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 !