Whaley Bridge

June 20, 2018.

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), GOYT VALLEY, WINDGATHER ROCKS, ERRWOOD AND FERNILESS RESERVOIRS, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, GOYT VALLEY AND THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance:  8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Mainly dry with some sunshine and occasional showers.

Walkers: Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart and Chris Owen.

Apologies: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe and Colin Davison (all holidays), Alastair Cairns (supervising building work), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (leg injury), Mark Gibby (monitoring Ascot races from Kent), Steve Kemp (poorly), George Whaites (attending Cheshire Show)

Leader and Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The Cock at Whaley Bridge.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.27pm.

A varied selection of apologies were tendered for this week’s walk and a cry-off from our elected leader Lawrie  meant your diarist was obliged to accept the poisoned chalice. 

Not knowing how to negotiate my way from Whaley Bridge to Chapel-en-le-Firth other than by road or guesswork, I was obliged to amend the first appointed watering hole from The Roebuck at Chapel to The Shady Oak at Fernilee.

Beggars can’t be choosers so Chris and Hughie were required to fall in with this revised plan. In the event, more by good luck than good management, we managed to reach our new destination and the final pub at the allotted times.

Different weather forecasts predicted different times for the rain which was scheduled to fall. As it transpired we only had to contend with two light and mercifully brief showers. These were both stopped by the time-honoured trick of donning waterproofs.

With The Cock on our left we walked for 20 yards and turned left up a path across a stream to reach the wide footpath which was once the track of the Cromford and High Peak Railway. We turned right and followed it past a sign for Alpha Mews on our right then turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (6mins)

The path led us over a wooden plank footbridge into a children’s playground, which we crossed and headed through a passage dividing houses and their gardens. We turned right at a road and headed downhill, down a flight of steps and crossed the main road opposite Mevril Road (10mins). 

We went up a stony track and turned right to cross a footbridge over the River Goyt (17mins). A steep climb took us through a graveyard on either side of the path until we reached St James’ Church, Taxal, on our right, and turned left (21mins).

There has been a church in the hamlet of Taxal since the 12^th Century and its first rector was appointed in 1287. The present church was rebuilt in 1826. Inside there is a slate slab inscribed with the names of the Jodrell family of Jodrell Bank, Yeardsley, who were buried in the chancel between 1375-1756. Included is Roger Jauderell, who died at the Battle of Agincourt in 1413. Over the centuries several members of the Jodrell family married members of the Shallcross family, of Shallcross Hall, Whaley Bridge.

Ignoring a stile on our right opposite Glebe Cottage, which would have taken us to a cleft in the ridge called Taxal Nick, we carried on along the stony track until we reached a farm (37mins). We turned right just before the farm, following a wooden public footpath sign pointing diagonally right through a field. We then crossed a series of wooden and ladder stiles to reach a lane and turn left (45mins)

We turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (47mins) and reached the crest of a hill before heading down to a gate on our left (55mins). We entered a wood and followed the path through it to emerge at Windgather Rocks (70mins). 

After admiring the views overlooking Jodrell Bank radio telescope and beyond, we turned left until we came to a depression where we could shelter from the now blustery wind (75mins)

After Pietime, accompanied by port and damson gin, we continued along the footpath and road in the direction of the landmark known as Pym Chair. However, before reaching the Pym Chair car park, we left the road, rejoined the footpath over a stone step stile (87mins) and forked left (90mins) to take a short cut across the moor and emerge at a path downhill to the left of a road running parallel (97mins)

We reached the bridge dividing Errwood Reservoir on our right and Fernilee Reservoir to our left (125mins)

Fernilee was the first of two reservoirs to be built in the Goyt Valley by Stockport Water Corporation at a cost of £480,000. It was completed in 1938 and holds 4,940 million litres of water. Errwood was completed in 1967 at a cost of £1.5million and holds 4,215 million litres.

We crossed the bridge and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (129mins) to reach the right bank of Fernilee Reservoir and proceed along the path. At the end (154mins) we swung right uphill to reach the main road and turn left (159mins)

We reached The Shady Oak on our right (166mins) and enjoyed pints of Wainwright cask bitter for £3-55 and draught Guinness for £3-80.

On leaving the pub we walked straight across the road downhill towards a farm. After crossing a stile we turned right over a wooden footbridge which crossed a stream with the River Goyt on our left (176mins). We followed the path over a wooden stile and paused for lunch under trees which sheltered us from the light drizzle which was now falling (184mins)

We resumed and went through a wooden gate with the Goyt on our left below (193mins). After crossing a wooden stile (195mins) we were now retracing our earlier footsteps until we reached the main road opposite Mevril Road (197mins). This time we headed up Mevril Road and turned left at a path before the playground. This unmarked path took us down to the disused Cromford and High Peak railway line (201mins) where we turned left opposite the|Cromford Court retirement flats. We followed our earlier footsteps again to emerge by the side of The Cock and de-boot prior to further refreshment (212mins)

Next week’s walk will start from Danebridge at Wincle, Macclesfield, at 9.40am. We will head for The Royal Oak at Rushton Spencer, hoping to arrive around 12.20pm, returning to The Wincle Brewery next to Danebridge Trout Farm for a final pint at about 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !