Longnor

May 25, 2016.

LONGNOR, FOLDS END FARM, RIVERSIDE, BRUND, STEEN, DOVE VALLEY, THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS AT HARTINGTON, BANK TOP FARM, PILSBURY CASTLE, CROWDECOTE, LONGNOR

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy with occasional light drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Terry Jowett, Jock Rooney with Tips,  and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (w*^king), Colin Davison (sailing round British Isles),George Dearsley (in Turkey), Graham Hadfield (back injury).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Main square opposite The Crewe and Harpur pub in Longnor, Staffs.

Starting time: 10.02am. Finishing time: 2.54pm.

Lawrie may have put in a near flawless performance during a week of leading us on our recent hiking holiday in Bulgaria. But it took him only a minute to get lost in Staffordshire ! He then compounded this mistake towards the end of our journey when he insisted on ignoring a 16th Century pub selling locally brewed real ale in favour of a tavern back in Longnor. I need hardly tell you, dear readers, that this hostelry was closed. The old proverb about a bird’s bush in your hand springs to mind.

Forecasts of persistent rain proved unduly pessimistic, although it was a rather drab day despite the sparkling company. We also had some interesting encounters with cattle and Tips displayed some rarely-seen aggression as she put a herd of menacing cows to flight.

On the history front we were somewhat underwhelmed by the sight of Pilsbury Castle, which joins a long list of Iron Age forts which are little more than mounds of earth. Neverthless excited archaeologists have deemed the “castle” to be a scheduled Ancient Monument.

From the cobbled square facing The Crewe and Harpur we turned left towards Crowdecote and reached Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – earmarked as our final watering hole – on our left (1min). We turned right opposite the pub and wandered round a cosy estate of cottages before Lawrie realised he had peaked too early. We returned to the main road and walked a further 50 yards before turning right at a public footpath sign for Brund (6mins).

This took us through Fold Ends Farm and we then followed a wooden public footpath sign marked for Brund via Riverside (9mins). The route took us through a series of gates and gap stiles before entering a field and our first encounter with cattle. A brown bull was guarding a herd of cows but something must have sapped its energy because he wandered out of our way in a manner lacking mucho in machismo.

We crossed a gravel track and exited the field via a wooden stile (28mins). We went through a wooden gate (31mins) then followed a wooden public footpath sign for Pool and Brund (34mins). After passing through a gap stile and a metal gate (36mins) we entered a field over a wooden stile and crossed a stream by a footbridge (39mins).

The onward path led us through a wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow (40mins), a gap stile (42mins), and a stone step stile (45mins) which we crossed and turned left. We opened a wooden five-barred gate to reach a road and turned right (48mins). This brought us to a crossroads when we stopped for Pietime (58mins).

We continued by going straight on across the four-way junction which brought us to a T-junctionwhere we turned right (75mins) to enter the village of Sheen. In a field on our left just before the parish church was a strange collection of what appeared to be agricultural machinery with pulleys, chains around trees and a series of large metal hoops in the ground. We speculated in vain about their purpose.

St Luke’s Church had served the parish for many centuries before it was rebuilt in 1851. Soon after passing it on our left we turned left at a wooden gate on the right side of a driveway (80mins). We went through two wooden gates and a double stile (89mins), through a gap stile (92mins) and a wooden gate (94mins) to catch a view of Hartington in the distance.

We approached by going down a gully, over a wooden stile, and crossing a farm track to go through a wooden gate (97mins). A footbridge took us over the River Dove and thereby into Derbyshire. A gap stile and four wooden gates later (108mins) we turned left at a road to enter the pretty village of Hartington.

We passed Stable Cottage, an impressive three-bedroomed property, on our right. The asking price is £595,000.

We soon reached The Devonshire Arms (109mins), where pints of Black Sheep and Old Speckled Hen bitter were in good form at £3-50.

Hartington boasts a 13th Century parish church, St Giles, and 17th Century Hartington Hall. It also lays claim to having nearby the finest Neolithic Stone Circle in the Peak District at Arbor Low. The village has been known for mining ironstone, limestone, lead and for cheese-making.

Suitably refreshed we headed for Pilsbury with the village duck pond on our left and forked right uphill (116mins) to pass Bank Top Farm on our left (125mins). After pasing through a metal gate (136mins) we paused for lunch (138mins). 

Continuing we went through another metal gate (154mins) and carried on along a public bridleway (156mins) before turning left through a kissing gate (162mins). We soon reached the site called Pilsbury Castle, which comprises two grassy mounds and a collection of stones which are probably the remains of a tower.

Pilsbury Castle is believed to have been an Iron Age fortification which was used by the Normans in their campaign to “harry the North” following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It stood on land given by William The Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers, who built other castles at Tutbury and Duffield.

It may also have been used during a period known as The Anarchy in the 12th Century when the de Ferrers supported “King” Stephen while the neighbouring Earl of Chester advanced the cause of “Empress” Matilda. The motte and bailey castle appears to have been destroyed and subsequently abandoned towards the end of that century but is now the subject of an archaeological “dig.”

After resisting the temptation to climb the path to the castle, we continued along the route through a wooden gate (168mins) with the distinctive summit of Chrome Edge in the middle distance directly ahead. It was at this point we entered a field of frisky cows who took exception to the presence of Tips. In an impressive display of fierce barking and teeth baring, our normally gentle collie routed the 20 aggressive cows who galloped away in terror.

After crossing a stone step stile (181mins) we reached a road. Some 20 yards to our right was The Pack Horse Inn at Crowdecote, but Lawrie was decisive. We would ignore this historic country pub and turn left to have our final drink in Longnor.

To get there we crossed a bridge over the Dove (182mins), thereby returning to Staffordshire and entered Longnor (194mins). We reached Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (197mins) at 2.53pm but it was closed.

We had once enjoyed a choice of four different pubs in Longnor, the others being The Grapes (closed down), The Crewe and Harpur (closed at weekday lunchtimes) and The Horseshoe (closed and sporting a For Sale sign). 

Next week’s walk will start at 9.50am from the public car park behind The Knot Inn at Rushton Spencer, Staffs. It is anticipated that after scaling the summit of Bosley Cloud we will reach the Coach and Horses at Timbersbrook around 12.15pm before returning to The Knot at about 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !

Bulgaria

May 12-19, 2016.

WEDNESDAY WANDERERS INTERNATIONAL FORMATION DRINKING TEAM TRIP TO BULGARIA

Distance: Averaging 14 miles a day.

Difficulty: Variable.

Weather: Mostly blue skies and sunshine: occasional showers.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Peter Johnson, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Main Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Grami Hotel, Bansko, Bulgaria.

Tom has come in for considerable criticism over the years for his cavalier approach to the organising of trips and walks which he often fails to attend. So it with great pleasure that we congratulate him on the flawless execution of his planning of this cultural mission to the former Soviet Bloc country.

Tour polo shirts were distributed as promised at Manchester Airport before we set off for our 3 hours 20 minutes flight to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. The cost for the return flights with Easyjet  were less than £85 for those who decided they could manage for a week with only hand luggage.

(Those of us who had concerns about our personal daintiness paid an extra £35 to take more than one change of clothing).

Despite learning after the booking that May was the wettest month in Bulgaria, we enjoyed hours of glorious sunshine and blue skies in the most spectacular scenery.

Bansko is situated in south-west Bulgaria at the foot of the Pirin Mountains. The town is 3,500 feet above sea level and the 47 miles of ski slopes start from a lift-served summit at 8,500 feet.

According to legend, Bansko was founded by the villagers of Dobarsko in Rila, who were the survivors of the army of Samuel, Emperor of Bulgaria from 997 -1014. He had early successes in battles against Croatia and Hungary, but was driven back by the Byzantines under their leader, Basil The Second. 

When his troops won the Battle of Kleidion in 1014, Basil ordered that the 15,000 captured Bulgarian soldiers should be blinded. He instructed that one in every 100 should be left one-eyed so they could lead the others home. It was these men who founded first Dobarsko and then Bansko.

There was a hitch at Sofia Airport when our ordered minivan driver failed to materialise. Just before his arrival 15 minutes late, there was an amusing scene reminiscent of Robert de Niro in the movie classic Taxi Driver.

When Tom was approached by another cabbie seeking our business , he told the Bulgarian we wanted to go to Bansko and that we had booked a minivan. The driver shook his head, and Tom temporarily forgot that Bulgaria is the only country in the world where people shake their heads for Yes and nod their heads for No. Consequently Tom demanded belligerently “What are you shaking your head at me for ?” When the bemused driver failed to respond, Tom repeated the question in the style of de Niro. Your diarist stepped in to defuse a potential diplomatic incident.

This was to prove our only misunderstanding with the friendly natives, who gave us warm welcomes wherever we wandered. This was especially true at the Grami Hotel in Bansko, a 2 hour 20 minute drive from the airport.

Our single, en-suite rooms, complete with balcony and colour TVs which, I am told, offered a choice of three different porn channels, cost just 10 Euros a night for bed and breakfast. The total cost per person was the equivalent of £58 for a week-long stay.

Beer was just under £1 per pint and at one nearby village we paid a total of £40 for 12 pints of beer, 2 pints of cider, seven starters and seven main courses.

Our walks ranged from climbs and descents of the snow-capped mountains, with drinks and lunches available in wooden huts, to flat walks to the nearby villages. Not much English was spoken and we soon found that unless you specified otherwise, the starters and main courses were likely to arrive together. 

There was also an element of “menu roulette” with no guarantee that you would always get what you ordered, but the service was friendly and the food was both good and plentiful.

Reaching the villages could appear hazardous when we passed herds of cattle or flocks of sheep in the fields. They are guarded by huge Alpine dogs who are employed to keep wolves and bears at bay. The sight of them barking out warnings from a few feet away might have alarmed lesser men, but the Wednesday Wanderers never flinched.

Lawrie enhanced his reputation as a leader during a week in which we rarely put a foot wrong or took a backward step. Meanwhile Julian and Mark were the star hikers when they marched 5,000 feet up the mountain and 5,000 feet down again in one day.

Bulgaria will be a hard act to follow for the quality and variety of its walks, its scenery and, above all, its value for money. But there is talk of a further adventure in Benidorm in January or February, 2017.

Happy wandering !

Whaley Bridge

May 11, 2016

THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD TRAMWAY, TAXAL CHURCH, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, PYM CHAIR, DUNGE VALLEY GARDENS, THE SWAN AT KETTLESHULME, TODDBROOK RESERVOIR, WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 9 miles​Ascent/descent: 1,643ft

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Cloudy but dry and bright. Mild

Walkers: Peter Beal, Laurie Fairman

Leader: Fairman​Diarist: Beal

Apologies: Alan Hart ( 'various factors'), Graham Hadfield (bad back), George Whaites (painters in), Tom Cunliffe (unknown), George Dearsley (Turkey), Mickey Barrett (sailing off Turkey), Colin Davison (sailing round Britain)

Start: The Cock Inn, Whaley Bridge

Starting time: 9.35am​Finishing time: 2.20pm

A sparse turn-out indeed for this week's walk above the Goyt Valley, perhaps influenced by some of the Wanderers girding their loins, or just packing, for their walking trip to Bulgaria the following day.

The remaining duo were rewarded with pleasant weather and delightful countryside, although long-distance views were spoiled by a thick haze.

Sadly, one of our objectives, the gardens at once renowned Dunge Valley, famous for its rhododendrons, seemed to have fallen in to disrepair, although there were some fine specimens still on show.

En route we also gleaned an update on the progress of Colin on his round-Britain sailing odyssey. He reported he had reached Northern Ireland on his way to the Scottish Isles. All sounded well as he was drinking beer.

We left the Cock and turned immediately left up a narrow footpath to the Cromford tramway, where we turned right along a familiar route, under a tunnel, and at a residential development took a path to the right which brought us out at the main Whaley to Buxton Road.

We crossed this to take a track immediately opposite and dropped down to cross the River Goyt by a footbridge. A steep pull uphill on a metalled track brought us to Taxal Church (25 minutes).

We turned left and almost immediately right, through a gate which took us in to a field going uphill. We crossed a stile and passed through a broken section of drystone wall to emerge on a lane (35min).

We turned left here and immediately right on a path slanting on to the open moorland. We climbed steadily through the sparse heather and reached Taxal Nick, a slight depression in the ridge (45min).

Here we turned left and passed through a small gate, keeping just below the ridge on our left, heading for Windgather Rocks, the outline of which could be seen on the skyline ahead of us.

We bypassed a farm on our right and went through a metal gate and over a stile on to open grassland. A steady climb brought us to Windgather Rocks (60 min). Here a party of hard-hatted schoolchildren were just arriving to be introduced to the thrills of rockclimbing. They looked less than enthusiastic.

Pietime would normally be declared here, but as it was only 10.35 we pressed on along the ridge, which eventually leads to Shining Tor, Cheshire's highest point. A short distance further on we crossed a stile to the adjoining minor road, to avoid the boggy ground ahead.

We reached the junction of minor roads at Pym Chair (85 min),where we declared a leisurely 15-minute pietime, enjoying the fact there were no big boys present urging us onwards.

We turned right, steeply downhill and shortly after a copse of conifers, followed a footpath sign in to a field on our right (90 min). We soon reached a farm, where we spotted a stile party hidden in a corner to our right.

We crossed this and followed the path through fields, over three more stiles, before reaching two metal kissing gates that brought us to Dunge Farm, the site of Dunge Valley Gardens, famous for its rhododendrons and azaleas (120 min).

The gardens had a run-down and almost abandoned feel to them, despite once being listed in the collection of Great British Gardens. Research found that the owners were retiring and announced that the gardens would only be open on weekends this summer if help could be found to restore them to a safe and viable state.Sadly, this seems not to be the case and they would appear to be doomed.

We walked through the collections of buildings, spotting some rhododendrons in bloom, and followed a track which became a metalled lane. This brought us to a crossroads at Fivelaneends (the fifth route was a track) and we continued straight on. We followed this until reaching a stile on our left, which took us in to a grassy, wooded valley, where we followed the stream downhill before reaching a track where we turned right.

Very soon a snicket on the left brought us out in to the rear yard of The Swan at Kettleshulme (160 min). As usual, this was busy with diners and we settled happily on benches outside. Marston's Bitter was £3-20 a pint.

Resuming, we crossed the Whaley to Macclesfield road and followed a footpath sign through the busy nursery opposite, passing an imposing house on our right. We turned right down the lane and followed this for some distance until dropping down to a bridge over the Todd Brook.

Just before the bridge we took a stile on the right and followed a path through the woods, high above the stream, before dropping down to a stretch of extremely boggy ground at the head of the Toddbrook reservoir (185 min).

Here our route forward would previously have involved a scramble up a four-foot-high wall of masonry housing a sluice in to the reservoir. Happily, during the course of replacing the machinery the kind souls have incorporated a ladder.

We crossed the almost dry stream bed, climbed the ladder and continued along the left bank of the very full reservoir before reaching the dam wall. Here we dropped down right through Whaley Bridge's Memorial Park to emerge near The Cock and our cars (205 min).

The next walk, on Wednesday, May 25, will start at Longnor at 9.45am with drinks afterwards at The Cheshire Cheese around 2.20pm. Discussions about an en-route venue are still ongoing.

**Your temporary diarist is not going to Bulgaria but will go for a walk next Wednesday, May 18, anyway. Anyone wishing to join me on The Not The Bulgaria Walk Walk, should meet outside the George in Hayfield at 9.30am.

Happy wandering!

Bollington

May 4, 2016.

BOLLINGTON, CHESHIRE HUNT HOUSE, ANDREWS NOB, FURTHER HARROP FARM, ROUND KNOLL FARM, OLD BLUE BOAR FARM, WIMBERRY MOSS FARM, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, THE VIRGINS’ PATH, WAULKMILL WATERFALL AT INGERSLEY VALE AND THE CHURCH HOUSE INN AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Blue skies and sunshine: cold wind on the hills.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

Apologies:  Mickey Barrett (sailing off Turkish coast) Colin Davison (sailing round British Isles), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Julian Ross (injured ankle). 

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free public car park opposite Spinners Arms, Bollington.

Starting time: 9.30am. Finishing time: 2.10pm.

After a largely cold, often wet and mostly miserable April, the weather improved considerably for this walk around the attractive hills and valleys of east Cheshire. What a contrast the warm sunshine made to last week’s walk through a hailstorm.

On that occasion even the hardiest hikers were driven indoors by wintry weather which had persisted into the middle of spring. This time we sat outside in pub gardens basking in glorious summery sunshine.

Tom entertained us at Pietime when he toppled off a tussock of grass and struck his head on a drystone wall. Happily the wall was not badly damaged.

We were also able to raise a toast the “The Foxes” – the plucky Leicester City team which won the Premiership against all odds and landed a substantial bet for your diarist.

From the car park where we turned left, two of us purchased hot pies from the F.Smith bakery on our right before reaching the roundabout and crossing it into Ingersley Road (5mins). We passed The Cotton Tree and The Poachers Inn on our right before turning right up Hedge Row (15mins). This took us past Cheshire Hunt House, formerly The Cheshire Hunt pub, on our left. Just past it we turned left through a wooden gate and followed a sign for The Gritstone Trail (16mins)

We passed through a series of metal kissing gates, crossed a tiny hump-backed bridge, and headed uphill through a wood. We left it by a metal gate and turned right, continuing along The Gritstone Trail (36mins).

The Gritstone Trail is 35 miles long, starting from Disley Station, going through Lyme Park, Sponds Hill, Tegg’s Nose Country Park, Croker Hill, Mow Cop and ending at Kidsgrove Station.

From our vantage point we could see across the valley to White Nancy, Jodrell Bank, the city of Manchester, and a Vulcan aircraft on the tarmac of Woodford Aerodrome, which is in the process of being redeveloped with nearly 1,000 new houses.

We crossed a cattlegrid and followed the GT signs as we mounted Andrews Nob and reached a track which we followed right (52mins). This brought us to a road where we turned right (59mins). The road took us past Further Harrop Farm on our right (65mins) and when we reached a road we turned right (70mins).

After 60 yards we turned left and crossed a wooden stile marked with a white arrow (71mins). We were walking along a Permissive Path and soon heading towards the distinctive conical shape of Shutlingsloe in the distance (87mins). As we followed the ridge with splendid views all around us, there was a cold wind in our faces.

Pietime was declared (92mins) after we crossed used a double stile to cross a drystone wall which offered limited shelter from the icy blast. Before we could start tucking into pies and rum and blackcurrant, Tom had created much mirth, followed by deep concern, when he tried to emulate Miss Muffett with comical consequences as he toppled backwards with his legs in the air. He was immediately transformed from Miss Muffett to Humpty Dumpty.

Resuming we headed downhill, through a metal kissing gate (96mins) and crossed three wooden stiles in quick succession before passing Round Knoll Farm on our right (113mins). We reached a road and turned right (116mins) passing Old Blue Boar Farm on our right (118mins). At the junction of Ewrin Lane and Pike Road we turned left towards Rainow (120mins).

We passed Common Barn Farm on our left (124mins) and at the entrance to Wimberry Moss Farm on our right we went over a stone step stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign (130mins). We then crossed a series of five stiles – ladder, wood and stone – to reach a road where we turned right (138mins).

After 30 yards we turned left over a wooden stile and a stone step stile (140mins) followed by five stiles in nine minutes (149mins). We used a stone flag to cross a stream (150mins) then crossed four stiles in four minutes to reach a road (154mins). We turned right (155mins) and reached The Robin Hood at Rainow on our right (156mins).

Here we had a choice of Bass, Thwaites or Titanic for £3-15 a pint, enjoyed in the sun-soaked beer garden. The Bass and Thwaites were tested and deemed to be excellent. There was near unanimous approval for granting the pub the accolade of a Wednesday Wanderers’ certificate. Peter demurred on the ground that they were using one of the rooms near the bar as a beauty salon – not the sort of innovation readily welcomed by a Yorkshireman. He was automatically outvoted by the Lancastrians present.

Continuing our journey, we walked from the back of the pub into Stocks Lane, passing the village stocks on our left before turning right into Chapel Lane (159mins). We turned right into Sugar Lane (162mins), passing The Old Hall on the left before turning right at a wooden public footpath sign indicating a flagged path behind a row of cottages (165mins). 

This was the start of what is known as The Bridal Path or The Virgins’ Path. It was used until two centuries ago by brides-to-be on their wedding days to reach the parish church in Bollington. Before Rainow got its own church, they had to walk two miles through the fields. Athoughtful farmer laid flagstones along the route so the local maidens arrived with their dresses unsullied by mud.

At the end of the path we reached Waulkmill Waterfall at Ingersley Vale (177mins) where we paused for lunch and admired this lovely local feature. Resuming we continued past the derelict Ingersley Vale Mill (181mins) on our right, a millpond on our left and turned right at The Crown pub (187mins).

This brought us to The Church House Inn for further refreshment (190mins).

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from the road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge. We are aiming to reach The Swan at Kettleshulme for a bracer at 12.30pm before returning to The Cock at about 2.20pm.

The following day the Wednesday Wanderers’ international formation drinking team will be heading for Bulgaria on a week-long cultural mission.

Happy wandering !