Little Hayfield

February 22, 2017

Little Hayfield

LANTERN PIKE INN AT LITTLE HAYFIELD, PARK HALL, MIDDLE MOOR, NAB BROW, WILLIAM CLOUGH, BROAD CLOUGH, TUNSTEAD HOUSE, BOWDEN BRIDGE, SPORTSMAN INN, HAYFIELD VILLAGE, LITTLE HAYFIELD

Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Overcast but mainly dry

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Steve Kemp, Chris Owens, Jock Rooney and Tip, Julian Ross, George Whaites

SOB walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Geoff Spurrell

Apologies: Colin Davison (Spain), Laurie Fairman (imminent hernia op), Mark Gibby (unwell), Alan Hart (dodging terrorists in Tunisia)

Leader: Beal                                   Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Lantern Pike Inn at Little Hayfield

Starting time: 9.34am                             Finishing time: 1.50pm

Despite the absence of some of our most prominent regular Wanderers there was a good turnout of eight walkers, joined by four SOBs, both to mark the sad departure (not for him maybe) of Tom from the Lantern Pike Inn and Julian's birthday.

Tom sadly was unable to walk (not literally) because of the imminent arrival of the removal men, but redeemed himself by the provision of the Lantern Pike's superb chips on our arrival back at the pub. He is planning an extended journey to Spain but we are sure he will return to become a welcome regular again on our Wanderings.

Unfortunately the provision of a covenant ensuring free chips for any Wednesday Wanderers by any future licensees seems to be outside the bounds of the legal system. We will obviously have to ingratiate ourselves with the new tenants.

Despite the predicted arrival of Storm Doris later - it duly came and the resultant power cuts caused your temporary diarist to have to rewrite chunks of his report - the Wanderers escaped with only a short burst of rain on our journey around the moors surrounding the Kinder Reservoir.

We left the Lantern Pike and turned right up the main Glossop to Chapel road, turning left and crossing the road soon afterwards to take the track leading in to the wooded Park Hall estate.

As has been documented before, Park Hall was the home of local-man-made-good Joseph Hague, who made his money in London from textiles in the 19th century before buying the property at the age of 80 and becoming a kindly benefactor to the area.

We passed on the left the remains of the estate's outdoor swimming pool, a popular bathing place for local residents in the summer up to the 1970s.

Before we reached a group of houses, we turned right and went through a large gate on to the open expanse of Middle Moor (7 minutes).

We turned immediately left and forded a stream before climbing steadily on a track up the heather-clad moor. Where the track forked midway up the climb we bore slightly right and continued to join the bridleway running across Middle Moor at a junction marked by a wooden post (20 minutes).

We turned right here and followed the bridleway through the heather, dropping down to ford the same stream as earlier, climbing the far side up rocky steps. Shortly after this two white-painted shooting boxes came in to view on our left, with the bulk of the Kinder Scout plateau, shrouded in mist, ahead of us.

We crossed a wooden bridge, spanning a bog, and came to a junction of tracks marked by a green Northern and District Footpaths Society sign, indicating we were at an altitude of 1,090 feet (32 mins). We bore left, following the sign to the Snake Inn and soon the Kinder Reservoir came in to view below us to the right.

The reservoir was built by Stockport Corporation and opened in 1912 after nine years of work by a force of 700 navvies who were accomodated in a makeshift town. A special railway that crossed Hayfield's main street was constructed to ferry materials. At the time of its opening the dam which we looked down on was the largest earth dam in the world.

We ignored a makeshift sign indicating a bridleway descending to the right and continued on the path descending through the heather towards the head of the reservoir. As the wall we had been following on our right ended we ignored a path on the right and took the gentler option of descending straight ahead in to the confines of the ravine of William Clough, where we turned right downstream to soon reach a footbridge at the head of the reservoir (60 mins).

This was close to the scene of the 1932 so-called Mass Trespass of Kinder, which is attributed with paving the way for the establishment of Britain's National Parks and the open access to the countryside laws.

After a rally at the nearby Bowden Bridge car park a group of between 200 and 400 (estimates vary) set off up William Clough and at a pre-arranged signal a number of them headed on to the open moor where they were confronted by the Duke of Devonshire's gamekeepers.

There were scuffles and a keeper suffered what were described at Derby Assizes later as 'grievous injuries'. In fact he had a sprained ankle. The five Manchester men charged were from the blatantly communist British Workers' Sports Federation. But in similar political vein the jury who tried them included 11 men from landowning families, including two brigadier generals, three colonels, two majors and three captains.

The sentences of between two and six months horrified many of the public and weeks later a rally of 10,000 people gathered at the Winnats Pass near Castleton. Had World War Two not intervened there is no doubt the legislation that followed would have been enacted sooner.

Our party crossed the footbridge and, ignoring a steep path to the left heading towards the Kinder plateau, headed along the reservoir's left bank, climbing gently on a narrow path. We passed through a narrow gate and later dropped down to cross the small River Kinder by a wooden footbridge.

We followed a rocky path first left and then right up the opposite slope, bearing left near the top, with woods on our right. This brought us to a gate with a National Trust path sign. From here we descended steeply in to Broad Clough, where at the fast-flowing stream pietime was declared (95 mins).

After a leisurely 11-minute break (Tom was not with us) we set off on the steep climb up the opposite bank. We soon crossed a stile and the slope steepened for a stiff pull to the crest of the hill. From here we had a spectacular view, as the mist briefly cleared, of the 98-foot waterfall of Kinder Downfall being blown back in to the air by the fierce winds.

The waterfall - sometimes non-existent in dryer weather - was known in Old English as Kinder Scut, giving the name to the whole plateau.

We continued along a path with a wall on our right. As the wall end we turned right on a path bringing us to a point where a sign declared we were at Kinder Low End (120 mins). More correctly, this referred to the hill above us on our left, the eastern end of the plateau.

We went through a gate on our right and descended directly through fields to the former farmhouse of Tunstead Clough, now two impressive private homes (140 mins).

Skirting the house on the left we followed a metalled track down the valley to emerge on a lane, where we turned right to follow the River Sett. This brought us to the road junction at the Bowden Bridge quarry car park, where we swung left to enter the drive of the Hayfield camp site.

We continued with the river on our right, before crossing a footbridge near some stables to emerge at the Sportsman Inn (160 mins). Thwaite's Wainwright bitter was in good form, albeit at £3-60 a pint. But undeterred, generous birthday boy Julian treated us to a second pint.

Refreshed, we turned right out of the pub and continued down Kinder Road in to Hayfield village, passing the terrace with a blue plaque marking that actor Arthur Lowe, Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army, had been born there. Reaching the Pack Horse Inn, we crossed the main street and took a track under the relief road to head up through the public field to a gate bringing us on to Swallow House Lane. A quick decision was made to forego a lunch stop, no doubt with anticipation of the Lantern Pike chips, hence our early finishing time.

Here we turned left, and shortly afterwards right, into Bank Vale Road. Nearing the bottom we took a path on the right that soon brought us to Little Hayfield. We turned right up a lane, then left on the main road to the Lantern Pike Inn (195 mins).

A while later we were joined by B walkers Terry, George, Geoff and Tony, who had followed an arduous five-mile route from Four Lane Ends, via Mill Brow, the old Moorfield pub, the Little Mill at Rowarth and over the flanks of Lantern Pike. They are to be congratulated, although on arrival Geoff pronounced himself 'knackered'.

We reflected that this would be the last time we would gather here after a walk during Tom's tenure and we thank him for all his hospitality (especially his chips) over the past years.

Next week's walk through the Etherow Country Park to Werneth Low will start at 9.30 am at the Andrews Arms in George Street, Compstall. Parking permission has been sought and granted (car park is opposite the pub). Refreshments en route will be at the Hare and Hounds on Werneth Low.

Happy wandering!

  

Furness Vale

February 15, 2017.

FURNESS VALE, GOW HOLE, OLLERSETT MOOR, BIG STONE, THE ALDERS, ST MARY’S CHURCH, CHINLEY, THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, BUGSWORTH BASIN, PEAK FOREST CANAL, FURNESS VALE STATION AND THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE

Distance: Ten Miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, with some sun, some mist and some cloud.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Jock Rooney with Tips, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (preparing for hernia operation) and Chris Owen (family duties).

Leaders: Beal and Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Soldier Dick pub at Furness Vale.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.16pm.

This was another good turnout for a new walk devised by Peter and Colin. Although it involved two of our favourite pubs, the route had never been attempted by the Wednesday Wanderers before. We congratulate our joint leaders for their skill in directing our journey without mishap and getting us to the pubs on time.

It has become traditional for the walk to begin with a series of medical bulletins. We were pleased to welcome back Mark after an absence caused by alarming side effects to his medication for Chron’s Disease. We also heard that Lawrie was taking things easy this week prior to his hernia operation next week. We all wish him well.

Meanwhile Mickey seems to have made a complete recovery from his foot injury and was walking without a hint of a limp. Tom on the other hand was having problems with his knees during descents and we hope his strict diet will pay dividends when the weight on his joints is eased.

This was a week when our feathered friends were in good voice with a premature celebration of spring. Apparently their tweeting, chirping and whistling comes from the males who are basically asking if any members of the opposite gender might be interested in a sexual encounter. They repeat the offer all day long until a response comes back on the lines of “Ok you silver-tongued smoothie.”  Just like Tinder really.

The day got off to an unpromising start when, despite your diarist’s promise from a staff member that we would be OK to use the pub car park, the landlady made objections on the bizarre grounds that the chef was off so we couldn’t park there. However this was remedied and at the end of the walk the landlady was informed that we had obtained permission to park prior to our walk. In short we were not taking liberties.

On leaving the car park we crossed the road, turned left for 20 yards then turned right into Old Road. This took us through a tunnel under the Manchester-Buxton railway line, from which we emerged and turned right. At a road we turned left and crossed first the Peak Forest Canal and then the River Goyt before exiting Station Road and entering Marsh Lane.

Soon after we turned right at a green public bridleway sign up a flight of steps (8mins). We passed Ing Cottage at Gow Hole on our left and reached a lane where we turned left (9mins). After 50 yards we turned right at a public pootpath sign and went through a tunnel under another railway line as a freight train passed overhead (12mins).

The path took us through a field and across a stone step stile (16mins) before we turned left along a farm track. After 50 yards we turned right at a broken public footpath sign and entered a wood. We crossed a wooden stile (22mins) and went through a gate into a farmyard (27mins). When we reached a lane we turned right (34mins).

This brought us to a crossroads (39mins) where we carried straight on and entered Ollersett Moor. We went through two wooden gates as we climbed remorselessly until we reached a drystone wall, turned left and started to descend (63mins). We crossed a wooden stile and reached Big Stone (69mins).

On a better day this would have afforded magnificent views across the valley, but not on this occasion with the mist quite thick on the hilltops. There followed a comic interlude while we waited for a straggler to catch up, only to realise on his arrival that he wasn’t one of our group.

We turned left for 50 yards before Peter led us downhill right on a vertiginous route from the ridge which struck fear into some of our group. Despite these misgivings we made the descent without casualties, going through a wooden gate and a stone step stile before we reached a second stile where we paused for pies and port (91mins).

Resuming, we crossed the stone step stile and turned left along a road opposite Upper Lodge and Lower Lodge. After 80 yards we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (92mins) and followed the path through two wooden gates (96mins). After going through a kissing gate we turned right (100mins) and went through a metal gate to reach a paved lane (101mins) and turned left uphill.

We swung right to reach a main road, crossed it and turned left. Just before The Lamb Inn we turned right over a stone step stile (105mins) and started a steep climb which took us through a kissing gate (113mins). After avoiding any serious mud for the best part of two hours, we now encountered the sort our brave boys had to contend with in 1916 during The Battle of the Somme.

