Chapel-en-le-Frith

October 25, 2017.

CHAPEL STATION, COMBS MOSS, CASTLE NAZE, COMBS EDGE, BRACKEN CLOUGH, THE BEEHIVE AT COMBS, MANCHESTER-BUXTON RAILWAY LINE, THE ROEBUCK AT CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH

Distance: 7 miles.

Difficulty: Tricky moorland terrain required great care.

Weather: Warm and sunny with blue skies.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Alastair Cairns (hiking near Robin Hood’s Bay), Lawrie Fairman (attending wedding in USA), Chris Owen (decorating), Jock Rooney.

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Side of road near Chapel Station.

Starting time: 9.58am. Finishing time: 2.20pm.

By clicking the word "here" you can follow the A walk here

http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NjE2MjAxMg==

For the second successive week the weather gods smiled down on us and provided unseasonably warm and sunny weather. We had some spectacular views from Combs Moss, on which lie the mounds identified as an Iron Age hill-fort called Castle Naze.

It was easy to imagine how our ancestors would have had a clear view of unwelcome visitors for miles in every direction.

Combs Moss was the scene where exactly two years earlier your diarist’s carer slipped and broke her ankle while plotting a route unaccompanied for the Trans Peak group, of which she is a walk leader. She was found as darkness fell by the Buxton Mountain Rescue Service and stretchered down to an ambulance for hospital treatment.

It was soon clear that at this time of year the moorland is muddy and combined with limestone rocks it can be treacherous. This slowed our pace and led to at least three different walkers falling. Fortunately they only suffered bruised egos.

Your diarist, however, suffered a grievous wound as, caring little for his own safety, he broke the fall and possibly saved the life of a colleague. More of that later.

The amusement began before the walk had even started. While bending over to lace his boots, Julian was goosed by a passing black Labrador. The smile this brought to Julian’s face was somewhat disconcerting.

We walked up and over the level crossing at Chapel Station, climbing uphill and swinging right at The Ridge and passing Ridge Hall on our left. This brought us to a T-junction at a road where we turned right (12mins). At a gap in the fence opposite a prominent rock we turned left (16mins) and followed a fairly well trodden path diagonally right uphill. We reached the summit and turned right over a wooden stile (23mins)

To our left was the site called Castle Naze. Archaeologists have identified the man-made sets of two ramparts behind a ditch as being a late Iron Age fort, built between 800 and 600 BC. It covers 2.5 acres and is triangular. The north and south sides are protected by natural slopes and the east by human earthworks. The ditch was 1-2 metres deep and 2-3m wide. The outer rampart was 3-5m high and 5m wide. Beyond it there is a gap of 20m to the inner rampart which was 3m high.

With the slope down to the valley below on our right we crossed a stone step stile (40mins) and reached a stream (73mins) where we paused for pies and port. Resuming, we crossed the stream by stepping stones and headed uphill (74mins). We crossed another stream – or possibly the same one again (96mins)

The beaten path brought us to a broken drystone wall which we followed with the wall on our right. At one point it swung left away from Coombs Reservoir to our right below, but our leader assured us, correctly, that this was the way. When we reached a junction of two walls (118mins), the one on our right had been knocked down and we crossed it to head downhill.

At a wooden gate (131mins) we turned right and crossed a stone step stile in the middle of a drystone wall (136mins). It was as he tried to descend the far side that Steve slipped. Sensing the danger, your diarist placed his right forefinger across the top of the wall, thus protecting Steve’s head from hitting the wall.

Consequently Steve emerged relatively unscathed while your intrepid diarist suffered a wound (pictured by Colin) to his plectrum finger which will sadly put an end to his dreams of replacing Keith Richard as guitarist for The Rolling Stones.

 Two footbridges, one made of a plank and the other a concrete pillar, enabled us to cross a stream (149mins). We passed a bungalow on our right (156mins) and an impressive house called Bracken Clough on our right (162mins) as we entered the outskirts of Combs village.

For those of you wondering, there is no definitive explanation of why the reservoir is called Coombs and the village Combs.

The road led us to The Beehive (166mins), and the weather was pleasant enough to sit on chairs next to the trestle tables outside the pub, where we enjoyed pints of Beehive at £3-40. The more extravagant members of our group chose Standard Bearer at £3-80. Both cask bitters were both deemed to be in fine fettle.

We retraced our footsteps after the break, turning left at a wooden public footpath sign, which led us through a wooden gate and over a wooden stile (171mins) to a track uphill which appeared to have been little used since our last visit. Another wooden stile (174mins) led us to the side of an electrified fence and through a field containing horses.

At the far side of the field we crossed a wooden stile (177mins) and turned right along a path. This made a 90 degree turn left (179mins) running parallel to the Manchester-Buxton railway line on our right. We emerged by a bridge for a brief lunch stop (190mins) before continuing with the line on our right.

This brought us back to Chapel Station on our right and our cars to the left (197mins). After de-booting we drove to The Roebuck where the Tetley’s cask bitter was in excellent form at £3 a pint.

A word of praise at this juncture for Julian, who drove five of us to and from the venues with great skill and good humour in his splendidly large 4x4. It would be wonderful if he could do so every week.

B Walk

Two bits of good news: 1.  F.Smith, baker of orgasmic pies, is open again. 2. Rainow’s pub is also open again, under new management.

Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Ken Sparrow, Tony Job, Barry Williams, Terry Jowett, George Fraser, and Phil Burslem.

We met in the car park under the viaduct, and left a message on Barry’s car for Tom, should he choose to walk with the B team. The first stop was for pies, after which we paused to eat them in the memorial garden. Still Tomless, we climbed up the steps to the canal and followed it South  (ish) to the Sea Scouts Hut and a large converted mill, before turning left for Kerridge. The next target was the 60 bus stop near Swanscoe Hall to catch the 12(ish) bus from Macclesfield to Glossop, but more immediately to Rainow  Bus and team were on time, and we were dropped off at the Robin Hood  just as the door was being opened. The Wainwright’s bitter was in exceptional form, tasting all the better for being provided by birthday boy (last week) Phil, relaxing after nursing his wife back to full fitness following a hip op at Wrightington.  The new landlady has come from a pub in Kerridge. Meals looked good.

The return to Bollington was via Virgins’ Path, and Ingersley Vale, with a last pint at the Crown. The Cornish ale at £3.50 a pint was nowhere near as good as that at the Robin Hood.

Finish about 3.15, no lost walkers, and no new injuries.  Next week tba.

pictures by Colin

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from the road outside The Sportsman on Kinder Road, Hayfield. It is the route which was taken on October 11 when a dire weather forecast put off all bar Peter and Colin. Our journey will take us to, but not up, Williams Clough and through the Park Hall Estate, arriving around 12.10pm at The Lantern Pike, Little Hayfield, for a livener. We expect to finish via Twenty Trees back at The Sportsman around 2.15pm where Peter looks forward to huge numbers joining him for a birthday pint.

Happy wandering !

Poynton

October 18, 2017.

POYNTON, POYNTON POOL, TOWERS ROAD, DAVENPORT GOLF CLUB, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, BOAR’S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, ANSON MUSEUM, PRINCES INCLINE, POYNTON SPORTS CLUB

Distance: Seven miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm and sunny with blue skies.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tip, Julian Ross and George Whaites. John Laverick

B walkers: George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.

Non-walking drinkers: Mickey Barrett, Tom Cunliffe and Pete Morrall.

Invisible walker: Colin Davison .

Leaders: Hart and Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park at Poynton Sports Club.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2pm.

Follow the route here....

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

Was it the weather ? Was it the route ? Or could it possibly have been the promise of free food and drink ? Whatever the reasons we had a record turnout for this less challenging walk to celebrate your diarist’s birthday.

We even had a new category with Colin becoming our first invisible walker as he chose to plough a lonely furrow.

With Alastair delayed by traffic on his long journey from the Morecambe Bay area, we split into two groups as Mark, Chris and Julian took directions and waited for him. The rest of our group set off in a somewhat hopeless effort to reach a meeting point on the Macclesfield Canal where Colin was waiting at the wildly optimistic time of 10am.

