Longnor

September 21, 2016.

LONGNOR, GLUTTON BRIDGE, UNDERHILL FARM, HIGH WHEELDON, HURDLOW HALL FARM, THE BULL I’ TH’ THORN AT HURDLOW, HURDLOW MANOR FARM, HIGH NEEDHAM AND THE PACK HORSE INN AT CROWDECOTE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm but cloudy with brief spell of drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan, Hart, Chris Owen, and Jock Rooney with Tips.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (yachting in Turkey), George Dearsley (living in Turkey), Julian Ross (w*^king), George Whaites (leg injury).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Cobbled main square outside The Grapes at Longnor, Staffs.

Starting time: 9.58am. Finishing time: 2.52pm.

Some 20 years ago, the late Roy de Courcey had a bad pint in the historic Bull i’ th’ Thorn pub at Hurdlow. It became a standing joke that despite frequent changes of landlord, we never ventured inside the premises again.

That boycott finally ended during this walk. But history has a habit of repeating itself and, dear reader, I have to report that your diarist is now suffering from Montezuma’s Revenge, otherwise known as the squitters, runs or trots. If any other walker has experienced similar symptoms, perhaps they could let me know so I can contact those eminent lawyers, Cheetham and Scarper, to institute a joint claim for damages. Happily this will not include a laundry bill.

It would be a pity if we had to wait a further 20 years to visit the pub again, because it is not only steeped in nearly 600 years of history, but boasts the replica skeleton of a hanged highwayman in the corridor leading to the lavatories. (Let me assure you this extraordinary attraction did not induce my condition).

We also enjoyed some entertaining episodes with curious cattle as Tips once again showed her mettle by putting a dozen bullocks to flight.

From the cobbled square we walked up Chapel Street, at the end of which, after one minute, Lawrie mistakenly turned right passed the parish church and then retraced his footsteps. This did not augur well, but it proved to be the only error of the day.

We passed the end of Chapel Street and turned right up Lane Head (4mins). We followed the path over a wooden stile into a field (7mins) and then squeezed through a tiny gap stile (15mins) to reach a track. (Some found the gap more difficult to deal with than others. We will not name or shame them here)

This track brought us toward a cattle-grid, but we turned right before it (18mins) and followed an alternative path to a road where we turned right (27mins). This road took us across the River Manifold at Glutton Bridge (36mins).

The only clue to the bridge’s unusual name is that many centuries ago they made cheese here which was later stored at The Cheshire Cheese pub in Longnor.

We turned right along a lane (38mins) and went through a five-barred wooden gate to enter a field (46mins). After continuing through a metal gate we went through the yard of Underhill Farm (52mins). On the far side of the farm we went right over a stone step stile leading to a National Trust reserve at High Wheeldon (62mins).

After turning left through a wooden gate (70mins) we paused for pies, port and damson gin. Resuming, we walked uphill through a gate and turned right before immediately forking left (72mins). We passed Hurdlow Hall Farm on our left (92mins) and headed left at a wooden public footpath sign (95mins).

Our group walked through a tunnel underneath a disused railway line (98mins) and through a wooden gate (100mins). Three more wooden gates and a stone step stile brought us to a road where we turned right (104mins).

Due to the pace we had set, or a miscalculation by our leader, we arrived at The Bull I’ Th’ Thorn at Hurdlow (106mins) two minutes before opening time at noon.  It was in fact five minutes before the sound of the bolts being withdrawn – surely one of the nicest sounds in the world – was heard.

The building has a sign above its door with 1472 on it, but inside the traditional country pub its framed history claims it was first registered as a farmstead in 1428. Nearby was a crossroads called Hurdlow Thorn. A list of landlords goes all the way back from present day to 1761.

Originally it was called Hurdlow House and belonged to the Cavendish family of Chatsworth. At one stage servants at the house had a child called Joseph Millner who became a notorious highwayman. He was convicted of highway robbery and executed in 1751, aged 24.

The main bar area contains two suits of armour, a collection of swords, a posthorn and a roasting jack. In the corridor leading to the toilets is a skeleton which purports to be a replica of the remains of Joseph Millner following exhumation.

The pub was known as The Bull’s Head until 1894 when it was renamed The Bull I’ Th’ Thorn. It was bought by Robinsons’ Brewery of Stockport in 1945 for £12,850.

The Robbies’ cask bitter at £3-25 seemed to be OK and I was left to wonder whether RDC had been similarly afflicted a few hours afterwards. 

When we left we crossed the road and followed a wooden public footpath sign and headed diagonally right through a field. We went through a wooden gate and crossed a stone step stile (113mins). We went back through a tunnel under the railway line (116mins) and passed Hurdlow Manor Farm on our left (120mins) before turning left at a wooden public footpath sign (123mins). We crossed a stone step stile to enter a field.

After going through a metal gate we watched as Tom, who was 50 yards ahead of the main group, was pursued by a herd of cattle. When we shouted a warning, he spun round in the nick of time to avoid being trampled in a stampede. He used an old cowboy’s trick of whirling his pole around like a cheerleaderand shouting obscenities.

We went uphill and crossed another stone step stile before stopping for lunch (134mins). As we did so a herd of 12 young bullocks came over to inspect us. When they got within a few feet of us, Tips lost patience with them. A few darts at their ankles, accompanied by loud barks, put the animals to flight.

Continuing, we crossed three stiles, the last of which had a wooden handrail to help hikers (147mins). We turned right along the road which went into the hamlet of High Needham (150mins). This took us past High Needham Farm (152mins) and into Crowdecote (167mins).

Here we came to The Pack Horse Inn for further refreshment  (171mins). While three remained to sample the beer, the rest of the group left the pub and turned left to cross the River Dove, thereby exiting Derbyshire and returning to Staffordshire (172mins). We returned to our cars to deboot outside The Grapes in Longnor (189mins), which is about to reopen after being closed for many years: an encouraging reversal of the general trend.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge. We plan to call at The Shady Oak at Fernilee around 12.20pm and finish at The Cock at about 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !