Barber Booth

September 6, 2017.

BARBER BOOTH, RUSHOP EDGE, LORD’S SEAT, MAM NICK, MAM TOR, HOLLINS CROSS, THE OLD NAG’S HEAD AT EDALE, COOPERS’ FIELD, HOPE VALLEY RAILWAY LINE,  UPPER BOOTH, THE WANTED INN AT SPARROWPIT

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Strenuous climb at start: easy finish.

Weather: Cloudy, then rainy, then sunny.

Walkers: Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tips and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (on safari), Peter Beal (Greece hols), Tom Cunliffe (Achilles problem), George Dearsley (in Turkey) and Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free car park on left of road to Upper Booth.

Starting time: 9.53am. Finishing time: 2.15pm.

This was one of those walks where we had to use our imaginations to envisage the splendid views we might have seen if it had not been for the early morning mist and late morning rain. Our Magnificent Seven, plus Tips, suffered the exertions of a lengthy climb from the valley of Barber Booth but were denied the reward of the panoramic vista normally provided at the 1,696 feet summit of Mam Tor.

This former Iron Age hill fort, known as Mother Hill because of the many landslips which have caused other hills to form themselves below it, has also been nicknamed Shivering Mountain. Its lower layers of shale have become unstable in harsh weather and the unequal struggle to keep open the A625 road between Sheffield and Chapel-en-le-Frith was finally abandoned in 1979.

Surrounding Mam Tor are a number of Booths – Upper, Barber, Grindsbrook, Ollerbrook and Nether – which are ancient hamlets built around the “bothies” created as temporary shelters for local shepherds.

The area is also famous for its caverns – Blue John, Speedwell, Peak and Treak Cliff – where Blue John fluorspar was mined.

From the car park at Barber Booth on the road to Upper Booth we walked back downhill under the railway viaduct (4mins) before turning right over a wooden stile (6mins) for the start of a relentless climb up to Rushop Edge. We crossed several wooden stiles and went through gates as we reached a road just before Mam Nick (87mins) where we paused for pies, port and damson gin.

Resuming, we crossed the road diagonally left and began the climb up Mam Tor, reaching its Trig Point (101mins). After a brief pause to glance at the restricted views, we began our descent , reaching the Tom Hyett Memorial plinth (114mins) and turning sharp left downhill. Where the path forked we went right (117mins) and went through a wooden gate before crossing the River Noe (132mins)

This led to a Kafkaesque conversation between your diarist and Jock. AH “Is this the River Noe ?”

JR: “Yes.” AH: “I’ll take that as a Yes for Noe.” JR: “Yes....It’s Noe.”

We turned left at a road (133mins) and after 30 yards turned right at a wooden public footpath sign. The route then led us through a series of gap stile protected by wooden gates, crossing the river again and walking through a tunnel before we emerged at a road opposite Edale Parish Church (149mins).

Here we turned right to reach The Old Nag’s Head (152mins) where pints of Black Sheep cask bitter were deemed sour and undrinkable by Steve and your diarist. Happily the barman concurred with our verdict and freely replaced them with pints of Celtic Gold at £3-50.

Continuing we retraced our footsteps for 20 yards back towards the church before turning right towards Coopers’ Chippy, then left at a wooden public footpaths sign ((157mins). The path then led us through a series of wooden gates until we passed a wooden public footpaths sign for Barber Booth and Upper Booth (165mins). In a dip between two gates we stopped for lunch (169mins)

We continued along the well-worn path across a bridge over the Hope Valley railway line (176mins). We reached a lane and turned right, passing Holly Cottage and The Old Dairy at Upper Booth (179mins). We were now in the home straight, turning right at the sign for Upper Booth (181mins) and walking back under the viaduct to reach our cars (187mins).

After de-booting we drove to The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit for pints of Unicorn at £3-30. Some of our group also enjoyed the home-made cakes.

If you would like the full technical data on the walk, Steve has kindly supplied graphics.

Either click on the words "Track mapper" below....or, if the link does not work for you, copy and paste the URL below that into your browser.

If you don't know what a URL and a browser is....night school classes in using a computer are available from your local council.

Track mapper

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

Next week’s walk will start at 10am from Ashford-on-the-Water. To reach the starting point drivers should take the A6 out of Buxton, ignoring the first sign on the left to Ashford, and the next road towards Chatsworth. Immediately beyond that road is a minor road crossing an old bridge with car parking spaces on the left. We will be taking a livener at The Pack Horse at Little Longstone around 12.30pm, finishing at The Ashford Arms, Ashford, around 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !