Little Hayfield

April 27, 2016.

LITTLE HAYFIELD, PARK HALL WOODS, MIDDLE MOOR, HAYFIELD, OLLERTON MOOR, BIRCH VALE, SITCH LANE, WETHERCOTE FARM, THE LITTLE MILL INN AT ROWARTH, MOUNT FAMINE FOOTHILLS, CLOUGH MILL AND THE LANTERN PIKE INN AT LITTLE HAYFIELD

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Started under sunny skies: finished in blizzard.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, and George Whaites.

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Lantern Pike Inn, Little Hayfield, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.41am. Finishing time: 2.20pm.

Our leader Tom gave a remarkable impersonation of The Grand Old Duke of York with this undulating walk where he marched us up to the top of several hills before marching us down again.

There had been forecasts of light showers in the early afternoon, but one suspects that the high turn-out of nine A-teamers might have been reduced (by at least one!) if we had foreseen the hailstorm which arrived at 11.20am and the blizzard which followed.

Your diarist confesses at the outset that he wimped out during the first aerial attack and the description which follows owes much to his more resolute colleague, former fell runner and Lands End-to-John o’ Groats walker Peter Beal.

Despite a request, and a promise, that we would start with a climb to the Trig Point at the top of Lantern Pike, Tom was persuaded by siren voices to lead us in the opposite direction. Predictably, therefore, the view from this summit is still a mystery to many Wednesday Wanderers.

From the pub we headed along the road towards Hayfield before crossing and entering Park Hall Woods (2mins). This brought us to the gate leading to Middle Moor (8mins). We tramped along a well-worn path through the scrub and bracken until we reached a drystone wall (22mins).

We walked through a metal kissing gate on the right, which was the first of a series of five leading downhill to a road. En route we passed the well-known landmark on our right, a copse of 19 trees. This is known as 20 Trees, so clearly numeracy was not a strong suit for the good people of Hayfield in days of yore.

At the road we turned right (41mins), then turned left down a flight of stone steps (43mins). We crossed the River Sett (45mins) by a footbridge and reached a road where we turned right (46mins). At a Y-junction we turned sharp left and immediately right up a stony path marked with a yellow arrow (48mins).

We emerged at a road opposite The Briars (51mins) where, not for the first time, Tom’s navigational skills were brought into question. First we turned right, following Tom, until he shouted “We’re going the wrong way.”  It was unclear whom he blamed for this error. Then we reversed, passing The Briars once more, and turned right at a public bridleway next to Moor Green (54mins).

Our group crossed the main road (55mins) and started to climb a path opposite. At a farm building we dog-legged right and then left to follow a wooden public footpath sign towards Peep O Day (64mins). We walked through a wooden kissing gate (67mins) and continued uphill ignoring two paths on our left.

When we reached a T-junction of paths on Ollersett Moor (79mins) we paused for pies and refreshments. A curlew was heard nearby but our attention was by now more focussed on the weather around us. From our vantage point we could see a series of isolated showers falling at various points in the distance. They appeared to be heading our way.

Instead of retreating, Tom advanced towards the wintry showers. We went through a wooden gate (85mins) and were soon being battered by hailstones. We reached and crossed the main road linking Hayfield and New Mills by the side of The Grouse at Birch Vale (99mins). At the far side, behind the sign for Station Road, we followed a path which brought us to The Sett Valley Trail (102mins).

We crossed this following a wooden public footpath sign marked Lantern Pike. We crossed a footbridge over the River Sett (107mins) and it was at this point your diarist announced his intention to seek refuge back in the pub.

The other eight trudged bravely on, soon being rewarded with blue skies and sunshine as they turned left and zig-zagged along Sitch Lane before turning right towards Wethercote Farm. They proceeded to The Little Mill Inn at Rowarth (153mins). The weather by now was sunny enough for some hardier members of the reduced group to sit outside. But a further hailstorm drove them inside to join their colleagues in pints of Banks’ bitter at £2-95.

The friendly landlord confided that the pub was up for sale for £600,000 so we will need to monitor the situation before further visits. It survived a dramatic flood in 1935. Its water-wheel was restored and The Derbyshire Belle, a 70-feet long Pullman carriage formerly of The Brighton Belle Railway, was converted into three en-suite bedrooms. A large beer garden and children’s play area were added. But the water-wheel has fallen again into disrepair. Bands play at weekends. Significantly, perhaps, the band this Sunday (May 1) is called Swansong. 

