February 14, 2018.
FURNESS VALE, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, THE DIPPING STONES, HIGHER DISLEY, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, RED LANE, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY, PEAK FOREST CANAL, NEW MILLS, FURNESS VALE MARINA AND THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE
Distance: 9 miles.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Weather: Mainly cloudy and dry at start, with brief snowstorm and light rain towards end.
Walkers: Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Mark Gibby, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen and George Whaites.
B Walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.
Apologies: Peter Beal (walking with family), Alastair Cairns (supervising builder), Tom Cunliffe (domestic duties), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties).
Leader and Diarist: Hart.
Starting point: A6 road outside The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale.
Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.15pm.
Tom selected this route, popularly known as The Phallic Walk, for St Valentine’s Day, which shows that contrary to appearance he is a romantic at heart – albeit a crude one. It has been customary for Tom to fail to appear on walks which he has chosen and this was no exception.
It has also been customary for Colin to usurp the leadership of any walk he is on and to lure others in his wake. This was no exception either. It is heartening to know that so soon after worrying about his ability to keep up with the pace last week, he was one of the first into the pub at the end of this trip.
The A team was not quick enough, however, to beat the B team to the bar: a triumph of age and experience over youthful vigour.
Various weather conditions had been predicted for the area and during the course of the day we encountered each of them – a dry, sunny start, clouding over, a brief blizzard, some sleet and light rain towards the finish.
The journey embraced two of our favourite pubs, The Dandy Cock and The Soldier Dick. No prizes for guessing why it is nicknamed The Phallic Walk.
From our start on the A6 we headed towards Buxton for 30 yards before turning right into Yeardsley Lane. This was the start of a steady ascent which continued for 85 minutes until we entered Lyme Park – but I digress. At the end of the lane, opposite the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park , we turned right (7mins) and eventually swung left with a farmhouse on our left and stables to our right (12mins)
We went through a gate next to the stables and continued through an open gateway into a field, where we turned right keeping a drystone wall on our right (15mins). We reached a road (27mins) and turned left for 60 yards, before heading right over a stone step stile (30mins). Just before we reached The Dipping Stones, we turned right over a wooden stile (40mins).
The Dipping Stones date back to the 17th Century when villages affected by The Great Plague would exchange money for food without any physical contact. Holes had been scoured in the rock so coins could be left in them. The holes were filled with vinegar as disinfectant.
Beyond the stile was a wooden footbridge over marshy ground (42mins). We crossed it then went over a stone step stile (49mins) and a ladder stile (54mins). The path was crossed by a farm track (58mins) where we turned left. Just before a cattle-grid (59mins) we turned right to head downhill.
At this point Colin led Steve and George along a different route, turning right at the track and swinging left. The rest of us crossed a footbridge and went through a metal kissing gate to reach a minor road (66mins). We crossed this following a green footpath sign opposite and headed uphill to reach another road (72mins).
As we were crossing this to go over a wooden stile, Colin’s party hove into view and followed us. The well-trodden path led us up to a stone step stile which we crossed, turned right and immediately scaled a ladder stile to enter Lyme Park (85mins). By now a brief blizzard had subsided but a cold wind swirled around us as we paused for pies, port and damson gin.
Resuming we followed the path down through a wood to a ladder stile which we crossed (91mins) and turned left downhill, with the wood behind a drystone wall on our left. We crossed a wooden stile (99mins) and headed towards Lyme Cage, which involved a steep descent to a shallow stream and a brief climb on the other side of it.
When we reached Lyme Cage we turned right (110mins). This took us down to the park’s entrance hut where, to the right, is the exit into Red Lane (124mins). We followed this passing St Mary The Virgin Church, Disley, on our right (137mins)
This was built under the instruction of Sir Piers Legh of Lyme Hall between 1527 and 1558 but he died before the church was completed. It was restored in the 19th Century but retains its 16th Century roof – a camber beam richly moulded and decorated with bosses, angels and crows’ feet.
Memorials to many members of the Legh family adorn the church. There is also a floor memorial to Joseph Watson, park keeper at Lyme for 64 years, who died in 1753 at the age of 104 !
At the end of Red Lane we turned left to reach the main Disley traffic lights (138mins) and turned right. We crossed the A6, turned right and reach The Dandy Cock on our left (140mins) for excellent pints of Robinsons’ Unicorn at £3-05.
Continuing, we turned right out of the pub door and immediately right down Hollinwood Road, passing under the Manchester-Buxton railway line. Turning left into Sherbrooke Road (145mins) we reached The Peak Forest Canal and turned right with the waterway on our left (146mins). At Bridge 26 we turned left, crossing it and reaching the far bank.
While some of us sheltered from the steady rain under the bridge to eat lunch (148mins), Colin led another group along the canal towpath with the water now on his right. After lunch the other members of the group followed, passing on our left the Swizzels Matlow sweet factory at New Mills, from which the nostalgic aromas of parma violets and love hearts emanated (168mins)
The now following trio of your diarist, Chris and Mark reached the boats moored at Furness Vale Marina (188mins) and left at the next bridge, crossing right over the canal and heading towards the A6. We reached our cars to de-boot (208mins) and join the B team inside The Soldier Dick for pints of Wainwrights’ cask bitter.
They informed us they had walked from Disley to The Pride of the Peak at New Mills before arriving at the pub in Furness Vale.
Photo by Colin
Next week’s walks will start at 9.40am from Miry Meadows car park, Station Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith SK23 9RE. We will be aiming to reach the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit for a bracer around 12.20pm, returning to The Roebuck Inn, Chapel, at about 2.20pm.
Happy wandering !
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