Whitehough

25 January 2017

Whitehough, Chinley, White Knowl Farm, Hull End, Beet Farm, South Head, Vorposten, The Lamb Inn, Monk’s Meadow, The Naze Chinley, Whitehough.

Distance: 7.5miles.       Ascent/descent: 1,100 feet.

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Sunshine and clear skies with little wind

Walkers: Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Jock Rooney and Tip, Julian Ross, George Waites

Apologies: Micky Barret (still swinging the lead though we are cheered by talk of his recovery), Peter Beal (Spanish walking trip), Tom Cunliffe (long and tearful farewell to the Lantern Pike Inn involving much wringing of hands), George Dearsley (achieving hedonism Turkey), Alan Hart (Spanish drinking trip), John Jones (berating South Africa for not following his advice), Steve Kemp (dubious trip to the far East – no news of his being arrested)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Davison

Starting point: Old Hall Inn carpark, Whitehough

Starting time: 9.45 am. Finishing time: 2.05pm.

Once again, regular and avid readers of this august journal will detect your diarist’s flagrant plagiarism of the works of earlier and more talented writers. Due to the lack of previous criticism he does it with even less regard for his own moral well-being or the feelings of others.

From the car park of The Old Hall Inn we walked along a pebbled path with the pub on our right, reaching a road where we turned left downhill. This led us over a road bridge into Chinley town centre.

We continued straight ahead until the main road swung right past The Turnpike Chapel on the left and St Mary’s Church on our right. Passing the footpath sign on our left at Alders Lane (13mins), we continued along the road past a school to the next wooden public footpath sign on the left. Here we climbed a stile and crossed the field to a bridge over the Sheffield railway line.

Across the bridge we took the left hand gate and kept close to the wall on our right. At the end of this we bore diagonally right to another gate. Through this, we again kept close to the wall on our right to a small gate into the lane at White Knowl Farm. We turned right for 50yds to the Glossop Road.

Directly across the road a lane with a footpath sign lead us to a house called East Meats. The signs took us to the right of the house and over fields to the road at Hull End. This is Beet Lane which leads up past the eponymous farm to the bridleway between Hayfield and Rushup Edge.

 

We turned left. With the sun now slightly behind us and a gentle breeze on our backs the ascent was as idyllic as one might ask. The Farm itself has been converted into a desirable house since we last walked this lane but the detail above the window reminds all of the wisdom and god-fearing nature of its original builder.

 

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Proverbs 13:20

We are truly blessed amongst the Wednesday Wanderers.

At the bridleway we stopped for pietime then turned left to South Head. Here our party split in two with the young tigers racing up to admire the views whilst the septuagenarians and octagenarian took the more sedentary route around the bottom.

The group reformed further along the bridleway and continued to the fencing sheep fold. Having crossed the cattle grid beyond we turned sharply left along the track to a house called Vorposten. Two Stiles gave onto a grassy trackdownhill through fields.

 

Paying attention to the course of the track as it winds down through fields, we reached the Glossop Road. Here we turned right into the grounds of the Lamb Inn

Fully 50% of the team were non-drinkers today. The coffee and soft drinks were applauded. The bitter ales, however, had a mixed reception at £3.20 per pint. I fear that for your diarist, their names were as memorable as their flavours.

Refreshed, we took our lives in our hands and crossed the main road to the track opposite marked with a footpath sign to a farm called Monk’s Meadow. Here we turned left along the marked footpath.

Keeping the wall on our left we passed through three fields.As we climbed the final stile we were greeted by the unusual sight of a lama and two kiwis approaching us in the adjacent field curious to see our unwonted band.

 

We turned right keeping the wall on our right down to the stream in the valley below. A stone slab serves as a footbridge and we climbed the steep bank on the far side stopping for lunch part way up.

At the top we reached a gate into Maynestone Road and turned left. We reached Chinley at the railway bridge which we crossed and carried on straight ahead into Whitehough Head Lane and so back to the Old Hall Inn.

The best seats in the tap room were taken by a group of kindly old gentlemen commonly known as the S.O.B.s. Their story will likely be told elsewhere but consisted much of barbed wire, forgotten paths, bus alternatives and licensed premises.

Next week’s walk will start at the carpark in Brabyns Park at 9.30am. It will involve beer at the Ring o' Bells in Marple. Beyond that your diarist has little notion and would direct youto young Mr Fairman for further clarification. Happy Wandering.