Longnor

Longnor

August 23, 2017

LONGNOR, LOWER BOOTHLOW, BRUND MILL, LOW END FARM, THE STAFFORDSHIRE KNOT AT SHEEN, YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE

Distance: 9 miles                            Ascent/descent: 650ft

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Misty and damp early, bright later

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Tip

Apologies:  Mark Gibby, Hughie Harriman (hols), Alan Hart (funeral), George Whaites (hip op recovery), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Tom Cunliffe (injury/imminent hols)

Leader: Fairman                              Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Village square, Longnor

Starting time: 9.49 am                    Finishing time: 2.23 pm

Today's walk was a quite straightfoward descent of the Manifold Valley through at times very muddy fields and a return along the gritstone ridge between this and the River Dove, where early mist cleared to give us splendid views.

There was the welcoming discovery that a pub in often dry Longnor has now resumed all-day opening and the fact that - perhaps a first this -  another hostelry opened specially for us en route. This allowed us to join Laurie in celebrating his 82nd birthday.

My Peak District Companion, of which your temporary diarist's regular readers will have heard before, describes Longnor as 'a plain, compact yet higgledy-piggledy place with dark old gritstone houses and a significant location.

'It stands on the east-west boundary between the bright greenery of the limestone country and the sombre browns and greys of the gritstone landscape; on a ridge between the Dove and the Manifold where they are only three-quarters of a mile apart.'

Longnor is no longer a market town, but high on the market hall, in the square where we parked, is a notice of the tolls salesmen had to pay at markets and fairs in 1903. It was also the last place used as 'Cardale' in the 1990s medical TV drama Peak Practice.

We turned left out of the cobbled square and shortly after passing the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - of which more later - we turned right down a lane which brought us to the yard of Field End Farm, where three recently-born black and white calves were hanging about looking cute.

We went through two gates and right across a stile, of which dozens more were to come, slanting across a field towards the River Manifold. A series of gated stiles took us through the fields alongside the river until we started to veer away from the waterside to come to an abrupt halt at a hedge barring our way (26 minutes).

A search revealed the path to be higher up the field and we located a gate where a footpath sign proclaimed us to be on the Manifold Trail, possibly the most poorly marked walking route anywhere.

We reached Lower Boothlow Farm on our left, crossed a small bridge on to a farm track

and went through a large gate on our right. We crossed two stone stiles which took us over a green lane, crossed a bridge over a stream and ascended steps to reach a gate (56 min).

We crossed a very muddy small valley, churned up by cattle, and we were now alongside the Manifold again.

We went left then right along a wall and declared early pie-time in a copse of trees near a broken wall (61 min). After a leisurely break of 16 minutes we continued with the river below us on our right and reached a hamlet which we skirted on the left on a narrow path to emerge at a T-junction.

The road ahead was signed 'Sheen 1 1/4 miles', but we bore right along the lane and crossed a hump-backed bridge over the Manifold near a house on the site of the former Brund Mill.

About 100 yards further on we took a stile in to a field to the left, again signed for the Manifold Trail (77 min), and reached a line of hawthorn trees, which we followed on the right, crossing stiles over six fields before turning left at a small gate (88 mins).

We bore right towards a footbridge that took us back across the River Manifold and headed uphill across a large, open field with a lone telegraph pole in the middle.

We reached a muddy farm track at the top (102 mins) and turned left through the well-kept Low End Farm, which has a small caravan park attached.

A metalled lane to the right brought us out on a minor road, where we turned left uphill to reach a sign telling us we had reached Sheen (112 mins). The road brought us to the Staffordshire Knot pub (122 mins), where the landlady had earlier succumbed to Colin's blandishments (don't ask) to open specially for us.

If she was disappointed by the arrival of a mere six walkers and a dog rather than the hordes possibly promised by Colin, she showed no sign and we enjoyed pints of Wincle Waller (£3-40) kindly provided by the birthday boy.

Sheen apparently is a small village of little distinction apart from, mysteriously, producing world-class tug o' war teams - both male and female - over the years. Sadly - or perhaps fortunately - we encountered none of the later during our brief visit. They must be formidable.

We left 55 minutes later and turned left to take the road to Longnor. At a farm we took a path to the right through a field (131 mins) to give us a brief respite from the tarmac and rejoined the road shortly afterwards (136 mins).

Above us on the left was the  craggy hilltop of Sheen Hill, with the white trig point visible. At a roofless barn on the left we stopped for lunch (159 mins). On our right there were fine views of the iron age Pilsbury Castle fort, Wheelstone Hill, and ahead of us the pointed peaks of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill.

We continued down the road to Longnor, a long stretch of road but redeemed by the views on either side. We arrived back at the square (197 mins)  and four of our number adjourned to the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese to enjoy pints of Robinson's Unicorn (£3-25) and Double Hop Pale Ale (£3-35).

The landlords Matt and Zoe have been in the pub for a year and now open from noon everyday through the afternoon.

Next week's walk will start from Colin's house at 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, at 9.30 am. We will call at the Fox Inn at Brookbottom around 12.15 pm. Drinks afterwards will probably be at The Horseshoe in High Lane.

Happy Wandering!