By the time we had gone through a gate (121mins) and carried on at a yellow arrow to reach a farm track (123mins) we had been up to our ankles in slime. We reached a main road, crossed it and went straight over a wooden stile (131mins). We walked through a wooden five-barred gate, through a farmyard, passed The Alders on our left (136mins) and went through a tunnel under a railway bridge (142mins).

We reached a road (143mins) and turned right, passing St Mary’s Church, Chinley, on our left before swinging left into Green Lane (147mins). Our group now headed in a straight line following a sign for Whitehough, crossing a road-bridge over Black Brook and reaching The Old Hall on our right (154mins).

As usual the beer was in fine fettle at a modest £3-05 a pint, although why the marketing department had changed the universally-enjoyed brand known as Marstons’ cask bitter into Saddle Tank was a mystery.

From the front door we headed right downhill, passing The Old Band Room on our right before turning left along The Peak Forest Tramway (156mins). This was an early horse and gravity-powered transport link opened in 1796 and operated until the 1920s. It was started by Benjamin Outram at Bugsworth, was six miles long, and carried limestone quarried round Dove Holes to “Buggy Basin” via Chapel and Chinley. From there it was taken by boat along the Peak Forest Canal to the Ashton Canal into Manchester and beyond. 

Immediately on our right was a large pond containing two black swans, which are indigenous to New South Wales in Australia. Soon after we passed the vinyl compounds factory called Stephanie Works before crossing a footbridge over Black Brook to stop for lunch (169mins).

Continuing we reached The Navigation Inn on our right at Buggy Basin (175mins) and carried on past Canal House on our right, where substantial landscaping is taking place to create a market garden. Beyond it, also on the right, was a junkyard full of discarded boilers, containers and industrial waste of every description (183mins).

We stayed on the right side of the canal and when it turned right towards Marple we stayed on the towpath, passing a sewage farm on our right (197mins) until we reached Bridge 31 at Furness Vale Marina (199mins). Here we left the canal by turning right and then left over the bridge to pass a level crossing and reach the A6 (203mins).

We crossed the road, turned right and were soon back in the car park of The Soldier Dick to de-boot (204mins). The Wainwrights’ cask bitter was in excellent form and great value at £2-85 a pint.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The Lantern Pike Inn at Little Hayfield. A walk around the lower reaches of the Kinder Plateau will end with a livener at The Sportsman, near Bowden Bridge, Hayfield, around 12.10pm. It is then anticipated a return to The Lantern Pike will be at about 2.15pm. Here there will be a double celebration – Julian’s birthday and a farewell from Tom as pub landlord.

Happy wandering !

Bollington

February 8, 2017.

BOLLINGTON, THE POACHERS INN, CHESHIRE HUNT APARTMENTS, SPOND HILL, BRINK FARM, OLD BLUE BOAR FARM, DAWSONBARN FARM, HAZEL TREES FARM, GIN CLOUGH FARM, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, THE STOCKS, SUGAR LANE, FLATT COTTAGE, THE VIRGINS’ PATH, INGERSLEY VALE WATERFALL, WAULKMILL FARM, THE CROWN AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty:   Easy.

Weather: Dry, misty on hills with bitterly cold wind.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen and George Whaites.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Jock Rooney with Tips, Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (poorly) and Julian Ross (diversity training).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Roads outside The Crown at Bollington.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.10pm.

It was hard to determine why this particular day produced a record field of walkers. There were strong contingents from both the A and B teams which must have helped the turnovers of two of our chosen pubs. We can congratulate ourselves on playing a part in keeping Britain’s best hostelries open on Wednesday lunchtimes. 

If we achieve little else when we shuffle off this mortal coil, at least we will have tried to preserve a national heritage for future generations.

We also saw Mickey make a welcome comeback after several months absent with a foot injury. He explained that an expert in the field of feet had told him there was something wrong with his gate. Hopefully Mickey will get this repaired although it is hard to see how this will bring relief to his sore foot.

At the end of the walk Mickey had enjoyed a pain-free day so we hope to see him making regular appearances in future.

From the right of The Crown we walked back to the main road, passing the derelict church on our left, and turned right at the mini-roundabout. We turned right again to pass The Poachers and the entrance to Savio House, a religious retreat (9mins). As the road swung left we followed it, passing Blaze Hill on our right, then turning right up Hedge Row (15mins).

This took us past a building on our left which was once The Cheshire Hunt pub. Beyond it we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign and joined the Gritstone Trail (17mins). We crossed a stone pack horse bridge across a stream and began a long ascent to the right of a wood until we came to a seven-barred metal gate (40mins).

We proceeded uphill with a drystone wall on our right. At a path across we turned right and crossed a cattle-grid (56mins) then followed a sign with a yellow arrow which took us on a path to the right of some trees. We headed diagonally right across a field. This brought us eventually via a wooden stile to a road (60mins) with Brink House on our right and Brink Farm on our left.

We turned right along the road until we reached a main road (71mins) and turned right for 50 yards. We then turned left at a wooden footpath sign (72mins and followed a concessionary path uphill to a drystone wall on a ridge. By now the wind was bitterly cold as we turned right. We stopped at a depression in the field where we could shelter for pies and port (81mins).

Resuming, we continued to brave the cold wind along the ridge and crossed a series of wooden stiles marked with yellow arrows. We stayed on the ridge, crossing stiles and going through gates until we reached a tarmac track (115mins). This brought us to a road where we turned right (118mins).

We passed The Old Blue Boar Farm on our right (119mins) and took the left fork following a sign for Rainow (121mins). This took us past Dawsonbarn Farm on our left (122mins) and at Hazel Trees Farm on our left (128mins) we took the path indicated by a wooden public footpath sign. Fifty yards on we crossed a stone step stile on our right (129mins).

Another stone step stile and a wooden stile brought us into Gin Clough Farm (133mins), where we turned left. This took us past the former non-conformist chapel on our left and to The Robin Hood pub on our right (145mins). The B team had just arrived and were stocking up with pints of Wainwrights, Bass and Jennings at £3-30 a pint.

There were 16 of us and we were obliged to spread ourselves across two rooms. In one room was a copy of the Macclesfield Times which referred to an infamous murder spree in January, 1977, which ended when the killer was shot dead by police on the road outside the pub.

Billy Hughes, 30, from Preston, was a violent criminal who was being taken by car from Leicester jail to court in Chesterfield where he was due to face charges of stabbing a man in the face and then raping the man’s girlfriend. He attacked the two guards with a 7inch blade, left them bleeding by the roadside and stole their car.

In the snow he skidded into a wall on Beeley Moor and then made his way on foot to Pottery Cottage on the A619 near The Highwayman pub. It was the home of Arthur Minton, 72, a retired grocer, his wife Amy, 68, their daughter Gill Moran, 38, her husband Richard, 36, and their ten-year-old daughter Sarah.

While police hunted in vain for the missing prisoner, Hughes held the family hostage, repeatedly raping Gill Moran, before systematically slaughtering her family. Eventually he escaped with Gill as hostage, crashing at a police roadblock then seizing the unmarked police car while holding an axe to his hostage’s head.

Eventually he was cornered on the main route through Rainow, where a bus had been placed across the road. After a 30-minute stand-off he raised the axe and was grabbed by a superintendent. One policeman shot him in the head but he continued to struggle until another armed officer shot him through the heart.

Your diarist recalls visiting the victim in Macclesfield Hospital where she was treated for a superficial axe wound to her forehead. Nobody knew at that stage that Hughes had massacred her entire family.

From the back of the pub we walked down Stocks Lane and right into Chapel Lane (147mins). We turned right into Sugar Lane (149mins) and followed a wooden public footpath sign pointing behind Flagg Cottages on our right (153mins) to pick up the stone flags at the start of The Virgins’ Path.

This is so called because before Rainow had its own church, local brides had to walk two miles to the nearest one in Bollington. To prevent their white dresses becoming muddy, farmers laid flagstones through their fields.

