Whaley Bridge

November 16, 2016.

WHALEY BRIDGE, SHALLCROSS TRAIL, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, MANCHESTER-BUXTON RAILWAY LINE, TUNSTEAD MILTON FARM, SPARK FARM, CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH GOLF CLUB, BRADSHAW HALL, ECCLES PIKE, OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, NAVIGATION INN AT BUXWORTH BASIN, WHALEY BRIDGE BASIN AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy start, followed by drizzle, followed by showers.

Walkers: Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen and the late Peter Beal.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett and Ken Sparrow.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (foot injury), Tom Cunliffe (unspecified), Steve Kemp (hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jock Rooney (Cyprus hols), Julian Ross and George Whaites (domestic duties).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

Only the belated arrival of Peter Beal after a medical appointment saved the A team from being outnumbered by the B team on a walk which fell victim to the weather in progressively worsening conditions. The forecast had been for light showers at 11am and it started to fall promptly on cue. By the time we left the first pub the rain was supposed to be over for the day but this did not prove to be the case.

It began again when we were some two miles from journey’s end. By the time the B team joined us at The Cock, they looked like survivors from the Titanic. We are happy to report that this had done little to dampen their spirits as they reached their third pub of the day.

There had been several cry-offs the week before. Tom’s non-arrival caused Colin to make a phone call to ascertain his intentions. Instead he received a volley of abuse directed at your diarist and was left none the wiser as to the reason for his absence. Peter, who was having an early blood test in Sheffield, had intimated he would be playing catch-up and reached us at The Old Hall. They can rarely have seen so many thirsty customers at 12.30pm on a wet Wednesday.

As has become customary, we observed a quirky piece of British history, saw some unusual wildlife and persuaded Chris to go on a Mission Improbable, of which more later.

We passed The Cock on our left and 20 yards beyond it turned left up a path across a stream which is now marked as the start of The Shallcross Trail. The path leads to the former Cromford and High Peak Railway Line, which we soon reached and turned right. This brought us to the Shallcross Incline Greenway (10mins) which we climbed to its end (19mins) and turned left. This led us to Elnor Lane, which we crossed and went over the first of a series of wooden stiles (21mins)

The fifth of these brought us on to a track (40mins) leading to a farm which used to keep Houdini goats. Living up to their names, they had vanished. Instead of going on and through the farm we took a short cut through a gate into a field and headed towards a tunnel underneath the Manchester-Buxton railway line. As we descended a hill towards it we could see Coombs Reservoir on our right.

We went through the tunnel (44mins) and headed diagonally left across a field to reach a wooden stile and a steep flight of steps (50mins). The path took us across two wooden footbridges and a main road at Tunstead Milton. We turned right, passing Tunstead Milton Farm on our left, and soon turned left at a green public footpath sign (56mins)

A series of stiles took us past Spark Farm on our left and another two wooden stiles brought us on to Chapel-en-le-Frith Golf Course (63mins). We carried straight on, skirting the left of the course and crossing the 16th tee before exiting the course on the left at a gate by a wooden public footpath sign (69mins)

A wooden five-bar gate (75mins) then took us to the left of Bradshaw Hall, the former home of John Bradshaw, president of the court which tried Charles 1 for treason and sentenced him to death in 1649. Bradshaw was one of 59 commissioners who signed the death warrant and his name is top of that list.

Bradshaw had been dead and buried for many years when Charles 11 returned from exile to restore the monarchy in 1660. Amnesty was granted to many of Cromwell’s supporters under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act of 1660, although 104 of the Parliamentarians were specifically excluded from reprieve.

Many of these survivors were executed by being hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Bradshaw’s body was exhumed, hanged, beheaded and his remains cast into a pit below the gallows. His head was placed on a spike at the end of Westminster Hall facing the spot where Charles 1 had been executed.

On reaching a stone step stile beyond the hall (77mins), we stopped for pies and medicinal spirits on either side of the stile. By the time we had finished, the rain had started to fall. We continued and crossed a wooden stile on our left (79mins). When we reached another wooden stile the rain had begun to fall more heavily and there was an eight-minute delay while Lawrie endeavoured to put on his waterproofs. We then headed diagonally right through a field, crossed a stone step stile and turned left (89mins)

We crossed a makeshift stile constructed from a concrete post and went through the edge of a garden to reach a lane (95mins). We turned left, passing Croft Farm on our right and then turned right at a green public footpath sign (97mins)

This was the start of the path up Eccles Pike but we turned right down a steep hill to go through a gate on the right. This was the start of a gradual descent over stiles and gates towards Chinley. As we emerged from woods, a public footpath sign showed an overgrown way ahead and a stile leading through a garden.

Unknown to Chris, the road we were on swung right and was joined by the footpath ten yards round the corner. But he was persuaded to hack his way through brambles and nettles to reach the stile and make his way through the garden while we waited for him round the corner. Happily Chris was bigand ugly enough to see the funny side of this cruel jape.

By following the road we soon came to The Papermill Inn on our right and The Old Hall straight ahead. We reached this welcome shelter from the rain at 11.45am (115mins). To our surprise the B team were already there enjoying their first pints of excellent Marstons’ cask bitter at £2-90.

Suitably refreshed we headed downhill away from The Old Hall and turned left at the Peak Forest Tramway Greenway (120mins). On our right was a large pond containing several mallards and a pair of black swans.

These attractive birds, with black plumes and red beaks, breed mainly in southern Australia. They are monogamous and share the duties of incubation and cygnet-rearing. There is a small population of them on the Thames in Marlow and on the River Itchen in Hampshire.

When we reached a bridge across Black Brook on our right we crossed it to pause for lunch (132mins). Continuing, we re-crossed the bridge and turned right to pass The Navigation Inn at Bugsworth Basin (137mins). With the rain beating down again we walked along the right side of the canal branch leading to Whaley Bridge until Bridge 37 (148mins) where we went over the footbridge and headed along the left bank.

This brought us to Whaley Bridge Basin (156mins), a railed bridge over the Goyt and the disused Cromford and High Peak railway line. After passing the back of the Shepherd’s Arms on our right we turned right to reach the main road (164mins). We turned left under the bridge to reach our cars outside The Cock (166mins). The weather worsened further while we were inside because half an hour later the B-teamers arrived having endured a thorough soaking both inside and out.

SOB walk

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from outside Colin’s home at 11, Carr Brow, High Lane.  It is anticipated the walkers will reach The Fox at Brook Bottom around 12.15 pm and finish at a pub to be decided en route.

Happy wandering !