Furness Vale

January 2, 2019.

THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, RINGSTONE CARAVAN PARK, THE DIPPING STONES ON WHALEY MOOR, COCK KNOLL, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, PARKGATE, RED LANE, ST MARY’S PARISH CHURCH AT DISLEY, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY, HAGG BANK, THE PEAK FOREST CANAL, SWIZZELS-MATLOW FACTORY AT NEW MILLS, FURNESS VALE MARINA AND THE SOLDIER DICK

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy after initial steady climb.

Weather: Dry and bright but chilly.

Walkers: Peter Beal *, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby and Alan Hart.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Australian hols), Alastair Cairns (hiking in Lake District), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Julian Ross (taking down Xmas decorations !!), George Whaites.

Leader and diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Soldier Dick on A6 at Furness Vale.

Starting time: 9.36am. Finishing time: 2.25pm.

The festive season appeared to have taken its toll on the numbers participating in this walk, with only three starters and four finishers, of which more later. Some apologies for absence were more acceptable than others and some members were simply absent. One suspects constitutional fragility might be responsible as a result of over-indulgence.

Those who did assemble were rewarded with exceptionally fine weather, with wintry sunshine, good visibility, little wind and temperatures above freezing point. In the absence of regular leaders our options were restricted, which is why we chose what has become known as The Phallic Route. Starting at The Soldier Dick we made a steady climb south-west towards Lyme Park before dropping down to The Dandy Cock in Disley for a bracer before returning along The Peak Forest Canal towpath to The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale.

As we strolled across the Derbyshire-Cheshire borders we saw glimpses of history over the centuries before enjoying excellent pints of cask bitter or, in the case of Mark, lime and soda and coffee. During the last leg of our journey we met Peter, who had been freed from domestic duties and had skilfully planned to intercept and join us for our final pints.

From The Soldier Dick we headed towards Buxton for 50 yards before turning right past The Imperial Chinese restaurant into Yeardsley Lane. This was the start of a long and steady climb towards Lyme Park. We swung right at the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park (9mins) and after the lane swung left we went to the right of a farm, passing stables as we went through a metal gate (15mins)

As we entered a field we turned right, keeping a drystone wall on our right, and crossing a wooden stile to reach a road (29mins). To our right was The Murder Stone, the scene of a 19^th Century robbery in which three men killed a merchant they had followed from Whaley Bridge. One was caught in Macclesfield, and hanged himself while in custody. A second was arrested as he tried to board a ship in Liverpool. He was convicted and hanged. The third robber is still at large !

Instead of making a half-mile diversion to visit the stone commemorating the incident, we turned left for 50 yards and then went right by a gate with a sign demanding “No Sledging.” This confused Tom who thought it was an instruction to Aussie cricketers.

We followed the sign for Bowstones and Lyme Park and reached a wooden stile on our right (39mins). We chose not to continue for a further 50 yards to inspect The Dipping Stones which had been used during the 17^th Century when Bubonic Plague was sweeping Europe for the exchange of food for money. The stones had been carved to create indentations where coins from those in infected areas could be left soaked in vinegar to protect those in unaffected areas who left food.

We crossed the stile and proceeded across Whaley Moor, going over a stone step stile (46mins), a ladder stile (52mins) and a footbridge (61mins) to reach a road. We crossed this and followed a green footpath sign which led us towards Cock Knoll and Lyme Park. After crossing another road and two wooden stiles we reached a drystone wall (76mins)

Here we climbed a stone step stile and immediately turned right over a ladder stile to enter a wood inside Lyme Park where we paused for Pietime. Tragically your diarist had failed to replenish his supply of port and scarcely had enough to provide a thimbleful for himself.

We continued through the wood, exiting via a ladder stile (83mins) and then headed for Lyme Cage. In the 19^th Century this was used as a hunting lodge and also contained a cell where poachers could be detained. We reached the cage (105mins) and admired the panoramic views before turning right along the ridge before dropping down towards the entrance hut.

We walked to the right of the hut and exited through a gate into Red Lane (122mins). At a fork (133mins) we turned right to visit the grounds of  St Mary’s Church, Disley.

 The original church was intended as a chantry chapel for the fifth Sir Piers Legh of Lyme. It was built between 1527 and 1558 but he died before completion. The graves containing the bodies of several generations of the Legh family, who owned Lyme Hall and its park for six centuries, are on a mound to the right of the cemetery. Inside the church itself is a floor memorial to Joseph Watson, the park keeper at Lyme for 64 years, who died in 1753 aged 104.

We exited the churchyard back into Red Lane and turned right to reach the A6, where we turned right towards Buxton. After 100 yards we reached The Dandy Cock on our left (134mins) and enjoyed pints of Robbies’ Unicorn cask bitter at £3-20.

Suitably refreshed we turned right out of the door of the pub and right again down Hollinwood Lane past Hagg Bank Allotments on our left before turning left at Sherbrooke Road (140mins). This led us to the right bank of The Peak Forest Canal where we turned right (142mins). On reaching Bridge 26 we crossed to the left bank and stopped at a bench for lunch (147mins)

Continuing we soon spotted a familiar figure walking towards us. Peter did a swift about-turn and joined us as we passed the Swizzels-Matlow sweet factory at New Mills on our left (167mins). We passed Peter’s narrow-boat, Hot Metal, at Furness Vale Marina before exiting the canal at Bridge 31 (192mins) and turning right over the canal.

We turned right again at the first road and followed a footpath sign on our left to follow a path under the Manchester-Buxton railway line which brought us out opposite The Soldier Dick (195mins). The Wainwrights’ cask bitter at £3-10 was in top form.

In the hope of encouraging some of our ailing comrades to join us, next week’s easy walk will start at 9.30am from the rear car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, Handforth. We aim to reach The Admiral Rodney at Prestbury for a livener around noon before returning to The Unicorn at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !