Whaley Bridge

 May 2, 2018

Whaley Bridge

COCK INN AT WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY TRACK, TAXAL CHURCH, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, PYM CHAIR, ERRWOOD RESERVOIR DAM, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, SHADY OAK PUB, SHALLCROSS INCLINE

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Rain at first, then dry with some sun

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns,Tom Cunliffe, Laurie Fairman, Dave Waite

 Apologies: Micky Barrett (apparently wallpapering), Alan Hart (weather wimp), Mark Gibby, Julian Ross, Hughie Harriman (all reportedly stuck in traffic), Steve Kemp, George Dearsley (Turkey)

Leader: Fairman Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Cock Inn, Whaley Bridge

Starting time: 9.36am Finishing time: 1.58pm

The weather forecast for this familiar circuit of the Goyt Forest above Fernilee reservoir was admittedly daunting, with heavy rain predicted for much of the day. In fact it ceased within just over an hour of us starting and we were rewarded with some bursts of sunshine and a pleasant day.

It seems to be a fact that the worse the weather forecast, the more the number of excuses increases. Your temporary diarist however has refused to yield to the urgings of his fellow walkers to record certain allegations made against the fortitude, and indeed manliness, of some of the absentees - whose reasons for non-attendance could well have been true.

Our route took us largely along lanes and gravel forest tracks, avoiding footpaths because of the heavy amounts of overnight rain.

We headed towards Buxton from outside the Cock Inn and almost immediately took a narrow footpath on the left to soon emerge on the pedestrianised former Cromford and High Peak railway line, which once linked the Whaley Bridge canal basin with Cromford 30 miles away.

We turned right, walked through a tunnel under the Chapel Road, and came to a housing development where we took a footpath uphill to the right, crossed a footbridge, and soon came to the main Whaley to Buxton road (13 minutes).

Crossing this, we bore left, through a gate, across a bridge and climbed steeply up a metalled footpath to emerge at Taxal church (21 min). We turned left here but at the first metal gate on our right began to climb through two fields to emerge on a lane, where we turned left and immediately right on a path leading up the moor.

We emerged at the distinctive notch in the skyline known as Taxal Nick (45 min) and turned left through a small gate to follow a path just below the ridge. This brought us to a gate near a muddy farm (55 min), which we negotiated to climb the grassy hillside to the right, bringing us to the ridgeline of Windgather Rocks (60 min), a popular training ground for novice rock climbers.

We followed the ridge before declaring pietime at a spot well known to us, a sheltered hollow in the rockface probably once used as a sheepfold (68 min). It was here the rain eased and stopped.

Resuming, we chose to follow the road rather than the parallel footpath in view of the amount of surface water swirling about. This brought us to the knoll on the ridge known as Pym Chair, named after either a preacher or a highwayman - no-one really knows (89 mins).

Here we turned left at a road junction and began to drop downhill towards the Errwood reservoir. In sight of the Errwood dam we came to a track on the left (110 min), where we went through a gate and took the broad track through the Goyt Forest above Fernilee reservoir, the first of the two drinking-water reservoirs constructed in the Goyt Valley.

The track brought us to a farm (138 min), where we took a hairpin right down the track to bring us out at the Fernilee Dam (143 min). We crossed this and turned left up a tarmac lane lead us to the Whaley to Buxton road (152 min).

We turned left and soon reached the Shady Oak pub (160 min), where the staff proved more welcoming than on a previous visit when a trio of Wanderers, dripping wet, were grudgingly served.

Wainwright's Bitter, despite its quality being questioned by our resident expert Tom, was £3-55 a pint.

The return journey from here was simnplicity itself. We turned right out of the pub, immediately right again, and reached Elnor Lane, where we turned left towards Whaley.

We paused for lunch (170 min) at a bench opposite a small wall enclosure containing what appeared to be a Celtic cross.

Research reveals this is the Shall Cross, which gives this part of Whaley Bridge its name. The attractive cross, only the top part of which remains intact, is traditionally dated to 832, when St Paulinius was said to have visited the area. It is named after the Old Norse 'shakal', which means tapering pole.

It was once removed and later discovered being used as a pedestal for a sundial in the garden of a local home, but recovered and restored to its present location.

We descended the hill and took the second turn on the left, bringing us to the top of the recently reopened Shallcross Incline, the railway slope on which rail cars were pulled up by a steam engine positioned at the top before the line was abandoned in 1892.

At the bottom of the incline we retraced out steps along the old railway line to reach the Cock Inn (191 min), to enjoy the Unicorn Bitter (£3-40).

Next week's walk, led by Laurie, will take us on a longish route up Lathkill Dale in the White Peak. Starting point will be outside the George in Youlgreave at 9.50am. The enroute watering hole will be the Bull's Head in Monyash around 12.30pm. The finishing time at the George is unlikely to be much before 3pm.

Happy wandering!

 Whaley