At the end of the flagstones we reached Ingersley Vale Waterfall opposite Waukmill Farm and stopped for lunch (164mins). From there it was a brief walk past the derelict mill on our right and a lake on our left to reach The Crown on our right (174mins). The Doombar was in good form at £3 a pint.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale. We will be calling for a bracer at The Old Hall, Whitehough, Chinley, around 12.20pm and return to The Solider Dick for further refreshment at about 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !

Brabyns Park

EeeFebruary 1, 2017.

BRABYNS PARK, IRON BRIDGE, ROLLINS WOOD, ETHEROW VALLEY, REDBROW WOOD, HYDE TUNNEL, HYDE BANK HOUSE, BURYMEWICK COTTAGE, ST CHAD’S WELL, CHADKIRK CHAPEL, CORONATION MEADOW, OTTERSPOOL HYDRO, HARE AND HOUNDS AT OTTERSPOOL, OLD MANOR FARM, THE RING O’ BELLS AT MARPLE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, PEAK FOREST CANAL, MARPLE LOCKS, THE NORFOLK ARMS AT MARPLE BRIDGE

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy but muddy.

Weather: Dry, cloudy start followed by bright sunshine.

Walkers: Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, Terry Jowett, Tony Job, Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies:  Mickey Barrett (foot injury), Tom Cunliffe (pub duties), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (medicine making him ill !) and Steve Kemp (prolonged hols)

Leaders: Fairman and Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free car park at Brabyns Park, Marple Bridge.

Starting time: 9.33am. Finishing time: 2pm.

This walk was short but sweet as we enjoyed spring-like weather, learned some Industrial Revolution history, passed the site of the ancestral home of a former queen, visited a well and chapel named after a 7th Century bishop, heard two woodpeckers hammering away and learned some juicy gossip about an assistant chief constable involved in a national newspaper scandal dubbed “Titgate.” All in a day’s ramble for the Wednesday Wanderers – plus, of course, a visit to two pubs.

Photo by Colin

Our commiserations go to two of our injured comrades. Mickey is making progress towards a return after a prolonged absence with a foot injury. Now we have a further casualty as Mark is finding that a new medicine is making him ill. We wish them both a speedy recovery.

While the A team suffered these depletions, the B team was almost a full strength, fielding an equal number of walkers for a total of 10.

Colin, who will be celebrating his 65th birthday shortly, kindly stood the A team a round of drinks by way of an apology for his absence that week. Ken made a similar gesture for his chums in the B team. We wish them many happy returns.

From the higher Brabyns Park car park we headed left, going right at the path beyond a green barrier (3mins) and reached the Iron Bridge (12mins).

A plaque informed us that this was built in 1813 under the orders of Nathaniel Wright, a wealthy coal mine owner with pits at Poynton, who had bought the Brabyns Estate in 1800. It is listed as being a unique example of national importance and was restored to its former glory in 2008.

We continued along the path through Rollins Wood and reached a main road where we turned left (19mins). After crossing a bridge over the Etherow we turned immediately left (20mins) along its right bank to head for Redbrow Wood. After crossing two wooden stiles we entered a farmyard (37mins). At the far side of the farm we turned left over a wooden stile (42mins) and walked down a treacherously muddy slope towards the magnificent railway viaduct with the Peak Forest Canal aqueduct behind it.

Against all odds there were no fallers and we ascended a flight of steps to reach the canal, where we turned left (53mins). With the canal on our right we walked along the towpath, listening to two woodpeckers competing for attention, until we reached the entrance to Hyde Tunnel at Romiley (59mins). 

Hyde Tunnel is 308 yards long, has a minimum height above water of 6ft 8ins and is 16 feet wide so barges can pass each other. It was negotiated by bargees lying on their backs and walking along the roof to propel their boats – a technique known as “legging.” 

With the tunnel on our right we climbed a set of steps and past three large white houses on our right and Hyde Bank House on our left (63mins). We swung left at the end of Hydebank, passing Shetland ponies in fields to our right and left.

The use of the name Hyde in Romiley is in acknowledgement of Anne Hyde (1637-71), who lived locally and became the first wife of King James ll of England. Two months after their marriage in 1660 she bore him the first of eight children, although six of them died in childhood. One of them, Lady Anne, married Prince George of Denmark in 1683 and she later became the first monarch of Great Britain following the Act of Union in 1707. Before that her sister, Lady Mary, at the age of 14 married her cousin William lll, The Prince of Orange, in 1677, and shared the throne with her husband from 1689.

We forked left to go under a low bridge (65mins) and rejoined the Peak Forest Canal at the other end of Hyde Tunnel. At the side of the left bank where we walked, a poster offered a £2,000 for information leading to the killers of a dog called Troya, which appeared to be a crossbred Staffie and pit bull terrier.

We left the towpath by turning left down stone steps (76mins) and turned left past Burymewick Cottage on our right. This took us past St Chad’s Well on our right, where a plaque informed us that St Chad was a 7th Century Bishop of Lichfield. As we swung left round the corner we reached the gardens of Chadkirk Chapel on our left where we stopped for pies and port at their convenient benches (81mins).

During the walk there was much discussion about the latest developments in “Titgate” – the scandal involving an assistant chief constable with Greater Manchester Police. It was alleged that the Cambridge-educated officer had become drunk at a function and exposed at least one, possibly both, her breasts to demonstrate how attractive they were.

She was found guilty of gross misconduct but kept her job. Julian was a former colleague of the ACC, or Rebecca as he inadvertently called her when his guard slipped. He insisted he had been overlooked as a plaything by the thrice-married officer.

Resuming our walk, we entered the path next to Coronation Meadow and turned left along the path running alongside it. This brought us to a road where we turned right (84mins). This led us to Otterspool Road (89mins) where we turned left and on the right hand side of the bridge over the Goyt we crossed to inspect the hydroelectric generator.

A plaque informed us this was the first community-owned hydroelectric scheme in Greater Manchester, costing £250,000. It was sited on a weir constructed by Jesse Howard of Stockport, a local mill owner who never got round to building the mill for which it was intended. Since October, 2012, we learned, it had created 834,000kws of electricity for 175 local residents. Pescadores will be delighted to know they also created a fish path for salmon wanting to leap upstream.

We continued our journey past the Hare and Hounds on our right (101mins), and reached the T-junction traffic lights, where we headed straight on towards Old Manor Farm (107mins). We proceded past a skip hire premises (111mins) and along a muddy path which brought us to a bridge over the Middlewood Way (126mins).

We walked straight on again into a housing estate and at the end of Throstle Lane we turned left (130mins). We then went right through a wooden gate on our right (131mins), which brought us to a main road (136mins) and turned left. We turned right into Lyme Grove just before Marple United Reform Church (140mins). At the end of this road we turned left and at the next junction headed right uphill past Marple Methodist Church (143mins).

By crossing the bridge over the Macclefield Canal we reached the Ring o’ Bells pub on our right (146mins). A few minutes later we were join by the B team in the “memorial room” containing the names of fallen soldiers. The Robbies’ Unicorn was deemed to be in fine fettle, as we would expect from a pub which has been awarded the WW seal of approval.

Suitably refreshed we crossed the road opposite the pub and went down by Bridge 2 to the Macclesfield Canal just before its junction with the Peak Forest Canal. After a breach stretch of road by the junction itself, we walked along the cobbled path under a bridge to emerge on the other side of Bridge 18 of the PFC. We stopped for lunch on a sunny bench (156mins).

We continued the final leg of our journey by descending Marple Locks, crossing a road to reach the right bank (165mins). We turned right again at a drained basin after Lock 11 (169mins) and crossed a bridge over the Manchester-Sheffield railway line with Marple Station below us on our right. A path on our left (172mins) brought us within sight of the car park.

Colin led us through a barrier of trees back to the cars (177mins), where we de-booted. We walked down to the main road, crossed over and turned left to reach the Norfolk Arms, Marple Bridge, on our right (182mins). We were joined one pint later by the B team.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the road outside The Crown in Bollington. We intend to reach the Robin Hood at Rainow around 12.15pm for a livener and finish our walk back at The Crown at about 2.15pm.         Happy wandering !