Rushton Spencer

June 1, 2016.

RUSHTON SPENCER, CHURNET VALLEY RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), DUKE’S WELL, BOSLEY CLOUD, POOL BANK MILL, THE COACH AND HORSES AT TIMBERSBROOK, LLAMALAND, FLOWERY FIELDS FARM, DEEPDALE HOUSE, THE OLD SMITHY. ST LAWRENCE’S CHURCH, RUSHTON, AND THE KNOTT INN, RUSHTON SPENCER

Distance: 11 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry and cloudy but with good visibility.

Walkers: Ron Buck, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (hols in Majorca), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Graham Hadfield (back injury), Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free municipal car park at rear of the car park of The Knott Inn, Rushton Spencer, Staffs.

Starting time: 9.45am.

Finishing time: 3.20pm.

It was not clear whether a malevolent farmer had blocked off a right of way or whether we had followed a wrong path. In any event we took an hour longer than expected to finish this walk around the Staffordshire-Cheshire border.

Fortunately we enjoyed good walking weather beneath a cloudy sky which threatened rain from time to time but never materialised. We also had some further adventures with cattle, but Tips has gained in her confidence, barking her threats if any cows looked menacing.

Tom also had his moment when a huge flock of sheep enveloped him and we could hardly hear his cheery cry of “*^^* off” above the sound of bleating.

From the car park we headed back past The Knott Inn pub on our right and the former Rushton Station on our left.

This was built in 1844 five years before the North Staffordshire Railway’s Churnet Valley Line was opened, linking North Rode to Uttoxeter with 14 stations over 27 miles. The line closed to passengers in 1965 and to freight in 1968.

On the far side of the road we followed the disused railway before turning left down a flight of wooden steps (13mins). We carried on at the foot of the steps across a field and went over a stone footbridge across a stream (14mins).

We crossed another footbridge (23mins) and two wooden stiles leading to a farm track where we turned left (31mins). We turned left again at a wooden public footpath sign next to a wooden stile marked “Gritstone Trail” (40mins)

After crossing a wooden stile and walking along two sets of planking (51mins) we crossed a wooden stile to reach a road (53mins). Here we turned left before passing Duke’s Well on our right and following a wooden public footpath sign just beyond it to turn right (55mins). We turned right yet again up a flight of stone steps (59mins) and reached the summit of Bosley Cloud marked by a Trig Point (65mins)

In good visibility we spent six minutes admiring the various landmarks illustrated by a map on the TP, including The Wrekin which is 39 miles away.

We then left our lofty perch (71mins) and went left downhill into some woods, in the middle of which we stopped for Pietime (82mins). Resuming, we exited the woods by turning left down a steep flight of steps (95mins). This brought us to a road where we turned left (97mins).

At the sign for the village of Timbersbrook, Lawrie deemed it expedient to introduce a loop which would prevent us from reaching the pub before it opened so we turned right into Weathercock Lane (101mins). We turned left (107mins) to follow a Gritstone Trail marker which took us around Pool Bank Mill.

On the far side of the farm buildings we went through a kissing gate to enter a field (110mins), and passed through three more before heading through a wooden gate to cross a farm track. This brought us to a wooden stile and two stone step stiles which we crossed and turned left uphill to reach a road (121mins).

We turned right and reached The Coach and Horses on our right (126mins), where Tom judged the Robinsons’ Unicorn bitter at £3-30 a pint to be “average.” He was more impressed with the huge ham sandwich and chunky chips, smothered in mayonnaise, which are part of his new dietary regime.

Suitably refreshed we left the pub’s beer garden and its panoramic views to reach the main road and turn left uphill. After 100 yards we turned right into Cherry Lane (128mins), attracting the attention of two llamas who galloped over to see us. Passing Llamaland on our left, we joined a road by turning right (132mins), later crossing to the left hand side (141mins) to cross a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow.

We crossed another wooden stile and carried straight ahead along a farm track (153mins). This took us past Flowery Fields Farm and Long Edge House, both on our left (160mins). We turned right at an oak tree where we went down some overgrown steps to cross a wooden stile and enter a field (167mins).

It was here that Tom was surrounded by a flock of besotted ewes and their lambs like a male stripper on a Hen Night. He escaped their unwelcome attentions through a small gate into the next field (169mins). Lunch was taken on a mound next to a wooden stile (171mins). We crossed the stile to enter a field and left it by another stile and a footbridge, crossing another wooden stile and then a double stile (176mins).

We reached and followed a path left (179mins), and climbed a gate to leave the field (182mins). This brought us to a road where we turned right, passing Deepdale House (191mins) before crossing the road and turning left up steps and over a wooden stile at a wooden public footpath sign (192mins).

After crossing two wooden stiles we found ourselves trapped in the corner of a field, doubling back to go through an open gate and head for the corner of the next field. This time we decided to risk emasculation by climbing over the barbed wire fence (210mins).

We reached a main road (216mins) and turned left, passing The Old Smithy on our right (219mins). Opposite Dingle Lane on our right we turned left following a sign for the parish church (221mins). We turned right at a sign for Rushton Parish Church (228mins).

There has been a church here since 1368 and St Lawrence’s Church, a Grade 2 listed building, was rebuilt in sandstone in the 17th Century. Because of its remote location it was known as “the chapel in the wilderness.”

We passed the church on our left and walked through the graveyard before plunging steeply downhill. We followed the beaten path to a kissing gate leading over a bridge. We crossed the bridge and turned immediately right to drop down, turn right and go under the bridge (237mins). We were now on another section of the disused Churnet Valley Line which soon led us back to our cars  (242mins).

Next week’s walk will start at 9.50pm from outside the Queens Arms at Taddington, Derbyshire. We intend to reach the Church Inn at Chelmorton around 12.15pm for a bracer before returning to the Queens Arms at 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !