed another wooden stile ((58mins).

After passing Spark Farm on our left we went straight ahead to cross a wooden stile (61mins). Another wooden stile took us into Chapel en-le Frith Golf Course (63mins). As we crossed the course, a skein of some 150 geese flew past in two rather untidy V formations high above. Lawrie was able to identify them as pink-footed geese on their way to spend winter in the marshes of Norfolk.

We were left to speculate whether they would be honking at the Norfolk turkeys as Christmas approached or whether they would be recruited for any seasonal productions of Mother Goose. Oh no they won’t. Oh yes they will.

After passing a golfing foursome on the 16th tee, causing one to slice his drive wildly to the right of the fairway, we left the course via a stile and passed to the right of Bradshaw Hall (76mins).

This 17th Century building was the family home of John Bradshaw, who presided  over the court which found King Charles 1 guilty of treason and sentenced him to death. His name was the first signature on the king’s death warrant.

After Charles’ execution, John Bradshaw died before the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. But his death did not prevent Bradshaw facing justice. Along with other commissioners who had tried the king, he was found guilty of treason. Many of them were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.

Bradshaw’s body was exhumed and taken to Tyburn where his remains were hanged and his body was beheaded. His head was impaled on a spike outside Westminster Hall where the trial of King Charles 1 had taken place. (Sir Jimmy Savile got off lightly !)

After crossing a stone step stile, we paused for pies and rum and blackcurrants at a drystone wall overlooking Bradshaw Hall (78mins). Resuming, we walked with a fence on our left and crossed a wooden stile on our left. We headed uphill, crossing a wooden stile and heading diagonally right across a field, which we exited by a stone step stile (85mins).

We turned left with a drystone wall on our left and crossed a stile made from concrete posts (87mins). We went through a gate to reach a lane with Croft Barn on our right. We turned left to pass Croft Barn and then turned right at a green public footpath sign. This took us into a field and a sign for Eccles Pike, but instead of passing this sign we headed right downhill and went through a wooden gate (90mins).

Our group crossed a wooden box stile (92mins) and then four more wooden stiles in quick succession which brought us to a refurbished farmhouse on our right. We passed close to the house to reach a road (99mins), which we crossed and followed a wooden public footpath sign into a field. We went through a wooden gate on the right marked with a yellow arrow (103mins) and headed downhill with a drystone wall on our right.

After passing through another wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow (106mins) we turned left downhill to reach a road (107mins), where we turned left. This took us underneath the A6 and we turned immediately left along Charley Lane, at the start of the Peak Forest Tramway. We passed Chapel Wastewater Treatment Works on our right (111mins).

Further along on the right were the ruins of Forge Mill, which in its time had been an iron bar slitting mill, a paper mill and a bleaching works. More recently the land on our right had been the massive site of the Dorma bed linen factory, and it was here we met and then overtook the B walkers(117mins). The site has been flattened ready for redevelopment.

At the end of the Tramway we turned left and soon reached The Old Mill at Whitehough on our right (129mins). Here we enjoyed pints of excellent Marston’s cask-conditioned bitter at £2-80. The beer was of such a high quality that Tom pronounced it to be “OK.” This is one of his finest accolades for any beer outside his own pub.

Ron, however, expressed his disappointment that the slim barmaid was not as amply proportioned as one of her colleagues he had ogled on a previous occasion. By this time we had been joined by the B team.

After discussing the exploits of the landlord Daniel in the Iron Man challenge, which involved a four mile swim, a 225-mile bike ride and a 52-mile run, we discussed entering the veterans’ version but decided against it.

Continuing after our refreshment, we went right out of the pub down to the Tramway and turned left (131mins). When we reached a newly-rebuilt wooden bridge over Black Brook, we stopped there for lunch (144mins). We proceeded, following the sign for Bugsworth Canal Basin (149mins) and passing The Navigation Inn on our right.

After crossing the bridge across the canal on our left we turned right up Silk Hill (152mins) and turned right again at a wooden public footpath sign (165mins). We exited a wood via a stile made with two iron bars (169mins) and turned left along the disused track of the Cromford and High Peak Railway.

At The Shepherds Arms on our right (another one missing its apostrophe), we went down to the main road, turned left (174mins), went under the bridge and returned to our cars (176mins). After de-booting, Colin, John and your diarist enjoyed pints of Robbies’ Unicorn in The Cock.

Next week’s walk will start by catching the 9.54am 199 bus to Buxton from The Rising Sun at Hazel Grove. We expect to arrive at the terminus in Market Place, Buxton, shortly before 11am, from where we will head for The Shady Oak at Fernilee, arriving between 12.30 and 1 pm. We will then aim for The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale, expecting to arrive between 2.30 and 3pm, before catching the 199 bus back to Hazel Grove. (Don’t forget your bus passes).

Happy wandering !

Three Shire Heads

THREE SHIRE HEADS

 

October 7, 2015

 

 

CLOUGH HOUSE CAR PARK IN WILDBOARCLOUGH, CRAG HALL, CUT-THORN, DANE BOWER, CUMBERLAND CLOUGH

 

Distance: Six miles  ​Ascent/descent: 1,330 ft

 

Weather: Heavy rain and thick mist, clearing later

 

Difficulty: Moderate, but tough in wet and boggy areas

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Laurie Fairman, Jock Rooney and Tips

 

Leader: Fairman​Diarist: Beal

 

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (caught in traffic, missed start), Alan Hart (weather wimp-out), Micky Barrett (entertaining Kiwis), Colin Davison (entertaining women), George Whaites (caught in traffic, put off by weather), Mark Gibby (hols in La Palma).

 

Starting point: Clough House National Park car park in Wildboarclough

 

Starting time: 9.45 am​Finishing time: 12.35pm

 

 

Fell-walking guru Alfred Wainwright was recorded as saying there was no such thing as bad weather - only inadequate clothing. And this from a man who took to the hills in his early days protected only by tweed jackets and trousers, stout boots and a flat cap.

 

But even the Lake District legend would have found his spirits dampened somewhat by the incessant rain and thick mist that greeted our small band of three Wanderers in Wildboarclough.

 

Perhaps AW was just made of sterner stuff than our threesome, who later decided to cut short our walk rather than continue in a fierce head wind over exposed 1,700-foot moorland in the continuing rain to the Cat and Fiddle.

 

The heavy rain had swollen the infant River Dane to unfordable proportions and turned the footpaths throughout the route in to sizeable streams.

 

Laurie and your diarist arrived at the Clough House car park and were left without phone signals wondering whether they would be joined by any fellow Wanderers when the timely arrival of Jock, who had been contacted by Alan at home shortly before setting off, brought a litany of excuses.

 

Sadly these included news of Tom, who reportedly had turned back after heavy traffic in Buxton. In fact he had decided to continue and, it later ensued, had arrived at our departure point a mere eight minutes after we left at 9.45am, five minutes after the advertised time.

 

On behalf of our band, your diarist can only say that we acted in good faith and on the information available to us. Tom later reported that he now has abandonment issues.

 

We decided our route must keep us west of the Dane, otherwise the swollen waters would have prevented us recrossing the river further north.

 

We left the car park and took the minor road to Crag Hall, an imposing building now apartments but once the administrative centre of the local mill and in later years to become the largest post office in the country.

 

We turned left at a fork in the road, then left again through a gate(17 mins) and up a track leading through another gate to open moorland. A stretch of wet and boggy ground, the worst parts forded with wooden bridges, brought us to a stile and the A54 Buxton to Congleton road (28 mins), which we crossed near a nasty blind summit.

 

Still in thick mist we continued over grass and moorland over three stiles and reached a gate leading to a minor lane at the cottage of Cut-thorn (40 mins). We immediately left the lane through a gate to the left, taking a rocky track to bring us to Three Shire Heads, a junction of the Dane and a stream to the east which marks the boundary point of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire (60 mins).

 

None of our party could remember such a volume of water flowing down through this picturesque spot, where on balmier days familes bring their children to swim in the deep water of Pannier's Pool.

 

Early pie-time was declared here on the basis that a tree provided the only meagre shelter in the sodden landscape.

 

Your diarist's Peak District Companion (as I have mentioned before, this is a book, not a person) says of the spot: "The place is so wildly intimate, so tucked away from the world, that it would be no surprise to find Lorna Doone and John Ridd chatting by the water's edge. The rest of the Doone's would not be out of place either, for this was outlaw country centuries before Jesse James was even born."

 

It's notoriety was based on its seclusion amid confusing moorland and because of it's position at the junction of three counties at a time when constables and men-at-arms were prevented from pursuing villians across county boundaries.

 

It became the scene of prize-fights and cock-fights and even , it is said, illegal hangings. It also became a haunt of pedestrian hawkers and shady characters and coiners based in the nearby village of Flash, the source of the expression of Flash money, meaning forgeries, and flashy - something not as good as it looks.

 

With the rain still falling we recrossed the Dane by the packhorse bridge and continued up the left bank of the young river up a path that was becoming a stream in its own right. After several boggy sections, with ankle-deep water and mud, we crossed a stile to the right to keep close to the stream and eventually came to a path leading steeply uphill to the left, towards a chimney that was once part of the extensive quarries and lead-mining operations nearby ( 80 mins).

 

We climbed steeply to the right of the chimney to reach a track. Here Laurie took the initiative and decided not to aim for the Cat and Fiddle Inn over the top of the moor, but headed left along the track, to bring us again to the A54, which we crossed to go right, through a gate on to a track (93 mins).

 

At this point Tips pretended not to have seen or read a notice telling him that dogs were banned under the access agreement allowing walkers on to this piece of moorland.

 

This took us at a lower level towards Cumberland Clough, the route back to the car park, first along the track and then a path over the moor.

 

Under a law that is probably Murphy's or Sod's, at this point the rain ceased and the mist started to clear to give us views towards our downwards route and further to the south-west.

 

We gained the upper reaches of the steep Cumberland Clough (113 mins)and descended with some difficulty, at times finding it hard to distinguish between the fast-flowing brook and the path beside it, so much water was coming down.

 

We reached a junction of tracks (130 mins) and went through a gate to the right to take a rocky track which crossed a bridge to emerge on the lane just above the Clough House car park, which we reached at 12.33 pm (153 mins).

 

Laurie and your diarist debooted, swapped wet clothes (not with each other) and headed for the Stanley Arms a short distance up the valley, where we enjoyed a blazing log fire and fine Marston's Bitter at £3-20 a pint.

 

Next week's walk will start at The Cock at Whaley Bridge at 9.30am, with a stop at the Old Hall at Whitehough around 12.15pm.

 

Apologies already from Jock ( holiday in Turkey), Peter Beal (walking in Lakes), and possibly Laurie (hospital day before).

Pictures by Laurie Fairman