Rushup Edge

May 30, 2018.

RUSHUP EDGE, LORD’S SEAT, MAM TOR, HOLLINS CROSS, UPPER BOOTH

Distance: Seven miles.

Difficulty: Much climbing.

Weather: Cloudy start followed by heavy rain.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart and Chris Owen.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Turkish sailing hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman, Hughie Hardiman (Spanish hols), Steve Kemp, Julian Ross (inoculations) and George Whaites.

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by on Chapel-Castleton road next to Rushup Edge, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 1.10pm.

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Ignoring forecasts of heavy rain, we sallied forth with hope in our hearts and a spring in our steps. It must have been the same in 1914 as thousands of young, fresh-faced men eagerly rushed to the recruitment halls to do their bit for king and country. They had the excuse of immaturity and inexperience.

Not by any stretch of the imagination could that account for seven grown men, past the first flush of youth (in some cases by several decades), marching uphill, down dale and back uphill again through driving rain. We looked a sorry sight as our bedraggled ranks trudged back to our cars. Only Daisy displayed any enthusiasm for this wet trek as she skipped along merrily.

Thankfully our leader Tom had the nous to sense our despondent mood at Pietime and announce that the plan to head for Edale was being abandoned: that we would cut our losses and take the shortest route back to the cars without retracing our steps. There was unanimous agreement as we stuck to the Wednesday Wanderers’ motto: firm of purpose but flexible in deed.

Such was the relentlessness of the rain – it was persisting down – that your diarist was unable to take notes after the first hour due to a soggy notebook. Consequently this dispatch will be mercifully brief.

From the lay-by at Rushup Edge we headed towards Castleton for a few yards before turning first left and then immediately right through two gates. We were now walking along a footpath running parallel with the road on our right. The path took us through a series of metal gates and a sign pointing us towards Castleton and Hope (13mins)

En route we passed Lord’s Seat, which stands 1,804 feet above sea level.

We crossed two wooden stiles (37 and 41mins) and exited Rushop Edge to reach a road. By the time we reached this road it had started raining, gently at first but becoming increasingly heavy. We crossed the road and started climbing Mam Tor, The Mother Hill (51mins). A steep ascent up flights of stone flags brought us to the Trig Point at the summit (59mins)

Mam Tor’s alternative name is Shivering Mountain, because of the landslips caused by its fragile shale surface. In 1979 the battle to maintain the A625 road linking Sheffield with Chapel-en-le-Frith on the crumbling eastern side of the hill was finally lost.

The remains of a late Bronze Age fort, from around 1200 BC, and an early Iron Age fort have been identified along with two Bronze Age bowl barrows. There are four show caves at the base of Mam Tor – Blue John, Speedwell, Peak and Treak Cliff Caverns where fluorspar and other minerals were once mined.

From its peak at 1,696 feet we descended in heavy rain which was ruining the magnificent views which should have rewarded our exertions. When we reached Hollins Cross (79mins) Tom decided to cut our losses by turning left away from our original destination in Edale.

Hollins Cross marks the middle of what was once known as The Coffin Road between Edale and Castleton. Before a church was built in Edale, the departed were carried over Hollins Cross  through Castleton to Hope Parish Church for burial. The pall-bearers would stop for refreshment at the Cross, which disappeared mysteriously in 1905 (Merseyside Police were unable to trace the culprits)

After 200 yards we stopped for a wet Pietime by the side of a drystone wall on our right (81mins). In the discussion which followed various options were debated before it was determined we would return to our cars by descending to Upper Booth and then climbing back to Rushup Edge.

We reached our cars (201 mins) and drove to The Shoulder of Mutton at Chapel-en-le-Frith for our first pints of the day. The Robbies was over-priced at £3-60 but in the circumstances it tasted like nectar.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground near The Vale pub. We hope our route will take us past Smith’s orgasmic pie shop. We intend to reach The Robin Hood at Rainow around 12.15pm to knock the froth off a couple and then return to The Vale at about 2.15pm.  

Happy wandering !