Dean Row

September 20, 2017.

DEAN ROW, BOLLIN VALLEY TRAIL, MOTTRAM ST ANDREWS GOLF COURSE, THE BULLS HEAD AT MOTTRAM, LEGH OLD HALL, LOWER GADHOLE FARM, THE ADMIRAL RODNEY AT PRESTBURY, PRESTBURY WATER TREATMENT WORKS, TOP O’ TH’ HILL FARM, MILL LANE AND THE UNICORN AT DEAN ROW

Distance: 10-11 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mainly cloudy, dry with some sunshine.

Walkers: Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Jonathan Hart, Steve Kemp, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (on Greek islands), Tom Cunliffe (Achilles heel problem), Lawrie Fairman (flu), Mark Gibby, Hughie Harriman and Chris Owen (hols), Jock Rooney (unhappy with route)

Leaders: Hart and Davison . Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Unicorn, Dean Row, Handforth.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 3.05pm.


You can view the route by using this link

(click on the word link or if that does not work, copy and paste the URL below into your browser)

http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NTkwODQwNg==

There is something about this apparently straightforward comfortable walk which has some kind of jinx upon it – particularly as far as your diarist is concerned. Twice in the past year he has overshot the turn-off and on this occasion he secured his hat-trick.

Two other victims were also led astray as we added a further 1,000 metres to the journey, but one of them, and I refuse to name the culprit in print here, played a crucial role in our missing the righteous path.

George Whaites made a welcome return to the A team after a successful hip operation, and I also introduced my son Jonathan, who knew instinctively (and with a little help from his GPS) that I was heading the wrong way.

From the car park of The Unicorn we turned right to reach a mini roundabout and turned right again along a busy minor road. At a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow we turned right (5mins) to head up a track into a farmyard, passing free range hens, ducks, geese and a goat as we dog-legged right then left round the buildings and exiting via a wooden stile with a yellow arrow (9mins)

We crossed another wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (13mins) and headed left after crossing another (15mins). It was at this point we could scent the distinctive musky odour of Himalayan Balsam.

Impatiens glandulifera is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas. Due to human introduction it is now common in the northern hemisphere and regarded as an invasive species. Because of the shape of its pink flowers, it has been nicknamed Policeman’s Helmet, Bobby Tops, Copper Tops and Gnome’s Hatstand.

It grows to between 1 and 2 metres high and spreads rapidly following its flowering between June and October when its pods explode scattering seeds up to 7 metres away. Himalayan Balsam was introduced to the UK in 1839 at the same time as Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed – not a great year for horticulture.

It is blamed for river bank erosion and experts believe that “balsam-bashing” parties trying to destroy the plant might do more harm than good. Its flowers can be turned into jam or parfait so perhaps it is time to seek the help of The Women’s Institute.

We reached a metal kissing gate (24mins) with an impressive mansion on our left. We went through a seven-barred metal gate and turned immediately right to pass through another followed by a metal kissing gate (25mins). The path took us through a field to a road where we turned right over a bridge across the Bollin (30mins) and left over a wooden stile taking us into a field on the right bank of the river.

The route took us up a flight of steps and to the right of a house following a yellow arrow and a Bollin Valley Way marker (34mins). The path led through two metal kissing gates to enter Mottram Hall Golf Course (36mins). We headed left round a football training pitch (42mins), leaving the course briefly through a metal kissing gate (48mins)

After ignoring the first wooden stile on our right (53mins) we took the second stile (56mins) to re-enter and cross the course following a series of yellow arrows. We bore left and right (64mins) before exiting the course by a wooden kissing gate (67mins) and turning right down a driveway (68mins). This brought us to a main road and The Bulls Head at Mottram St Andrew (which should be ashamed of its lack of an apostrophe)

We walked along a lane to the right of the pub (74mins) and turned left at Rose Cottage (77mins) and left again at a path marked with a yellow arrow (78mins). This path took us over five wooden stiles and a footbridge, passing a pink thatched cottage on our right. Here Daisy made friends with a fellow Jack Russell terrier (85mins).

We crossed another wooden stile to reach a flight of wooden steps where we paused for pies and port (88mins)

Continuing we turned left to reach a road which we crossed diagonally left and followed a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (89mins). We passed Legh Hall and Legh Old Hall on our left then turned left through a metal kissing gate into a field (94mins). We crossed a series of wooden stiles until we reached the drive to Woodend Farm House on our left (104mins)

We turned right then left along a gravel track which led to Lower Gadhole Farm (106mins). Our group turned right to go round the paddock, through a wooden kissing gate, turned left following a yellow arrow, crossing a wooden stile on our left and right along a drive (115mins)

This took us to a bridge over the Bollin which we crossed and turned right (118mins). With the river now on our right we went through a metal kissing gate and passed a soccer pitch on our right to enter the outskirts of Prestbury (123mins), passing The Village Club on our left (126mins). We turned left after the club and entered the rear of The Admiral Rodney on our right (no tittering at the back).

Our arrival (127mins) at 11.58am was not the first custom of the day as we joined earlier drinkers enjoying pints of Unicorn cask bitter in the sunshine of the beer garden. Suitably refreshed we retraced our footsteps out of the pub, turning right at the end of Pearl Street, passing The Village Club on our right and returning to the right bank of the Bollin.

Instead of crossing the bridge on our left (136mins) we continued through a metal kissing gate to walk with the river on our left. This brought us to Prestbury Water Treatment Works on our right, which is one of the largest sewage farms one might ever wish to see. We stopped for lunch at an overgrown bridge (150mins)

As we went through a metal kissing gate into a field (159mins) we reached another bridge on our left and turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (163mins). We headed uphill through a metal kissing gate (169mins), reached a road and turned left (171mins).

We turned left into Top o’ th’ Hill Farm (172mins) where Colin engaged in a lively debate with a builder about the poor signage for a diversion which had been foisted upon us. After some comical finger-wagging we resumed our journey (176mins) by turning right over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow. Two similar stiles followed before we exited Willott Nursery (193mins) and turned left along a road.

Just before we reached a Ford dealership garage on our right, we turned left following a wooden public footpath sign for Mill Lane (195mins). We went through a metal kissing gate (200mins) and right at a wooden stile (202mins) which led us up to the road by the bridge over the Bollin. We crossed the road (208mins) and believed it to be a simple matter to follow our earlier footsteps back to The Unicorn.

By this time your diarist, Alastair and Julian had got well ahead of the others and made the mistake of taking an obvious path to the left when one of our number, acting as scout, had reported there was no path uphill straight ahead. Consequently the three leaders headed in the wrong direction and waited in vain for our comrades to follow.

When we realised the error of our ways we turned right through fields and made our way back to the free-range farm, from where we retraced our footsteps back to The Unicorn (248mins). Here Colin informed us that the four who had been behind us had arrived 15 minutes earlier, de-booted  and were on their way home.

Next week’s walk will start at 10am from the road near The Angler’s Rest, at Millers Dale. To reach it take the A6 out of Buxton and turn left along the B6049. Just after the sign for Millers Dale station on the left there is a minor road on the right which leads to The Angler’s Rest on the banks of the River Wye. We intend to stop for a livener at The George in Tideswell around 12.20pm, returning to The Angler’s Rest at 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !