Taddington

TADDINGTON, BRAMWELL MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, FLAGG, PASTURE BARN, THE DUKE OF YORK AT POMEROY, THE CHURCH INN AT CHELMORTON, BANK PIT SPRING, SOUGH TOP, THE QUEENS ARMS AT TADDINGTON

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mixture of cloud, blue skies and sunshine.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart and Jock Rooney with Tips.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (w*^king on house),Colin Davison (sailing round British Isles), George Dearsley (in Turkey),Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing), Graham Hadfield and George Whaites (both injured), Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The Queens Arms at Taddington, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2.30pm  

A variety of injuries, jobs and holidays reduced our numbers for this walk, which proved that sometimes flat can be beautiful. Apart from a steady climb at the start and another at the beginning of our second leg, this route had little in the way of undulations. Nevertheless we were able to appreciate the beauty of the English countryside in the summer, accompanied by the call of the curlew.

In the absence of Lawrie, Jock modestly accepted the crown of leadership, while protesting he was not worthy and probably incapable of reaching our watering holes in time. Methinks he doth protest too much ! He steered us almost flawlessly through fields full of wild flowers, sheep and cattle and arrived at the pubs within the accepted margins of error.

It was also an opportunity to bask in sunshine in the beer garden of one of your diarist’s favourite country pubs, while finding that our final hostelry was not only open but much improved.

We passed The Queens Arms on our left as we walked out of Taddington, turning right at the Bramwell Memorial Institute up a stony track which begins life as Dokendale Road (2mins).This brought us to a road where we turned left (11mins).

After passing a road on our right we went right over a stone step stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign (15mins). Our route then took us through fields, over a stone step stile (20mins), a wooden gate (22mins), an open gateway marked with a yellow arrow (24mins) and exited by an open gate on our right .

A gap stile (26mins) a wooden gate (29mins) and a stone step stile (34mins) brought us to a road where we turned right. After 80 yards we turned left to follow a wooden public footpath sign through a field (36mins).

After crossing a stone step stile at a wooden public footpath sign (44mins), we crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (47mins), then crossed a stone step stile on our left (48mins). We exited the field via a stone step stile opposite Flagg Methodist Church (51mins).

Behind us we noted that Flagg Hall was owned by M.M. and A.S. Mycock and opposite us was Mycock Lane, which we entered.

Where the lane swung left we proceeded straight ahead through a metal gate following a wooden public footpath sign (54mins). This led us through a gap stile (57mins) and in quick succession a wooden stile and a stone step stile (62mins). Another stone step stile brought us to a lane where we turned left (68mins).

After 50 yards we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (69mins) and followed the track until we reached the shade of a copse at Pasture Barn where we paused for pies and a rum ration (75mins). We were also able to assemble our own chairs and table with an assorted pile of stones.

Resuming, we took a left fork and headed diagonally left through a field to cross a series of four stone step stiles leading to a road (85mins).

We turned right towards The Duke of York at Pomeroy. In the pub car park a neon sign proclaimed that a mobile canteen called “Bev’s Baps” was open for business. With The Duke of York’s chef charging £11-75 for fish and chips, and £13-50 for Cajun chicken, Bev’s baps seemed quite tempting.  

But we continued, passing the pub on our right before detecting an overgrown path on our right where the road swung left (89mins). We went down a flight of steps and crossed a stone step stile into a field. We headed through an open gateway and went diagonally right through another field.

We should have crossed a stile on our right next to a manure mound, but missed it and reached the corner of two drystone walls. Other hikers must have made the same mistake because a makeshift step stile had been created to allow us to scale the wall and swing over it and reach a track (101mins).

We turned right along a public bridleway to reach a road (122mins) where we turned left and then took the first right (123mins). At a T-junction (131mins) we turned right uphill with St John The Baptist Church, Chelmorton, on our right, and The Church Inn on our left (132mins). Here we enjoyed excellent pints of Marstons’ Pedigree for £3-60. Surprisingly, pints of lager were cheaper at £3-40.

Suitably refreshed, we turned left out of the pub and headed uphill past a cottage called High Low and took the right fork of a footpath which took us past Bank Pit Spring on our left. A plaque informed us that this spring was at the end of Grove Rake lead-mining site and was known as Illy Willy Water for reasons unexplained.

A steady climb took us to a lane (145mins) where we dog-legged right and then left to follow a wooden public footpath sign and head directly back to Taddington. Our route took us across a series of four stone step stiles before pausing for lunch (165mins).

Continuing, we passed Sough Top (170mins) on our left and began our descent into Taddington, crossing another series of stiles, predominantly of the stone step variety, to reach the main road (182mins). We turned right and returned to our cars to de-boot (190mins).  

After some hesitation we decided to have a drink in The Queens Arms and are pleased to report it seemed more welcoming than previously. Barnsley bitter was £3-40.

Next week’s walk will start from the main square in Longnor, Staffs, at 10am. It is anticipated we will ascend Chrome Hill on the way to The Quiet Woman at Earl Sterndale, arriving at about 12.15pm. We will then circle back to our cars to de-boot and drive a mile to The Pack Horse at Crowdecote for further refreshment at around 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !