Longnor

June 15, 2016.

LONGNOR, CHROME HILL, HOLLINSCLOUGH, FERNYDALE FARM, THE QUIET WOMAN AT EARL STERNDALE, BEGGAR’S BRIDGE, LONGNOR AND THE PACK HORSE INN AT CROWDECOTE

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy but mostly dry with occasional light drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Alan Hart and Jock Rooney with Tips.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (in Japan), Colin Davison (circumnavigating Great Britain and Northern Ireland), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing), Mark Gibby (in Kent), Graham Hadfield (in France), John Jones (painting narrowboat) and George Whaites (injured back: in Spain).

Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Main cobbled square in Longnor, Staffs.

Starting time: 10.02am. Finishing time: 2.42pm.

An impressive list of exotic holiday locations took their toll on the numbers for this walk from Longnor, our second visit to the Staffordshire market town in three weeks. On this occasion, instead of heading south-east towards Hartington, we aimed north-east for Earl Sterndale.

Following the sunshine of a week ago and the torrential rain at the weekend, this was a predominantly grey day with a hint of drizzle. Nevertheless there was clear visibility as we wandered through some spectacular scenery.

As we assembled in the main cobbled square in Longnor, a sign above the Craft Centre informed us of the prices charged for buyers and sellers on market days. This was dated 1903and signed by Sir Varney Harpur Crewe, baronet and lord of the manor. Clearly such names are not only to be found in the fictional novels of Dickens and Austen.

After waiting for Tom to perform his lengthy ablutions, we went past the public toilets adjoining the square and headed up Chapel Street. At its end we turned left and immediately right up Lane Head (1min). A set of wooden steps on our right (2mins) led us into and across a field and over a wooden stile (7mins).

We reached a narrow gap stile (13mins) which promised to be a challenge for Tom’s muscular thighs, but he overcame the challenge and the stile by climbing over it. We continued uphill to a road where we turned right (19mins).

This took us uphill past a set of traffic lights until we reached a wooden public footpath sign on our left (26mins). We followed this along a gravel track and crossed a wooden stile (31mins) and then a wooden footbridge (35mins). Our route was taking us past the left shoulder of Chrome Hill

We exited the field by a wooden gate and reached a gravel path where we turned left (39mins). After crossing another wooden footbridge (44mins) we went through a metal gate (48mins) and passed the Hollinsclough Church of England Academy on our right (59mins). (In olden days these used to be called primary schools).

Jock led us to two convenient benches opposite Hollinsclough Methodist Chapel where we paused for pies (61mins). Resuming, we turned left uphill and then right at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (64mins).

We crossed a footbridge (68mins), went through a metal gate and joined a public bridleway which merged from our left (84mins). After crossing a cattlegrid to reach a lane, Jock was obliged to consult his map – always a bad sign – before directing us through a gap stile on our right (86mins).

This proved to be a mistake when we found ourselves heading back to Chrome Hill, so we retraced our footsteps back to the gap stile and turned right (96mins). We continued along the lane until we reached a wooden stile marked with a white arrow on our right (99mins). We crossed this and went through a wooden gate (100mins). 

Our route took us through a gap stile (102mins), an open gate by the side of a wooden public footpath sign (104mins), across a cattle-grid (105mins) to a T-junction where we turned right (108mins). We followed this path until turning left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (125mins).

A steep climb took us through a wooden gate at the top of a hill where we followed the direction of a yellow arrow on the gate (129mins). By this stage we had lost our leader, who had gone back to retrieve a forgotten stick. (After all that practice one wonders why he didn’t shout “Tips: Fetch.”)

With our first target of Earl Sterndale in sight, we were able to carry on leaderless over a stone step stile (133mins) and head downhill with a drystone wall on our right. Two metal gates were negotiated as we reached a lane and turned right (139mins).

We went straight ahead at a crossroads (148mins), passing Fernydale Farm on our left (150mins) to reach the village, whose sign had lost three letters, thereby transforming it into The Viking-sounding name of Arl Sternda.

We soon arrived at The Quiet Woman pub on our right (152mins), whose inn sign depicted a decapitated lady. (Surely it can only be a matter of time before the PC brigade take action against this blatant piece of male chauvinism. We look forward to hearing Julian’s view)

The Marstons’ cask bitter at £3 a pint was deemed to be below standard by our sommelier, Tom, although he seemed to enjoy the pub’s pie: another example of his radical new diet.

We continued our walk by turning left and left again out of the pub to its rear and headed uphill through a gate into a field full of tups. We crossed a concrete and bar stile (155mins) to enter the next field and after crossing a stone step stile (158mins) we turned left to follow a wooden public footpath sign.

After crossing another stone step stile (160mins) we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign to descend steeply downhill  (161mins). We went through a wooden gate down steps (166mins) and paused for lunch (168mins). Continuing afterwards, we turned left through a wooden gate and then a metal gate (171mins) which took us through a farmyard (175mins).

We turned right at a public bridleway (179mins) and crossed Beggar’s Bridge (183mins). This took us through a field to a metal gate by the side of a barn, where we turned left to join a concrete path uphill (192mins). After going through a metal gate we passed some farm buildings (196mins) and headed downhill (197mins).

This brought us to the main road through Longnor with the Cheshire Cheese in sight on our right (199mins). We reached our cars (200mins) and de-booted. Your leader and diarist repaired to The Pack Horse Inn at Crowdecote in our respective cars and were welcomed with a choice of beers at £3 a pint just before their 3pm closing time.

Next week’s walk will start from Sheldon, Derbyshire, at 9.55am. If you pass The Cock and Pullet (an unfortunate name) on your left, there is roadside parking available further on where we can assemble. It is our intention to head through Lathkilldale to reach The Bull’s Head at Monyash around 12.30pm and return for a further libation at The Cock and Pullet at about 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !