High Lane

December 16, 2015

HIGH LANE, DISLEY GOLF CLUB, CRYSTAL SPRING MILL, PEAK FOREST CANAL, GOYT VALLEY, MANCHESTER-SHEFFIELD RAILWAY LINE, HAGUE BAR, LEA SIDE COTTAGE, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES STATION, STRINES HALL, BRUCE CLOCK, SPRING FIELD COPSE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, CLOUGH BRIDGE, HOLLINWOOD LANE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, DOG AND PARTRIDGE AT HIGH LANE

Distance: Eight miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mainly dry, good visibility with slight drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Jones, Jock Rooney, Keiron Rooney and George Whaites.

SOB Walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett,  Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mark Gibby (Ripon), Steve Courtney (France) and George Dearsley (Turkey).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: The home of Colin Davison at 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, near Disley.

Starting time: 10am.Finishing time:  2.38pm.

What a difference free food and drink makes ! Just two weeks ago we struggled to raise three A team walkers. Yet with the nights drawing in, the promise of bacon butties, mince pies and mulled wine attracted no fewer than ten A-teamers and five SOB-teamers to Colin’s house for some festive cheer.

Although the promised pole dance by Angela never materialised and Colin was too busy cooking to deputise, his largesse was much appreciated by all the Wednesday Wanderers.

There was even hope that Tom, who has been missing for three weeks since his birthday, might also stand a round of celebratory drinks to mark the 64th anniversary of his birth. Sadly, although he accepted our heartfelt good wishes at The Fox, Tom could not be persuaded to treat his chums. A lesser man would have been too embarrassed to refuse.

Colin’s breakfast and our Christmas lunch later – amazing value at £4-69 –were the main event for this year’s Yuletide, but there will be an opportunity for a Harty breakfast next Wednesday when we hope that some of this week’s absentees will come along to make up the numbers at your diarist’s home.

From Colin’s house we turned left uphill and then turned left again to enter the course of Disley Golf Club (7mins). This provided an opportunity to test the nerves of a four-ball as we waited for them to drive off before we crossed the fairway in front of their tee.

The path led us into a wood which we left via a wooden stile (19mins). On our right were the remains of The Crystal Spring Mill, where animal carcases were rendered in bygone days. After going through a wooden gate we turned immediately right and descended a steep slope to reach a stream.

The path crossed the stream as it flowed beneath and we proceeded along its right bank until we reached The Peak Forest Canal and turned right (27mins). We crossed a wooden stile to go across the canal and turn right with the waterway on our right. As we followed the towpath we paused to study work which was progressing on providing an overflow for the new reservoir on our right (40mins).

After passing Higgins Clough Swing Bridge on our right we turned left just before Bridge 26 (48mins) and turned left downhill. We turned left again at a wooden public footpath sign marked Waterside (50mins), crossed a wooden stile and walked down a flight of steps (52mins).

This brought us out at a road leading to Northwood Tissues on our left. We crossed the road and reached the River Goyt. We walked with the river on our left then exited when we reached a road and turned left (59mins). After some 50 yards we turned right at a public footpath sign to follow the left bank of the Goyt.

When Pietime was declared (63mins), Colin immediately found a convenient branch on which to sit at the edge of the river. He was joined by Tom. Sadly the weight was too much and when the bough broke, Colin did fall to the amusement of his heartless chums.

Resuming we took a left fork away from the river (68mins) and went through a wooden kissing gate (73mins). We crossed the Manchester-Sheffield railway line (75mins) and climbed up to a road where we turned left (76mins). As we reached the sign for Hague Bar we turned right at Lea Side Cottageand headed left up a steep hill at a wooden public footpath sign (78mins).

This took us through a wooden gate to a road where we turned left (83mins). Six of the group turned right uphill (84mins) but the remainder carried straight on to reach The Fox at 11.43am. Their colleagues arrived 17 minutes later just as the pub doors were opening (108mins). The Robbies’ Unicorn at £3-05 a pint was deemed to be in excellent condition.

We continued our journey by walking straight ahead from the pub’s front door and then turning right down a rocky path a few yards away. This brought us to Strines Station (122mins) and Strines Hall on our left (124mins). Beyond the hall on our right was a fishing lake with a dovecote at its centre.

When we reached the Bruce Clock on our right (126mins) a plaque informed us that the Clayton family once owned most of Strines and had built Strines Hall in the 16th Century. By 1792 the hall had been split into two separate dwellings.

It was later owned by the Egerton family from Tatton, who leased the premises to the owners of Strines Print Works. By the late 18th Century there was a big demand for calico printing using engraved wooden blocks.

Strines Print Works was a premier partner in 1890 when the Calico Printers Association was formed and in 1925 new works were under construction. But the trade lost its popularity. Instead a pavilion, bowling green and three tennis courts were provided for the community.

A further merger created Tootal Ltd, the famous shirt manufacturers, who sold much of the estate. In 1982 a management buy-out saved the premises from closure but in 2003 the land was sold to housing developers. A large crowd watched the demolition of the chimney, which was a local landmark.

The distinctive clock was built in 1809 by Thomas Bruce, a foreman who lived at nearby Whitecroft Cottage.

While your diarist was making notes with the help of his fellow scribe Peter, the rest of the group had headed off out of sight. Our efforts to follow in their footsteps were not a total success, but we found our way across Strines Road, passing Spring Field Copse on our right and a row of cottages dated 1694 to reach The Peak Forest Canal.

We crossed it at Clough Bridge and found our way to the end of Hollinwood Lane and the site of the former pub called The Romper. After further adventures we reached the Macclesfield Canal at Bridge 9 and followed the towpath with the canal on our left until we reached the A6 (192mins).

From there we crossed the road and joined our colleagues from both the A and SOB teams in The Dog and Partridge, High Lane, where we were delighted to eat an excellent Christmas carvery lunch accompanied by a pint of IPA bitter and receive change from £7 !

Next week’s walk will begin at 9am with another round of bacon butties, mince pies and mulled wine at the home of your diarist, 68, London Road North, Poynton SK12 1BY. It is anticipated we will sally forth around 10am, heading round Poynton Pool and into Lyme Park. We shall return for a livener at The Boar’s Head, Higher Poynton, around 12.15pm before finishing, if open, at The Bull’s Head Poynton, around 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !