Allgreave

June 28, 2014.

ALLGREAVE, EAGLE AND CHILD, QUARNOCK, GRADBACH HOTEL, BACK FOREST WOOD, LUD’S CHURCH, HANGING STONE, WINCLE BREWERY AT DANEBRIDGE, CLOUGH BROOK COTTAGE AND THE ROSE AND CROWN AT ALLGREAVE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Continuous rain, light, medium and heavy at times

Walkers: Laurie Fairman, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Tips, Mikey Barrett and friend Dave Walmsley

B walkers: Not out due to rain

Apologies: Everybody else

Leaders: Fairman. Diarist: Fairman.

Starting point: Car park of The Rose and Crown at Allgreave, Wildboarclough.

Starting time: 9.36am. Finishing time: 1.30pm.

The attendance as can be seen was very thin – the forecast was perfectly correct unfortunately it rained all day. Perhaps the dull weather can account for the moaning that was apparent. (Come back Colin at least yours are genuine). Before we started Jock had a go, wondering why we going to the banned pub with a landlady that tries to sell him food! Later he even complained about the noise of my waterproofs.

I confess it was my idea mainly because it is the only pub open between Congleton and Buxton (apart from the Ship) on the A54. They welcomed us to use the car park and it opened up good walks otherwise inaccessible if you want a beer. I thought they deserved a second chance. How opinions change? Below is a quote from Alan’s report of the walk in Sept 10^th 2014

“They also missed out on a bit of history, a bit of poetry and a warm welcome from lovely Luda, the new landlady of The Rose and Crown.”

From the pub car park we turned left following a sign for Quarnock. The wind was blowing straight into our faces the temperature reminiscent of winter (10C) and the rain continuous. At this point it was Mickey’s turn for a moan asking if we had to walk on tarmac!

These were the only animals enjoying the day

This was the start of a long, gradual climb which took us past Midgeley Farm on our right (5mins), a herd of alpacas grazing in a field on our left, past Helmsley Farm on our right (19mins) and a cottage on our left which was once a pub called The Eagle and Child (24mins).

This was one of the first country pubs, built in 1738, to fall victim to the breathalyser laws which no doubt saved lives but also killed off many historic hostelries in the heart of the countryside – the law of unintended consequences.

Continuing gently uphill, on our right we passed Burn’t Cliff Top (28mins) and reached Midgeley Gate Barn, where we turned right at a green public footpath sign (31mins). This led us through a farmyard which we exited by a stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow (33mins). With a drystone wall on our right we carried on until we soon crossed it by another stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow.

After a few yards downhill we headed right to follow a path which plunged steeply through ferns, heading toward the former Gradbach Youth Hostel. We crossed a footbridge over the River Dane to reach it (42mins).

The hostel, which was once a silk mill, was converted into an outdoor education centre by Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Staffs.

However it now appears to have been taken over by a commercial company (Gradbach Investments ) with a view to being a hotel (of sorts). They don’t have a licence but have applied for one. They have also constructed a substantial outside eating area along the riverside (R.Dane) and are open Sat and Sunday at 10am. Room prices in July from £100

Outside the front of the building was a wooden signpost pointing to Lud’s Church, Danebridge and The Roaches. The route was straightforward until we reached a stone step stile leading ahead, while the path swept left. We crossed the stile and a footbridge (54mins) to head uphill into Back Forest Wood.

We did not take the footpath to Lud’s Church, wet and tricky at the best of times, but turned left to follow the sign for The Roaches. A fairly steep and occasionally slippery climb took up to a clearing above Black Brook. Here we followed the path up to Roache End.( 70 mins)

Even though it was only 10.45 am pie time was taken in the lee of a dry stone wall as shelter against a strong wet easterly wind. Chris providing a warming drink of damson gin under the view of Bearstone Rock

                                    

We crossed a stone step stile on our right to enter a field (99mins) and the well trodden path took us to Hanging Stone (106mins). This distinctive rock stands on Back Forest Ridge, overlooking Swythamley Hall, home of the Brocklehurst family who owned The Roaches estate until the death of the last in line in 1978.

Below it are two plaques. The earlier one reads:

Beneath this rock on August 1, 1874, was buried Burke, a noble mastiff black and tan.

Faithful as woman, braver than man

A gun and a ramble his heart’s desire

With the friend of his life

The Swythamley squire.

The later one is a memorial to Lt-Col Henry Courtney Brocklehurst, of the 10^th Royal Hussars, a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps from 1916-18 and Game Warden of The Sudan. Born 1888 Swythamley and killed on active service in Burma on commando in June, 1942.

From Hanging Stone we walked steeply downhill to a gravel path where we turned right (115mins). After 80 yards we turned left over a wooden stile (116mins) and followed a wooden public footpath sign for Danebridge. Another wooden stile took us downhill through a wood (121mins). We reached a path and turned left (126mins).

The path brought us out on a road where we turned right, crossed the Dane and entered The Wincle Brewery on our left (129mins). Locally-brewed cask bitter, The Wincle Waller, was bought for £3.00 a pint and enjoyed on picnic tables under an open marquee, where we were joined by two very wet Land’s End to John  O Groat’s walkers. They were doing it in 2 week stages. They left Mow Cap (all 3 pubs now closed) this morning and were heading for Buxton tonight.

                                          

Leaving with some reluctance, we turned right uphill, passing The Ship at Wincle and turning right at a public footpath sign just beyond its car park (133mins). We entered a field and left it by a wooden stile to head through a copse (138mins). We crossed a wooden footbridge and exited the copse by a wooden stile.

Our quintet kept to the left side of a field before crossing a stone step stile on our left to go through a farmyard (144mins) and turned right along a lane. We went through a gate, turned left and then left again at another wooden gate (145mins).

This brought us to a kissing gate, but no stopping for lunch which had been consumed in the shelter of the marquee). We passed Clough Brook Cottage on our right (155mins) and reached a road (156mins). We turned right, crossed the Dane and headed uphill (162mins).

One our left was a whitewashed cottage which had been built in 1746 and then the Allgreave Methodist Church. The steep climb ended when the road turned sharply left and The Rose and Crown was on our right (166mins).

We were given a warm welcome by Luda, the formidable Estonian busty blonde landlady who used to be mine hostess at the nearby Hanging Gate pub. As luck would have it the guest beer on sale for a whopping £3-60 a pint was what could only be described as a very dark mild from a Midland brewery  (Parkgate) .Bitter was 3.50 a pint

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from Dane bridge, park down by the bridge the upper spaces are now reserved for residents. We hope to be led to the Knot Inn at Rushton Spencer for a livener between noon and 12.30pm before returning to the Wincle brewery around 2.15pm.