After leaving the pub, the party retraced its footsteps before taking a hairpin bend left to reach the foot of  Lanter Pike foothills (or Hunger Hill as Lawrie mistakenly called it). They followed a stony track and passed Clough Mill apartments before reaching the Lantern Pike Inn (209mins). By now the walkers resembled the stragglers in Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow as they battled through a blizzard.

Back in the warmth of the pub, we enjoyed pints of excellent Timothy Taylor Landlord bitter for £3-50 accompanied by bowls of chips with bread and butter generously provided by Tom and cooked by Chris.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the free car park opposite The Spinners Arms at Bollington. After buying the traditional pies from Smiths’ bakery, we will aim to reach The Robin Hood at Rainow around 12.15pm for a livener, ending with further refreshment at The Church House Inn, Bollington, at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

Chapel-en-le-Frith

April 20, 2016.

CHAPEL-EN-LE FRITH RAILWAY STATION, RIDGE HALL, COMBS MOSS, CASTLE NAZE, THE BEEHIVE AT COMBS, CHAPEL STATION AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate with prolonged early climb and paths next to steep cliffs needing great care.

Weather: Blue skies and sunshine: pleasantly warm.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Graham Hadfield, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby.

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Side of road next to Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station.

Starting times: 9.45am and 9.53 am. Finishing time: 2.15pm.

A glorious day brought out nine A team walkers, and the first harbinger of summer. We are not referring to the solitary swallow we spotted on our descent from the ancient Iron Age hill fort at Castle Naze. We allude to the sight of Graham’s knees as he confidently strode out in a pair of shorts.

Our main party was delayed by the tardy arrival of Mickey, making a welcome return after a prolonged absence while one of his homes was renovated. This proved too much for the ever-eager Lawrie who led an advance party with Colin and George at the appointed start time. When the late Mr Barrett arrived, the remaining six set off eight minutes in arrears and the group was reunited – much to Tips’ relief - on the ridge of Castle Naze.

From our cars we crossed the Manchester-Buxton railway line and headed uphill, passing Ridge Hall on our left (12mins). At a T-junction we turned right (15mins) along a road until we reached a broken fence on our left (19mins) which we crossed and headed uphill towards a ridge. When we reached this (24mins) we were at Castle Naze on Combs Moss.

The “castle” is a triangular hill fort of 2.5 acres, 1,400 feet above sea level, whose north and south sides are protected by natural slopes. The east side is guarded by two man-made banks with a ditch. The outer rampart comprised a drystone wall which stood 3.5 metres high and 5 metres wide. There was a 20-metre gap to an inner rampart which was 3 metres high. 

Archaeologists claim evidence suggests the fort was first built toward the end of the Iron Age around 200 BC. During The Iron Age men started to forge metals. This might explain why Tom, a former foundry manager, is often associated with this era in his thinking.

There could be an historic link between the fort at Castle Naze and the Bull Ring Henge at Doveholes, less than two miles away.

From the ridge we had spectacular views to our right over Combs Reservoir and across the valley. We followed the track, at times having to take great care when faced with a sheer drop of several hundred feet on our right. Just before a stream we paused for pies and port  (70mins).

Continuing we crossed the stream and followed the path, which eventually followed to the left of a drystone wall. When a path was spotted on our right (108mins) Lawrie ignored a plaintive cry and unsuccessful attempt by Colin to form a breakaway group. Instead we carried on, passing a circling raven and its familiar cry of “Cark Cark”, before turning right through a gate (115mins).

This brought us to a wooden stile which we crossed leading to a path where we turned right (120mins). At a wooden public footpath sign on our right we turned right towards Chapel via Combs (129mins). We reached a farm track which we crossed and went over a broken wall (141mins). We went through the right of two open gates keeping a drystone wall on our left (147mins).

A gate marked with a yellow arrow (150mins) led us to a wooden footbridge across a stream, quickly followed by a stone footbridge over the stream. We went through a wooden gate and followed a wooden public footpath sign for Combs. We reached a road on the outskirts of the village and turned left (163mins).

One of the more illustrious residents of Combs in bygone days was Herbert Frood, who developed a vehicle brake pad in 1897 and founded Ferodo, the internationally-famous firm based in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

As we walked into the village there were the unmistakable squeals and yells of excitement from an infant school on our left having its lunch break. This state school, with 25 pupils, was rated as outstanding in all categories by Ofsted and was awarded Gold Star status by The times. Nevertheless Derbyshire County Council tried to close the school in 2007 and only backed down after vehement local protests.

After passing a pond on our right (165mins) we reached The Beehive immediately ahead of us (169mins) and established ourselves in the warm sunshine on the benches and tables outside. Pints of Marstons’ Pedigree were in excellent form although the price of £3-70 was harder to swallow.

Jock and Tips set off a few minutes ahead of the main party, which retraced its footsteps for 200 yards before turning left at a wooden public footpath sign (172mins) which led us into a farmyard. We went to the right of the farm buildings and crossed a wooden stile (175mins).

After crossing another wooden stile (181mins) we ducked under an electrified fence and over another wooden stile, where we turned right (184mins). We followed the path left as it went over a railway bridge (185mins), and then turned right along a path which followed parallel to the track on its right. This took us back to the station and our cars (191mins).

After de-booting we drove to The Cock, Whaley Bridge, for £3 pints of Robbies’ Unicorn cask bitter.

Pictures by Lawrie

Next week’s walk will start at 9.40am from the car park of The Lantern Pike Inn at Little Hayfield. We anticipate a bracer at The Little Mill Inn at Rowarth around 12.15pm before returning to The Lantern Pike around 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

Whetton Mill

April 13th, 2016.

An Ampersand Walk – Wetton Mill, Ecton, Ecton Hill, Dale Farm, Wetton Mill, Manor House, Wetton Hill, Wetton, Thor's cave, Manifold valley , Wetton Mill

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Beautiful April day blue skies, sunshine 

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Graham Hadfield, Ron Buck and George Whaites.

S.O.B. Walkers: No report.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Alan Hart (police interview), Colin Davison and John Jones (boat moving), Peter Beal (Holidays)

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Fairman

Starting point: Car park at side of river Wetton Mill.

Starting time: 10.15am. Finishing time: 3.10pm.

This walk was a most enjoyable visit to the Derbyshire dales in glorious April sunshine – but it also illustrated the indomitable spirit of the Wednesday Wanderers. Our motto “determined in purposeflexible in execution” was sorely tried after the leader made two (three?) important mistakes.

The purpose was to walk up the Manifold Valley cross the green hills and arrive at an OPEN public house for a couple of beers- this we achieved. Thanks to the forbearance of the company and the determination of the leader

The long journey to Wetton Mill proved a trial for some Laurie arrived about 9.30 and waited alone till George who had driven to the village arrived at 9.55- no sign of Tom, apparently traffic was bad and no   one in the car could master his Sat nav. George manfully drove off to look for them and found them in the village. All united we set off at 10.15 crossed the bridge over the Manifold sparkling in the sunshine and headed north up the valley, turning left at Dale Farm and following the bridle track to Ecton Bridge. Here we passed an adit into the hillside the iron gate was open but without Colin no-one explored the dingy darkness. The leader proclaimed that this was a lead mine of which there are lots in this area; only to be shown up when we found it was a copper mine.

The period of time between 1760 and 1790 was the heyday of this famous Peak District mine. The 5th Duke of Devonshire was the lucky owner when a vast deposit of high grade copper ore was discovered. The ore yielded as much as 60% copper, very high grade indeed, many copper ores that are mined today yield only 2 - 3%. This lasted for 30 years and was the source of money used to build Buxton’s Crescent and Stable Block (the latter was later to become the Devonshire Royal Hospital). 

In some places this rich ore body was 50m wide. Deeper in the mine, the copper was increasingly replaced by zinc. The shape of the ore body was described by a Dr. Joseph Watson as being a saddle deposit, this being the name that miners gave to locations where ore bodies had been folded by anticline/syncline formations. Samples of the ores from Ecton mine are held both at Chatsworth house in the Peak District and at the British museum in London. The grotto at Chatsworth is lined with chalcopyrites and calcite from the mine.

Ecton is unusual in the Peak District as it is the only source of copper mineralisation. Some lead and zinc ore has been extracted from this mine also.(Well I was right) The mine is the deepest in the Peak District and may have been the deepest in the world at the time (at least 1800 feet deep in 1788). A reason for this record is the nature of the deposits - vertical ‘pipes’. Contemporary writers visiting the mine were obviously impressed by the beauty of the ores - yellow, gold, topaz, violet and azure all being mentioned. The ores responsible for this multifarious appearance were (mainly) chalcopyrites with oxides and carbonates. 

Some of the surface features survive today, there are a number of shafts, both vertical and adit, the main mine buildings close to the river Manifold and the engine house high on the hillside, now an agricultural building. 

The Hollow Hill containing Ecton mine which was one of several that contributed to Britain’s position as the number one supplier of copper in the 18th century. The main copper deposits in the UK were in Cornwall with significant deposits on Anglesey.

Just past the adit we turned right following the marked footpath to Ecton house a weird structure which appears to be a church tower a church steeple all enclosed in a dwelling.

A very strange place on one wall is inscribed 1891 long after the mine closed but It may also contain a mine entrance  we stopped here for coffee at 11.00 enjoying splendid views across the valley. The house with some different walkers is pictured below

Turning left we ascended Ecton hill a steep climb to 1150 ft here we enjoyed glorious views over the tops of the dales: south to Ilam and the Manifold gorge, west to the Staffordshire moorlands, north to Chrome hill and east to Hartington

A fine cheerful body of men!

This is where it started to go wrong –typical of Staffordshire there were 4 ways down the hill none of them signposted

Sadly the leader took the path in the right direction but wrong side if the slope; confused by an unlabelled farm with the one he was expecting he detected his mistake under the Sugarloaf hill at the first signpost. To add to his misery apart from a 500ft climb back the only way was down.

This took us through a wood and a lovely valley belonging to Dale Farm National trust. So dear reader if I have not bored you and you have a good memory you may recall this was our first farm after the cars. YES we were back in Wetton Mill (no pub) 11.50

So what? We are here for a walk lets do it – second mistake - the leader disdaining to take the road to the pub led his merry men back up the fells over the col between Wetton Hill and Sugarloaf which involved a 500ft climb.

Third mistake confused (should not use the c word at my age) by Staffordshire footpaths missed the top of hill track and followed a sheep track to the end of the ridge. Now we knew exactly where were.600ft above Wetton mill and a 500ft deep gully between us and the pub.

Never mind undaunted we reversed along the ridge found the path (only one illegal gate climbed) and made the pub by 1.30pm- no excuses but if we had started at 9.30 it would have been a respectable 12.45!

Excellent beer in a sunny garden ;Hartington Gold at £3.50

Now the leader was on home ground again despising the road (to some grumbles) refreshed we descended from the village though the woodland path via Thor’s cave to the cars at 3.10pm

All said an eventful lovely walk – we’ll do again sometime without the mistakes

Next week even Laurie can’t go wrong with this one

Meet at Chapel en le Frith Station at 9.45 walk up to the Iron Age fort round the ridge and call for beers at a suitably expensive pub in Combs (Beehive?) –those who need more drink can use a pub in Whaley Bridge on the way home(Cock?)

Leave you with a view of the mill bridge over the Manifold

Marple

MARPLE

April 6, 2016

MARPLE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, MARPLE AQUEDUCT, REDBROW WOOD, ETHEROW COUNTRY PARK, ERNOCROFT WOOD, MILL BROW, MELLOR CHURCH, MELLOR, MARPLE

Distance: 10 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Mainly fine and dry. Some hail briefly

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Graham Hadfield, George Whaites

B walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Malcolm Smith, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (electrical inspection at pub), Alan Hart (Caledonian Canal), George Dearsley (Turkey)

Leaders: Fairman and (sometimes) Davison​Diarist: Beal

Start point: Main road at Marple Rec 

Start time: 9.35am ​Finish: 1.34pm

Today's excursion could well have been dubbed The Samuel Oldknow Memorial Walk. We passed several remnants of the 18th-century industrialist's local empire and ended at a new drinking establishment in Marple named after him (more of Samuel Oldknow later).

The walk was somewhat curtailed when our planned refreshment stop at the Devonshire Arms in Mellor turned out to be closed. Later research by Colin revealed that the pub is in relatively new hands and closes only on Wednesday lunchtimes, when the landlady apparently does something she can't do at any other time.

Another gloomy weather forecast turned out to be over-pessimistic and apart from one brief flurry of hail we enjoyed fine weather.

The walk was essentially a circuit of the junction of the Goyt and Etherow valleys, which converge near Brabyns Park. As late as the early 20th century the confluence was regarded as the start of the River Mersey - but later wisdom moved this down to the centre of Stockport.

We turned right from our parking place on the main road at Marple recreation ground (possibly a first) and immediately reached the bridge spannng the Peak Forest canal at a point four locks down on the 16-lock flight. We turned right down the towpath and passed, on our right, Samuel Oldknow's imposing former warehouse, now flats and offices.

Lancastrian Samuel (1756-1828) was at one time the country's biggest muslin manufacturer, operating out of Stockport. He bought land in Mellor and Marple in a bold enterprise to create a self-supporting community combining industry and agriculture.

His development included a mill, a factory estate, coal pits, quarrying and lime kilns. He bought herds of beef and dairy cattle, introduced the Merino sheep and drained the pastures. His mill at Mellor once employed 2,000 people. He actively promoted the construction of the Peak Forest canal.

His vision was to create a project like his friend Richard Arkwright's village at Cromford, near Matlock. But he was less fortunate and died with debts of £206,000.

We crossed the Marple to Marple Bridge road and continued down the flight of locks, which carry the canal down a drop of 200 feet in a distance of a mile-and-a-quarter.

This brought us to the Marple Aqueduct, 90 feet above the River Goyt and the highest in England. It is also the highest masonry-arch aqueduct in Britain, outdone only by Telford's 120-foot high Pontcysyllte metal structure near Llangollen.

At the end of the aqueduct (28 minutes) we turned sharp left down steps which brought us under the aqueduct to the bank of the Goyt. We turned left alongside the water before striking uphill left across an exceptionally muddy paddock that brought us to Upper Watermeetings Farm.

We crossed the first of so many stiles encountered during the day that your diarist will make no attempt to detail them all. Signs proclaimed we were following the Valley Way and also the Midshires Way, which for some peculiar reason links Bledlow in Buckinghamshire with Stockport.

The Goyt completed a wide sweep to rejoin us from the right and we continued along its bank through the nature reserve of Redbrow Wood. We passed a weir and reached the Romiley road a short distance from the site of the George pub, a former Wanderers' starting point, but sadly no more (55min).

We turned left for a short distance before turning right in to the bottom of the Etherow Country Park (60min). We soon reached the large lake on our left where Laurie identified sand martins swooping low over the water. We also admired many Mandarin ducks that have made the park their home.

We continued up the canalised Etherow before reaching a large weir with a convenient bench and shelter, where pietime was declared (73min).

A leisurely 12 minutes later - Tom was absent - we crossed the bridge over the weir and turned right up a good track climbing steadily through Ernocroft Wood. This bore sharply left up a steep slope to emerge on the Marple to Glossop road (96min).

We turned right and soon crossed the road to take a stile in to a field (more mud), where we climbed to a house at the former Ernocroft Farm. We followed a lane to the left which became a track to bring us to the hamlet of Mill Brow on a lane grandly named as Hollywood Road (126min).

We turned left here and immediately right along a footpath taking us past a large goose farm on our right. We reached a junction of tracks at which there was a discussion between Colin, who now seemed to have seized control, and Laurie over the best way to Mellor Church.

We turned left up a track, crossed a steep field, and reached Townscliffe Farm, from where the grassy path over two fields to the church could be clearly seen. We turned right and left around the farm to climb up to St Thomas's Church (148min), noted for having the oldest wooden pulpit in England, hewn from a single oak.

There was no time to seek to admire this, for the Devonshire Arms beckoned. We reached the pub by walking through the churchyard and turning right and then left down the lane, which crossed a stream and climbed up a track to reach the Marple Bridge to Mellor road (165min).

We were dismayed to find the pub shut, at which point Colin buried his head in his hands and denied responsibility for the whole walk.

We decided to head for Marple by the most direct route. This involved taking the road downhill towards Marple Bridge for around a mile and turning left on a track at the Royal Oak pub (also shut).

We immediately turned left in to Old Mill Lane and followed a track downhill to reach Bottoms Hall on our left and the Roman Lakes, which in fact were the millponds for Oldknow's aforementioned mill (210min).

We turned right and slanted up a track with the railway line above us on the left. We emerged on a residential road and turned left to reach the recreation ground (228min).

After debooting we walked the short distance to Marple's Market Street precinct and the Samuel Oldknow, which had been open for less than two weeks and was described by one of its owners as a "compact pub". Apparently he didn't like the term micro-brewery.

Most of the party enjoyed the excellent Anagram pale ale from the Cryptic Brewery at a very reasonable £2-80 a pint. We were joined by the SOB walkers, who had completed a circuit of around 4 miles from Brabyns Park via the Roman Lakes.

Laurie will lead next week's walk, starting at the public car park at Wettonmill in the Derbyshire Dales at 10am.

*** For any Wanderers who might not have seen Colin's message, the funeral of sadly-missed former Wanderer Frank Dudley will be at 11.30am on Tuesday, April 12, at St George's Church, Poynton. Afterwards at the sports club. RIP Frank.