In the event, we fell further behind the clock as we waited for the second group to catch up and by the time we contacted Colin to suggest an alternative rendezvous, he had already set off to where he thought we would be heading. The last we heard of him he was on his way to Bowstones.

Meanwhile, the two groups had turned right out of the Poynton Sports Club car park along the main road towards Hazel Grove, turning right after 200 yards into South Park Drive and immediately left along the public footpath with Poynton Pool on our right.

There was an abundance of the usual bird life – swans, Canada geese, coots, moorhens, seagulls and mallards – but the main point of interest was the scene at the water’s edge marked with half a dozen posies of flowers.

It was here last month that the body of a young policewoman was found at the water’s edge by an early morning dog-walker. Her police sergeant husband has been charged with murder.

At the far end of the lake we went through the car park and continued straight on, passing your diarist’s home. When we reached the end of the cul-de-sac we took a public footpath on the left which brought us out on Towers Road (22mins).

We turned right and slowed our pace to allow Alastair, Mark, Chris and Julian to catch up before turning left at a wooden public footpath sign opposite the end of Princes Incline (48mins). This took us through a metal kissing gate, into a copse of trees and another gate to cross the fairway of Davenport Golf Club.

At the far side of the fairway we went through a gate and turned right downhill to reach the start of Anson Road (57mins). We headed diagonally right to a farm track leading to a wooden stile (58mins) which we crossed and passed stables on our left.

By heading diagonally right through this field we reached a series of metal kissing gates and wooden stiles which brought us on to Coppice Road, Higher Poynton (71mins). We turned left and crossed a road bridge over The Middlewood Way before turning left into Elm Beds Road (76mins). At a green public footpaths sign we squeezed through a hedged path to emerge in a field and head up steps to reach the Macclesfield Canal (78mins) and turned left.

The Macclesfield Canal is one of six waterways which comprise The Cheshire Ring. It runs for 26 miles from Marple Junction, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal, south through Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton to the Hall Green branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Designed by the ubiquitous Thomas Telford, work started in 1826 and finished in 1831. Its opening was marked by a procession of boats from Marple and Congleton into Macclesfield where the Band of the Macclesfield Cavalry played God Save The King.

The estimated cost of the canal was £295,000 and it was built at a cost of £320,000. It was soon a victim of the newly-invented railways. Commercial traffic ended in 1954 but the canal was saved by the increased use of leisure boats. Take a bow Peter Beal and John Jones.

On reaching Bridge 15 (82mins) at 11am, we paused for pies and port. The possibility of crossing the bridge and entering Lyme Park was discussed before Lawrie decided it would cause us to arrive late at our first watering hole. Firm of purpose, but flexible in design, we proceeded over the bridge to the first footpath on our left heading for Hilltop Cottage and took it (84mins)

After missing the left turn we reached Hilltop Farm on our left and were obliged to retrace our footsteps for a few yards, now turning right at an overlooked yellow arrow (91mins). We passed a large neat mound on our left which protected an underground water supply, and crossed a wooden stile (93mins)

We reached and crossed Bridge 14 then turned left with the canal on our left to walk along the towpath (102mins). Turning right into the car park leading to the Nelson Pit Visitor Centre and discovering the time to be 11.50am, your diarist vainly suggested an educational search inside the centre, which records Poynton’s coal-mining history. A stroll around the former platform of Higher Poynton station on the Middlewood Way wasted another couple of minutes.

But the smell of the beer from the Boar’s Head nearby was too much for some of our group and joy was unconfined when we discovered the back door of the pub was open at 11.54am (114mins). The Wainwrights’ cask bitter was in fine form at £3-45 a pint (although it didn’t seem to taste quite as good as the Wainwrights later at Poynton Sport Club for £2-70 !)

For once the A team had beaten the B team to a bar and it was our turn to sit smugly enjoying our pints as they queued to be served.

Resuming we headed along the Middlewood Way in the direction of Marple before leaving at Bridge 16 (120mins). We crossed the bridge and turned right into Green Lane (121mins) and then left at a footpath leading to The Anson Museum (123mins)

The museum is on the site of the old Anson Colliery, which was part of the estate owned in the 19^th Century by Lord Vernon. In 1856 it was estimated that reserves of 15,163,027 tons of coal lay beneath the surface of Poynton. It was reckoned they could supply the Industrial Revolution with 245,000 tons of coal for 61 years.

By 1926 production was down to 80,146 tons and the colleries closed in 1935 with 250 miners made redundant.

Local enthusiasts Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor created the museum in 1986 as a hobby, collecting the standing engines which had once powered machinery not just in the UK but throughout the empire. Manchester firms like Mirlees, Crossley Brothers and L.Gardner and Sons became known all over the globe. The Anson Museum has one of the largest collections of engines in Europe and attracts visitors from around the world.

After passing the museum on our left (128mins) and a network of badger setts, we reached Anson Road and turned right (129mins). At the end of Anson Road we retraced our footsteps through Davenport Golf Club until we emerged in Towers Road (143mins)

We crossed to follow a green public footpath sign down Princes Incline which emerged at the main road with Poynton Sports Club on our left (158mins). We turned left and left again into the club grounds, reaching the clubhouse (160mins) to enjoy pints of Wainwrights at a bargain £2-70. New club manager Sean Vincent provided chilli with rice and chips to celebrate the 72^nd anniversary of your diarist’s birth.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am from the road near Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station. We shall aim to reach The Beehive at Combs around 12.20pm and de-boot at the station before driving to the centre of the town for further refreshment at The Roebuck at about 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !

Hayfield

October 11, 2017

KINDER ROAD, HAYFIELD, NEAR SPORTSMAN INN, HILL HOUSES, FARLANDS BOOTH, BROAD CLOUGH, WILLIAM CLOUGH, WHITE BROW, MIDDLE MOOR, PARK HALL ESTATE, LANTERN PIKE INN AT LITTLE HAYFIELD, SNAKE PATH

Distance: 8 miles                 Ascent/descent: 1,900ft

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Mainly dry, two short showers, windy

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison

Apologies: Alan Hart, Mark Gibby, Hughie Harriman (all wimped out), Julian Ross (undisclosed), Micky Barrett (hamstring), Tom Cunliffe (achilles), George Whaites (domestic duties), George Dearsley (Turkey), Laurie Fairman (presumed cruise lecturing)

Leader: Beal                         Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Sportsman Inn, Kinder Road, Hayfield

Starting time: 9.41am                     Finishing time: 1.32pm

Once again the dire warnings of the weather forecasting services, particularly the BBC, proved horribly misguided, with no sign of the persistent heavy rain that was predicted.

The result of their grim forebodings however was that your temporary diarist and plucky companion Colin were left alone to ponder on the level of moral fibre displayed by some of their absent colleagues.

Marred by only a couple of 20-minute showers our walk comprised a broad circuit of the Kinder Reservoir above Hayfield, with rewarding views, and a first revisit to the Lantern Pike Inn since the departure earlier this year of landlord and fellow Wanderer Tom.

We turned left along Kinder Road outside the Sportsman and almost immediately turned right through a gap in the wall to descend a zig-zag line of steps to cross a footbridge over the River Sett.

Our route took us left again along a track which took us past Hayfield campsite (10 minutes) to join a lane near the Bowden Bridge Quarry car park, where we turned right, following the river. At a junction of the road and two tracks we turned sharp left uphill (15 mins), bringing us to the hamlet of Hill Houses.

We followed this track until it descended gradually through a farm to join a lane near the collection of houses at Farlands Booth (30 mins). We climbed up the lane to the right, soon reaching a footpath sign at a gate on the right.

From here we had a view of the grassed dam of the Kinder reservoir. This huge engineering project was completed in 1911 and at the time the construction was the biggest earth dam in the world. The 44-acre reservoir holds 515 million gallons of water.

The path climbed steeply through a field and at its crest we ignored a path higher on the right to follow a track running alongside woods on our left. Here we found a magnificent cluster of pixie-type red, white-spotted, toadstools, the correct name of which escaped us.

The path dropped down to a stream running from the Kinder plateau high on our right down through Broad Clough (60mins). We crossed a stile, forded the stream, and after a second stile climbed steeply up a grassy slope.

At a gate at the top we slanted left at a National Trust fingerpost across a grassy field. On our right we had a fine view of water flowing down the rocks of Kinder Downfall being blown back high in to the air by the strong wind.

We bore left and joined a track bringing us to a footbridge over the River Kinder. We crossed this and took a narrow path leading us to woods at the head of the very full Kinder Reservoir.

Pie-time was declared at a spot with excellent views across the reservoir below us (79 mins). Continuing we soon reached a footbridge spanning the stream of William Clough, shortly before it enters the reservoir (91 mins). We crossed this and headed up the clough for a short distance before turning sharp left up the hillside on a path which headed back towards the reservoir.

On its crest at Nab Brow we descended slightly before taking a right fork up through the heather, bringing us to the two white-painted shooting boxes and a wooden bridge over a boggy area (111 mins).

We crossed the bridge and followed the path until it dropped down a paved section to a stream. We forded this and climbed slightly, soon reaching a path to the left, which we descended to reach the stream again at a ford just before a gate at the entrance to the wooded Park Hall estate, once the home of local benefactor and textile baron Joseph Hague.

We turned right through the gate and soon emerged on the Hayfield to Glossop road, where a right turn brought us to the Lantern Pike Inn (135 mins).

The pub is largely unchanged since Tom's departure. Timothy Taylor's Landlord bitter was £3-55, Moonshine was £3-35. But what was missing was Tom's cheery welcome and his gay repartee. Actually, what was really missing was his free chips.

We left soon afterwards and retraced our steps to the gate at the top of the Park Hall estate, where this time we turned right on a track which brought us to a wall on our right, which we followed up the moor to a metal kissing gate on the Snake Path.

A right turn here took us down through a series of fields, past the local landmark of the copse known as Twenty Trees, joining Kinder Road in Hayfield a short distance from the Sportsman Inn on our right (135 mins).

The Wainwright's bitter here, in a pub that has recently been pleasantly refurbished, was a rather heady £3-60, but the barmaids were very welcoming.

The following pictures by Colin

As you might be aware next week's walk will mark Alan's birthday. Start will be at 9.30am at Poynton Sports Club, calling at the Boar's Head around 12 noon and returning at 2.15pm. Food and festivities are promised. Some walking might be included in all this at some point.

Happy wandering!

Furness Vale

October 4, 2017.

FURNESS VALE, OLLERSETT MOOR, COTE BANK FARM, BRIERLEY GREEN, BLACK BROOK, PEAK FOREST TRAMWAY, THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, CHINLEY, BRIARGROVE COTTAGE, ROSECROFT COTTAGE, GOWHOLE LANE, PEAT HALL FARM, PEAK FOREST CANAL AND THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE

Distance: Almost nine miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry and mainly cloudy.

Walkers:  Peter Beal*, Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tip, Julian Ross.

B Walkers: Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.

Apologies: Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe (heel injury), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (convalescing from pneumonia by cruise lecturing), Hughie Harriman and George Whaites (domestic duties)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale.

Starting time: 9.32am. Finishing time: 2.24pm.

You can follow the route by clicking on the next word link

or cut and paste the link/URL below into your browser.

http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NjAxNDg2Mg==

We welcomed home Steve, who had spent nearly two years in the Dordogne region of France. It would seem the lure of family and friends proved stronger than a drier climate and some stunning scenery. But Steve confessed it was pints of British-brewed beer which tipped the balance.

Of course we have some stunning scenery of our own in the Peak District, and although Ollersett Moor might be considered to be on its periphery the summit provided us with views of landmarks 20 miles away.

On our journey we met a pair of natives of South America and a couple who originated from Australia.

From the front of the pub we crossed the A6 and turned left for 20 yards before going right down Old Road and through a tunnel under the railway line from Manchester to Buxton. We then turned left over a bridge across the Peak Forest Canal.

This road became Marsh Lane and 80 yards beyond the sign for it we turned right up a flight of steps (8mins). We reached a lane and turned left then right at a green public footpath sign which took us up more steps and through a gate (10mins). We crossed a wooden stile to enter a field and exited it by a stone step stile (17mins). We turned left and then right at a broken footpath sign to head uphill (18mins)

We crossed a wooden stile (20mins) and emerged at a lane which we crossed to climb over a farm gate (31mins) The path then took us within close proximity of a large black dog on what appeared to be a flimsy chain. It must have been stronger than it looked for the chain prevented the dog’s furious attempts to break loose and attack us.

We exited the farmyard by a stone step stile (36mins) and breathed a collective sigh of relief, although we could still hear the barking of the frustrated dog a mile further on our journey.

We then crossed a series of wooden and stone steps stiles until we emerged opposite a cottage and turned left (45mins). We crossed a stone step stile on our right (46mins) and headed diagonally left to a ladder stile (48mins) which took us on to Ollersett Moor. We headed for an electricity pylon in the distance.

When we reached the pylon (63mins) we turned right uphill, going through a wooden gate (84mins), turning right and stopping by a drystone wall which protected us from a piercing wind. Here we stopped for pies and port (87mins).

*We also bade farewell to Pete who headed off for a dental appointment, before rejoining us at our final watering hole.

Continuing along the public bridleway we went through two metal gates (106 and 110mins) and reached a lane where we turned left (111mins). In doing so we passed in a field on our right two curious llamas who had wandered a long way from the foothills of their native Andes.

We turned right at a green public footpath sign (116mins) and proceeded downhill through an open gateway (119mins). Two more metal gates brought us to a wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow which was a right of way through the garden of Cote Bank Farm (125mins). We crossed the drive leading to the farm and went over a stone step stile to head downhill.

After crossing a wooden stile (131mins) we turned left through a passage between two rows of houses and headed right to reach a road (135mins). On our right was Brierley Green Congregational Church. On our left was a tunnel under a railway line which we entered and turned immediately right at its end to descend a flight of steps.

We crossed a wooden footbridge over Black Brook (138mins) and turned left along the route of the former Peak Forest Tramway.

This tramway, which opened in 1796, was built by the redoubtable  Benjamin Outram to carry limestone six miles from Chapel Milton to Bugsworth Basin, from where it was loaded into barges for transportation to Manchester and beyond. It was powered by horse and gravity, using the weight of loaded carts to pull back those which had been emptied.

Young boys small enough to run beneath the horses’ chests to guide the animals became known as “nippers” – a name which survives to this day as a description of children.

The old route took us past Black Brook on our left through the Stephanie Works (146mins). We passed a lake on our left containing two black swans with red beaks, whose ancestors were natives of New South Wales, Australia, and reached a lane where we turned right uphill (149mins)

This brought us with commendable timing by our leader to The Old Hall at Whitehough on the outskirts of Chinley (152mins), where we enjoyed pints of Wainwrights’s cask bitter at £3-40.

After refreshment we retraced our earlier footsteps down to the Tramway, past the lake now on our right and crossed the bridge over Black Brook, where we paused for lunch (169mins). Resuming we continued to retrace our early path back to Brierley Green, passing the Congregational Church on our right as we walked along the road (172mins)

We turned right uphill at a wooden public footpath sign by the right side of Briargrove Cottage (174mins). After some 50 yards we forked left and then turned right at Rosecroft Cottage (176mins). We crossed a stone step stile to enter a set of stables, passing a bemused horse in the yard, and exited by a similar stile to walk through a field (179mins)

By crossing a series of stiles and a wooden gate we walked through fields until we reached a makeshift gate (197mins). This brought us to a gravel track (201mins) where we turned left under a railway bridge and along Gowhole Lane. We passed Peat Hall Farm on our right and went along a right of way through a garden before reaching a footbridge across the River Goyt (205mins)

We emerged on the bank of the Peak Forest Canal by the side of Bridge 32 (208mins). We turned right with the canal on our left until we reached Furness Vale Marina at Bridge 31 (214mins). We exited here on our right and crossed the bridge to head back to the A6.

After crossing the main road we turned right for 30 yards to reach The Solider Dick (218mins) for pints of Wainwrights’ at a bargain £3.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.40am outside The Sportsman pub in Hayfield on the road to Bowden Bridge out of the village. We intend to reach The Lantern Pike pub to wet our whistles around 12.15pm, returning to The Sportsman at about 2.25pm.

Happy wandering !