Disley

July 11, 2018.

DISLEY, BOLLINHURST RESERVOIR, MILLENIUM WOOD, BOLDER HALL FARM, BLACK ROCKS, OWLS’ NEST, BYRON HOUSE, GREENSHALL LANE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, GOYT VALLEY, HAGUE BAR, HAGUE FOLD FARM, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES STATION, BRUCE CLOCK, PEAK FOREST CANAL, HAYCROFT AND THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY

Distance: 9+ miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Hot and sunny.

Walkers: Alastair Cairns, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.

Apologies: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe and Chris Owen (hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman and Steve Kemp (poorly).

Starting point: Car park of The White Horse in Disley.

Starting time: 9.30am. Finishing time: 2.04pm.

This walk was chosen last week when it was unclear whether any recognised leaders would be participating. It is one of the few routes your diarist is allowed to lead. How ironical, therefore, when I appeared to be lost at the half-way stage.

Several walkers were clearly fooled by my feigned bewilderment, only to discover that I had taken a slight detour which had the advantage of enabling Colin to spot a kingfisher before  we arrived at our chosen destinations – The Fox and The White Horse – at the allotted times.

We enjoyed another lovely summer’s day and for once we reached the first watering hole ahead of our colleagues in the B team. This was a tactical error because I had to suffer one of the early pints which had clearly spent the previous night somewhere between the barrel and the pump.

The day started on a sombre note when I announced that Lawrie is to undergo a knee operation and will therefore be hors de combat for many weeks. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

From the car park of The White Horse at Disley we turned right up Ring o’ Bells Lane and turned right before the Quaker Meeting House to cross a footbridge.

The sign on the wall of church bells is the former sign for a pub called The Ring o’ Bells which closed down many decades ago and became the new home for The Society of Friends.

Beyond the footbridge we swung left and headed uphill with a graveyard on either side before going diagonally left along a path across a field which cut a corner and brought us out opposite a metal kissing gate.

We went through it to enter a field and aim in the direction of Lyme Cage in the middle distance. After exiting the field we went along a lane with Lyme Cage now to our right. Shortly before we reached a farm we turned left (12mins) at a green footpath sign. This route took us to a wall on our right beyond which was Bollinhurst Reservoir.

Turning right over a wooden stile (22mins) we entered a wood at the end of the reservoir. The path took us through a metal gate to a lane (30mins) which we crossed and headed towards Drake Carr. Just before this picturesque building we turned left up a flight of stone steps (31mins) and followed the path through Millenium Wood to a road (34mins) where we turned right.

After passing Bolder Hall Farm Cottage on our left we turned left at a public footpath sign marked Black Rocks (39mins). There were various routes to the summit. Five of us took one route and I’ll leave you to guess who took the other. When we had reassembled at the ridge (60mins) we paused to catch our collective breath and admire the panoramic views.

Continuing (65mins) we turned left along the ridge and started our descent by crossing a ladder stile (67mins). We went through a metal gate (72mins) and crossed a wooden stile next to a drystone wall on our left (80mins).

Beyond the wall was a long barn-shaped building known as The Owls’ Nest. A grey owl appears on Manchester Grammar School caps and blazers, and it was in this building that pupils indulged in “extra-curricular activities” involving fresh air and fun during school holidays.

We continued our descent through a cottage garden, crossed the road (82mins) and went through the garden of Byron House before turning left at a public footpath sign. At the end of the path was a lane where we turned right and passed Pear Tree Cottage on our left (87mins). We went downhill along a rocky path or a concessionary footpath to reach the A6 (97mins). We crossed it and entered Lower Greenshall Lane.

After walking under a railway tunnel  we reached Bridge 27 of the Peak Forest Canal, where we paused for pies and port on its right bank (102mins). Resuming we went under Bridge 26 (108mins) and past Bridge 25, a lift bridge, by 10 yards before turning right through a gap stile (114mins) marked with a green public footpath sign.

The path took us down a flight of steps to a stream which we crossed by a wooden footbridge to ascend a flight of steps on the other side (118mins). The path brought us to a public bridleway (124mins) where we turned right and soon joined a footpath on the right bank of the River Goyt where Colin spotted the unmistakable iridescent blue feathers of a kingfisher.

The bridleway led to a road where we turned left (129mins) for 200 yards before following a public footpath sign which took us back to the right bank of the Goyt (134mins). This led us round a house with a large garden before returning us to the road (136mins). We turned left and crossed a road bridge which took us to the left bank of the Goyt (139mins).

After passing a playground on our right we crossed the main road and entered Hague Fold Road (144mins) to start a steep climb, passing Hague Fold Farm on our right and then swinging left past Upper Hague Fold Farm, then swinging right to a T-junction (153mins). We turned left, passing Eric Burdekin’s bench and soon reached The Fox at Brook Bottom (154mins)

Unhappily the first of Robbies’ Unicorn at £3-40 tasted as if it had been in the pipes overnight. A second pint was a huge improvement, and the six-strong B team were able to reap the benefit when they arrived.

Resuming we went down a stony track which adjoins the car park , passing under a railway bridge and Strines station on our left, a pond on our right and lunch at Bruce Clock (173mins).

The clock was made by Thomas Bruce, a works engineer at the calico mill which once stood here on land owned by the Egerton family of Tatton.

After lunch we continued our journey, crossing the Goyt and heading left over a wooden stile just before an aqueduct to reach the Peak Forest Canal via a gap stile (185mins). We turned left with the canal on our right and proceeded to the Lift Bridge 25, which we turned right and crossed (197mins) and headed uphill passing Haycroft on our right (199mins)

We walked under a railway bridge (207mins) and emerged at The Dandy Cock on the A6 (209mins). We turned right, crossed the road and headed left before The Ram’s Head to reach The White Horse (211mins) for more pints of Robbies’ Unicorn in fine fettle.

Next week’s walk of 8-9 miles will start at 9.50am at a lay-by near the cement works at Topley Pike, opposite the start of the Monsal Trail on the A6 out of Buxton. We anticipate reaching The Church Inn at Chelmorton for a livener around 12.15pm, finishing back at the cars at about 2pm from where there will be an optional stop at Wetherspoons, Buxton, on the way home.

Happy wandering !