Whaley Bridge

November 29, 2017.

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), GOYT VALLEY, ST JAMES’ CHURCH, TAXAL, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, PYM CHAIR, HOO MOOR, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, SHALL CROSS, THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 8.5 miles (13.7 Km)

Difficulty: Strenuous start: easy finish.

Weather: Cool and cloudy becoming warm and sunny.

Walkers: Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tips, Michael Barrett and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Alastair Cairns – gardening duties, Peter Beal – Theatre going, Colin Davison – undergoing MOT 

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Kemp.

S.O.B. Walkers: 

Starting point: Main road outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.32 a.m. Finishing time: 2.27 p.m.

The diary diverges from the normal format. As the diarist is new to the task and faced with a readership of hardened walkers and/or skilled wordsmiths, the diary presents as an approximate description of the walk, with errors (deliberately) included for detection by those with an interest in accuracy. Most good parts are plagiarised from Mr. Hart’s diary of the same/similar walk of September 28th 2016 or added to on the advice of Mr. Fairman.

The weather was cool with the overnight frost improving the heavy going on the higher reaches. Although showers were forecast, they stayed away for the duration of our walk.

From The Cock pub we had headed left and after 20 yards turned left up a path over a stream. This brought us to the former track of the Cromford and High Peak Railway Line where we turned right (1min).

This line from Cromford to Whaley Bridge was completed in 1831. Initially the trains were horse-drawn, but later the animals were replaced with small steam locomotives.Their main cargo was limestone, giving Derbyshire the reputation for exporting itself. The line was linked to The Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge Basin, from where the minerals could be distributed.

The line was closed completely in 1967. Four years later the Peak Park Planning Board and Derbyshire County Council bought part of the track and turned it into The High Peak Trail.

We followed the line until shortly after passing Alpha Mews on our right we turned right at a wooden public footpaths sign. This path took us over a wooden footbridge (11mins) and emerged at a children’s playground where we headed right, picking up a road which led down to the main road (13mins)

After crossing the road we started to climb again up a path opposite, which brought us to a wooden footbridge on our right over the River Goyt (17mins). After crossing this we had a steep ascent to St James’ Church, Taxal, on our right (23mins)

Originally this was called St Leonard’s Church and it has a record of baptisms, marriages and burials dating back to 1610. To its right is a house which was once the village pub, The Chimes at Taxal.

We turned left and after 60 yards, opposite Glebe House on our left, we turned right over a stone step stile (24mins). A long climb through waterlogged fields sorted the men from the boy, with the “boy” claiming writing duties slowed his progress.  Two ladder stiles brought us to a lane (33mins). This brought temporary respite as we turned left for 100 yards before heading right at a green public footpath sign for Windgather Rocks (34mins) and another climb uphill.

We finally reached the cleft in the ridge called Taxal Nick (41mins) and reached a drystone wall with a view over the valley. We turned left through a gate marked “No Bike Riding” and followed the ridge towards a wood. Just before we reached the trees, we headed briefly left and then went right over a wooden stile. This took us through a field to a gate, which we went through to pass the wood on our left (47mins)

There was now another climb to the cliffs called Windgather Rocks (55mins). Here we stopped to admire the views across Dunge Valley with Kettleshulme below on our right and above it on a ridge the distinctive white farmhouse surrounded by telecom aerials easily recognised as Bowstones.  Behind us to the left was The Kinder Range with Castle Naze on our right as we took in the panoramic view.

Continuing, we walked along the cliffs with the drop on our right and a view of a glistening Jodrell Bank radio telescope. A familiar ravine provided shelter for pie time (10.54). There was murmur ofcelebration when Julian shared the news he was having his first “Wandering”, hot soup of the year. Spirits subsequently lowered with the realisation that Alan was enjoying the warmth of the Barbados and exclusive use of his legendary hip flask. Come back Alan, all is forgiven. (11.14). Pie time over and we continued along the ridge until it levelled off by a road. To avoid the mud we walked up the road towards Pym’s Chair. Before reaching the Chair, at the footpath sign, we cut across the Moor to pick up the road down to the Goyt Reservoir.

There was a long descent until we reached a sign on our left marked Hoo Moor and Fernilee (111mins).

Following the sign we walked along a gravel track, through woods until it swung right for Fernilee (136mins). This brought us to the dam with Fernilee Reservoir on our right (142mins).

Fernilee and Errwood Reservoirs were built in the Goyt Valley by Stockport Water Corporation at a cost of £480,000 and completed in 1938. They are currently owned and operated by United Utilities and hold a capacity of 4,940 million litres of water which supply Stockport and surrounding areas.

We reached the far side of the dam road (144mins) and turned left to head uphill to the main road (152mins). Here we turned left and reached The Shady Oak on our right (159mins). 

As it was the cusp of the Diarist’s birthday, he celebrated his birthday and the reduced numbers of walkers by buying coffee, soda and pints of Cumberland Beer at a £3.60 a pint or a staggering £3.70 for two halves.

The combination of drinks and good company, catalysed conversations of breathtaking diversity….from the topical. Who was that lovely that sang Happy Birthday? (answer Clare Grogan https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DKkAQdlr7jY ) …. to high ground of, the architecture to be seen on Portland Street, Manchester…Thank you Mr. Barrett, through discussion on entertainers like the Pet Shop Boys, Dusty Springfield, Bridget Bardot’s pout, and finally onto, established deviant practices of the world. The last topic started in Manchester but was expanded to cover many ports of the world. The knowledge and detail provided by Jock was astonishing and the impeccable use of the third person a relief to all.

Suitably refreshed we turned right out of the pub door and immediately right up a lane by the side of the premises. This brought us to Elnor Lane where we turned left, passing Far End Cottage on both sides of the road (165mins). We didn’t stop at the Ancient Monument on our right called Shall Cross (171mins), nor did we pause for lunch. We turned left into Shallcross Road (174mins) and then right to descend Shallcross Incline Greenway (175mins). This brought us back to the disused railway line with Cromford Court retirement flats on our right (183mins). We passed a memorial stone to Gordon Hill (1930-96), described as “a unique man” (but aren’t we all ?). 

Just before The Cock the path ended and brought us over the stream back to the main road and our cars (193mins). After de-booting we joined our comrades for pints of Robbies’ Unicorn at £3.

For an accurate overview of the walk, see below graphic and link.I'd like to share a track from http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NjM3NTUxOQ==

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of Sutton Hall, Bullocks Lane, Sutton, SK11 0HE. 01260 253 211. (They’ve kindly agreed for us to use the car park). 12.30 Sutton Hall lunchtime drinks. 14.30 complete, with a Sutton Hall final drink. Chris will lead the team around this figure of eight walk, taking in Macc Forest, canals, Sutton Hall etc. 

Happy Wandering !

Goyt Valley

QUARRY CAR PARK AT STAKESIDE IN THE GOYT VALLEY, WILD MOOR, OLD CHPR RAILWAY LINE, OLD TUNNEL ENTRANCE, EDGEMOOR, THE DUKE AT BURBAGE, BURBAGE EDGE, BERRY CLOUGH

Distance: 8 miles                   Ascent/descent: 1520 ft

November 22, 2017

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Cloudy and dry with strong wind

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen

Apologies: Alan Hart (Barbados), Jock Rooney (Cyprus), George Whaites (domestic duties), Mark Gibby (parental duties), Tom Cunliffe (Achilles injury), George Dearsley (Turkey), Julian Ross and Hughie Harriman (unspecified duties)

Starting point: Quarry car park at Stakeside, Upper Goyt Valley

Starting time: 9.50 am                      Finishing time: 2.06pm

Today's walk featured a new starting point, a stretch of historic former rail line and a welcoming reopened pub not visited by the Wanderers for years.

Considering the dire weather forecast of continuous heavy rain and near-gale force winds, the seven-strong turn-out was a credit to the fortitude of our walkers.

And in the event, although the wind was very strong, the predicted deluge failed to materialise, resulting in an enjoyable walk in and out of the beautiful Goyt Valley.

Our departure point was a car park off the one-way narrow road winding up the higher reaches of the Goyt. This was the spot where the giant Pickford's removal company was born.

My Peak District Companion records that it was first worked by Thomas Pickford in 1670. He was in the road-mending business and used teams of fifty packhorses to carry gritstone and paving slabs to London.

The panniers emptied, Pickford arranged to carry other goods on the return journey. Stone eventually became less profitable - the removal business more so. But the packhorse has remained the firm's symbolic trademark.

We turned right out of the car park up the narrow road and soon reached a path leading left down to a packhorse bridge over the swollen small river. Goyt's Bridge has only been here since 1967. It was orginally a mile downstream in the hamlet of the same name, and familiar to tax-dodging smugglers of Cheshire salt.

When the settlement was submerged by the Errwood Reservoir, 30 years after its northern neighbour Fernilee was built, the bridge was dismantled and moved upstream.

We descended the narrow path and crossed the stream, immediately turning sharp left to follow the path with the stream below us on our left. The path here was boggy and wooden duckboards placed to help were treacherously slippy.

The Errwood Reservoir came in to sight ahead of us (30 minutes) and the path swung right to reach a footpath sign to Errwood. Here the path improved and became a track taking us downhill through a gate. At the bottom of the incline we crossed a brook and turned right before immediately taking a fainter path up the hill to the left.

A steep climb up the fellside brought us to the former route of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, with a car park on our right and a pond in front of us (50 min).

The CHPR opened in 1830 and connected Cromford Canal near Matlock to the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge to transport heavy minerals. At first horse-powered, steam engines were later introduced to pull wagons up the inclines on the route. The last part of the route, at one time the highest rail line in Britain, only closed in 1967, although the section we were on ceased operating in 1892.

We turned left along the well-maintained pathway, which contours around several small valleys, before reaching a sealed off tunnel entrance, marking the high point of the CHPR line at 1,624 ft (76 min).

The cutting here, which we shared with four elderly (that means they looked older than most of us) fellow walkers, was the only shelter from the winds which had been buffetting us for the past half-hour. Pie-time was declared slightly later than usual.

We retraced our steps for 20 yards and turned right at a fingerpost reading Buxton and Bishops Road. This path took us gently uphill across the fellside before reaching a small gate at the top of some woods (87 min).

We descended here and come to a fork in the path where we turned left, soon coming to a wooden set of steps taking us down to a lane. We turned right here towards some impressive houses with a  large duckpond and the lane swung left to take us on to a long straight stretch towards Burbage, an outskirt of Buxton.

We entered housing and soon forked right to emerge on the main road with our objective The Duke pub in front of us (120 min). This pub was formerly The Duke of York until its closure for some time. And despite us thinking it had only recently reopened, apparently the current management is in its fifth year.

We arrived six minutes before their noon opening time. But they could not have been more welcoming. Not only did the charming lady host invite us in to wait, but she then arrived at the table to take beer orders and delivered the drinks. A rare luxury. Wainwright's Ale was £3.50 a pint.

There is a mystery here - despite the pub being called The Duke of York previously, eagle-eyed Laurie noted that the nobleman depicted on the front of the menu now was in fact Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. Questioning of bar staff and further research failed to discover the reason for this.

We resumed by crossing the road to the right of the pub, turning immediatly left, and turning right down a residential street. This began to climb along what was the old Macclesfield to Buxton road, and soon after becoming a rough track we came to a small gate on the right, marked by a green Peak and Northern Footpaths Society sign (136 min).

We followed the bridleway uphill, bearing right, with a wall and woods on our right. The path veered away from the woods to the left at a fork (141 min) and crossed boggy land before climbing steadily in very strong wind to a gate in a drystone wall at the corner of a sparse wood (153 min).

We had a brief lunch in the lee of the wall, with excellent views over Buxton and towards Axe Edge and the ridge of Chrome Hill, before continuing through the gate and over the crest of the fell, with the summit of Burbage Edge a short distance away on our right.

Laurie pointed out that on Wild Moor to our right, about 10 years ago, there was a bid to breed the rare hen harrier after a pair arrived unexpectedly in the valley. Despite a 24-hour watch being kept on the nest it was unsuccessful. This iconic hawk is now virtually extinct in England, apparently because of the preponderance of crows and foxes, and illegal shooting by grouse moor gamekeepers.

A distinct but boggy track took us over the moor and we reached a track joining from the left, signed toward Axe Edge (160 min).  The route from here was straightforward, descending down the left bank of heather-clad Berry Clough to reach the Goyt again at a wooden footbridge (175 min).

We climbed to the road, turned right and came in to view of the packhorse bridge we had crossed at the start of the walk (181 min). We soon reached the car park (184 min).

Pictures by Colin

After debooting five of our number reconvened at the Shady Oak at Fernilee, where so-so Jenning's Cumberland Bitter was £3.60 a pint. We declared ourselves still not sure about the welcoming nature of this pub for walkers.

Despite that, next week's walk will start outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge at 9.30 am, stopping en route at the Shady Oak for refreshments around 12.30 pm and back at The Cock at 2.15 pm.

Happy Wandering!

Bollington

November 15, 2017.

BOLLINGTON, ST OSWALD’S CHURCH, WHITE NANCY, KERRIDGE RIDGE, SPRINGBANK MILL, RAINOW, LIDGETTS LANE, BULL HILL LANE, WALKER BARN, PEDLEY FOLD FARM, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, THE VIRGINS’ PATH, INGERSLEY VALE WATERFALL AT WAULKMILL FARM AND THE CHURCH HOUSE INN AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: Seven miles.

Difficulty: Easy after strenuous climb to start.

Weather: Mainly cloudy but dry with good visibility.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Hughie Harriman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Steve Kemp (in Malta) and Jock Rooney.

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road in Church Lane outside The Church House Inn, Bollington.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 2.02pm.

You can follow the route here

https://strava.app.link/JeSF3xI95H

either click on the link or cut and paste it into your browser.

For the fourth successive Wednesday, the Wanderers were blessed with dry weather on a surprisingly warm mid-November morning. However overnight rain had created muddy conditions in some of the fields we crossed and there were a couple of casualties.
Happily neither Lawrie nor George was hurt when they slipped and fell, but their clothes betrayed their plight. Lawrie was returning to the fold after a prolonged absence caused by a heavy cold, which developed into pneumonia, followed by a working cruise, a wedding and a US holiday. His first walk in five weeks involved a steep climb at the start but he had only reached the lower foothills of Kerridge Ridge when he found himself up to his fetlocks in Somme-like slime.

From Church Lane we walked with the Church House Inn on our left and passed the boarded-up St Oswald’s Church on our right. We turned left at The Crown on the corner, passing the former millpond on our right. Further along on our left, opposite a tree festooned with bird boxes on our right, was the sad sight of the overgrown Tullis Russell Coating bowling green.

After passing the abandoned green we turned sharp right (5mins) up a track leading to a gate. We went through the gate and then set off in different directions to climb towards White Nancy.

This famous landmark was built by the landowner to celebrate Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. At one time it had a door and window. On the inside was a table and chairs. Now it has been bricked up and painted white so it can be seen for miles.

It is believed the building was named after a white horse called Nancy which carried several loads of bricks up the steep hill so it could be built.

The quickest members of our 11-strong group reached the summit at 10am (20mins) where they caught their breath and waited for their colleagues to arrive. After admiring the view and posing for a photograph we continued (28mins) along the ridge through two metal kissing gates (30mins)

By now Colin had taken command and led his followers along the high path with views of Astro Zeneca in the Hurdsfield Industrial Estate on our right below. Lawrie led George on a lower path, where they encountered deep mud into which George inevitably plunged. Both paths came together at a road by the side of a house called Springbank Mill (64mins)

This brought about a premature impromptu Pietime as the main party awaited the arrival of the missing duo. We then turned right (73mins) along Lidgetts Lane for 40 yards before crossing it to the left and following a green footpath sign uphill through a field. We reached a road and turned right (80mins)

At the top of Bull Hill Lane (88mins) we turned left for 30 yards and then crossed the main road to follow a footpath sign pointing up stone steps into a field (89mins). After crossing a wooden stile (93mins) we turned immediately left, crossing two stone step stiles (95 and 97mins) before reaching a metal gate in front of Brink Barn (98mins). Here we paused for pies and port.

Continuing, we walked to the left of Brink Barn and followed a path which went parallel with the road below us. We passed a sign for Walker Barn (102mins) and reached the road, passing a house which was once a pub called The Setter Dog (105mins)

Your diarist noticed some manly tears being shed for this former Marstons’ pub which called Time and closed its doors some 12 years ago.

After passing it on our left we turned left downhill. After going through a wooden gate we turned left with a barbed wire fence on our left (110mins). The track became a road leading through a farmyard (112mins). We crossed a stone step stile on our left by a green public footpath sign (124mins) and headed downhill through a field.

Our party scaled a ladder stile (128mins), then a double stile and a series of stiles which brought us to a road (132mins). We went through a white gate and turned left for 50 yards, and then turned right over a stile to follow a path down to a footbridge across a stream (138mins). We then climbed a ladder stile, headed uphill and crossed a stone step stile to reach a narrow road (141mins)

Turning left downhill we emerged by a main road at the side of Pedley Fold Farm (147mins) and turned right. Pedley Hill became Church Lane. We left this to go up Stocks Lane, which ran parallel with it, and reached The Robin Hood (152mins). Here pints of Wainwrights’ cask bitter at £3-10 and Timothy Taylor Landlord at £3-40 were deemed to be in fine form.

Suitably refreshed we went back down Stocks Lane, passing the village stocks on our left, and turned right into Chapel Lane (154mins). A right turn into Sugar Lane brought us to a public footpath sign pointing to the rear of a row of cottages on our right (159mins). The flagstones led us to a route known as The Virgins’ Path.

This was so called because two centuries ago there was no church in Rainow. Brides-to-be had to walk through sometimes muddy fields to reach the nearest church in Bollington. To keep their dresses pure white, local farmers laid down flags across the fields so the village maidens would arrive at church unsullied.

The path leads to the picturesque Ingersley Vale waterfall opposite Waulkmill Farm (172mins) where we stopped for lunch. Continuing our journey we passed the derelict mill on our right before reaching the overgrown bowling green on our right and retracing our footsteps back to the cars to de-boot (184mins).

In The Church House awaited a pretty barmaid and a choice of Wainwrights or Adnams Southwold, both at £3-10 a pint.

Pictures by Colin

Next week’s walk will start at 9.50am from the far car park at Errwood Reservoir on the road to Buxton out of Whaley Bridge. To reach the right car park you need to cross the road bridge between Fernilee Reservoir on your right and Errwood on your left. Turn left ignoring the car park above the road, cross a metal bridge and ignore another car park on your right. Enter the one-way road and park at the Quarry Car Park on your right.

After a livener around 12.15pm at The Duke in Burbage (formerly The Duke of York), we expect to return to the car park around 2.15pm to de-boot before driving to The Shady Oak at Fernilee about 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !

Castleton

November 8, 2017.

CASTLETON, LONGCLIFF, TREAK CLIFF TAVERN, BLUE JOHN CAVERN, SHOULDER OF MAM TOR, SHOULDER OF LOSE HILL, THE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT HOPE, HOPE PINFOLD, PEAKSHOLE WATER AND THE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT CASTLETON

Distance: 7 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Sunny with blue skies.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tips, George Whaites.

Apologies:  George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (in USA), Hughie Harriman (job-seeking), Steve Kemp (medical tests), Chris Owen (decorating), Julian Ross (w*^king)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The George in Castleton.

Starting time: 9.52am. Finishing time: 2.10pm.

For the third successive Wednesday, the weather gods smiled down upon us as we took to the hills around Castleton. Visibility was excellent and the views were magnificent. Even the approach to Castleton via Winnats Pass is spectacular, although it was also the scene of an ancient tragedy – of which more follows later.

Our start was delayed by the tardy arrival of Alastair, but what an entrance he made as he roared up in his shiny new silver Masserati. Daisy relaxed in a hammock in the back as though she was the Queen of Sheba.

Our route is known as the “cheesy walk” because it involves calling at two Derbyshire pubs called The Cheshire Cheese.

According to folklore, this is because the pubs in Castleton and Hope were used by farmers from Cheshire taking their dairy products to Sheffield. Entrepreneurial landlords called their pubs The Cheshire Cheese to indicate they would accept cheese as payment for board and lodging. 

Another piece of local legend concerns a wealthy young couple called Henry and Clara who eloped to be married in the Peak Forest, where parental consent was not needed. It is not clear whether they were on their way to marry or returning from the ceremony in 1768 when they were attacked by five local miners who ambushed them at Winnats Pass.

The pass is a cleft surrounded by towering limestone pinnacles and its name is a corruption of Wind Gates. The couple were robbed, murdered and their bodies buried so nobody knew what had happened. But on his deathbed, one of the five miners confessed to the crime. He also named his accomplices, one of whom had later fallen to his death, one had been crushed by a falling rock, one had committed suicide and the fourth had gone insane. The bodies of poor Henry and Clara were never found.

Facing The George we headed right to reach the main road and turned left to the Blue John jewellers’ shop where we turned left again. This took us past the Old Rope Maker’s Shop and a stream on our right. We went straight ahead uphill as the road became a stony track.

We went through a wooden gate (7mins) and a metal kissing gate (16mins). We exited Longcliff via a wooden kissing gate and crossed a road (22mins). After crossing a stile made of wood and stone the well-trodden path uphill became concrete (31mins) as we approached the entrance to Treak Cliff Cavern (33mins)

We followed the public footpath to the left of the cavern and turned right, going through a wooden gate (40mins) as we continued to climb. Our Magnificent Seven passed the Blue John Cavern (45mins) and reached a road where we turned right downhill (48mins). We went through a wooden stile (49mins) on our left and followed the track before crossing a wooden stile and stopping for pies and port (68mins)

Continuing, we were now on the right shoulder of Mam Tor where hang-gliders and paragliders were riding the thermals above us. To our right were expansive views across the valley, marred only by that notorious blot on the landscape, Hope Cement Works.

We went through a wooden gate (72mins) and walked along stone flags to reach Hollins Cross (77mins). This once marked the Coffin Route or Corpse Trail when the bodies of the departed were transported from Edale, where there was no church, to Castleton for Christian burial.

Instead of climbing Lose Hill, we took the lower route again along its right shoulder, crossing a series of wooden stiles and turning right downhill to reach a farm track (126mins). We turned left and then swung right downhill to reach a road (132mins). We turned right and reached The Cheshire Cheese at Hope, described as a 16^th Century Inn, on our right (136mins)

Here we enjoyed Moonshine cask bitter in welcoming conditions but at an eye-watering £3-75 a pint.

Resuming our journey we turned right out of the pub and emerged at a main road opposite St Peter’s Church, Hope (142mins). We crossed the road, turned right and then headed left just before The Woodroffe Arms. This brought us to Hope Pinfold on our right (146mins) where in days of yore stray sheep were held before they were claimed or sold at auction.

After lunch here we continued to walk away from Hope and turned right at a green footpath sign for Castleton (149mins). After going through a wooden gate (153mins) a stream known as Peakshole Water appeared on our right. We followed the path which crossed a railway track leading to Hope Cement Works (156mins)

Our party crossed a stone step stile, a wooden stile and went through a wooden gate to reach the main road (177mins), where we turned left. This soon brought us to our second Cheshire Cheese Inn on our left (180) and another warm welcome for both us and the dogs.

Pictures by Colin

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am outside The Church House Inn in Bollington. To reach this you should drive past The Spinners Arms opposite the public car park, pass Heathcotes’ butchers on your left and turn right at the next mini roundabout. The Church House is on the left and free parking is allowed on the road. We are pleased to announce that F.Smith baker’s shop opposite Heathcotes has reopened and is once again selling its orgasmic pies.

Our route will take us to The Robin Hood at Rainow, which has also reopened on Wednesday lunchtimes, at about 12.15pm to knock the froth off one or two, before we return to The Church House around 2.15pm for a final drink.

Happy wandering !

   

Hayfield

Hayfield

November 1, 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, TWENTY TREES, SPORTSMAN INN

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

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Dry, bright and warm with some sunshine

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Tip, Julian Ross, George Whaites

Apologies: Laurie Fairman (family wedding in USA), Tom Cunliffe and Micky Barrett (both injured), Mark Gibby and Hughie Harriman (at police reunion), George Dearsley (in Turkey)

Leaders: Beal and Davison                      Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Sportsman Inn, Kinder Road, Hayfield

Starting time: 9.44am                     Finishing time: 2.25pm

You can follow the route by clicking on the word "here"  here

http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NjIxNjY4Nw==

Today's walk was a repeat of a route completed a mere three weeks earlier. However, since misguided weather forecasts on that occasion caused a mass wimp-out, leaving only Colin and your temporary diarist to complete the walk, it was decided to repeat the exercise.

One of the objectives was to allow the Wanderers to pay their first visit to the Lantern Pike Inn in Little Hayfield since the departure of fellow walker and erstwhile landlord Tom earlier this year.

We were rewarded with glorious weather and fine views on what was a broad circuit of the Kinder Reservoir above Hayfield.

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 (7  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 (17   mins), bringing us to the attractive 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 (29 mins), where the nephew of Agatha Christie once lived. She was said to have visited here frequently. We climbed up the lane past the large house on our left, 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.  It is worth repeating that 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. 

The path dropped down to a stream running from the Kinder plateau high on our right down through Broad Clough (53 mins). We crossed two stiles with helpful hinged top bars.

The stream here was in spate and the crossing tricky, not helped by Colin eagerly wielding his cameraphone in gleeful anticpation of walkers coming to grief.

At a gate at the top we slanted left at a National Trust fingerpost across a grassy field. We bore right on a faint path and joined a track which descended to bring us to a footbridge over the River Kinder.

Pie time was declared on a bank at the other side of the river(76 mins) in pleasant sunshine.

Continuing, we followed a narrow path through woods with views of the reservoir on our left and descended to reach a footbridge spanning the stream of William Clough, shortly before it enters the reservoir (93 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 (106 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.

 As has been recorded before this was once the home of local benefactor and textile baron Joseph Hague. He did well in the textile business - but apparently the bulk of his fortune was made by the masterstroke of deciding the offcuts from his factories would make ideal loincloths for slaves being exported from Africa. He duly sold them as such to the slave traders.

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 (134 mins).

For many Wanderers this was the first visit since Tom's departure. The Timothy Taylor's Landlord (£3-55) and the Abbeydale Moonshine (£3-35) were excellent and your diarist had the privilege of buying a round to mark his 69th birthday.

In fact one of our number provocatively remarked that the beer was tastier than he remembered on his last visit. Those present swore a solemn pact to keep his identity secret for fear of unpleasant consequences. The name of this former senior police officer will never be revealed.

We left 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, after which we paused for lunch (165 min).

The path led 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 ( 195 mins).

The pub has been improved recently and the Wainwright's bitter at £3-60 a pint was excellent.

Photos by Colin

These photos by Steve Kemp

Next week's walk will take us to Castleton. We will meet outside the Castle Inn at 9.45am.

There is free parking on the road between the Winnats Pass junction and the mini-roundabout just before the village centre. En-route refreshments will be taken at the Cheshire Cheese in Hope around 12.15pm and afterwards at the Cheshire Cheese in Castleton around 2.20pm.

Happy wandering!