Wednesday Wandering: Disley

April 17, 2019.

DISLEY, ST MARY'S CHURCHYARD, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, COCK KNOLL, WHALEY MOOR, THE DIPPING STONE, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, SWIZZELS SWEET FACTORY AT NEW MILLS , HAGG BANK AND THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry with early mist giving way to blue skies and sunshine.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen and George Whaites.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (in Turkey), Alastair Cairns (gardening), Tom Cunliffe (supervising grandchildren),George Dearsley (in Turkey), Alan Duckworth (airport chauffeuring), Mark Gibby (hospital appointment), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties),Mark Kean (Thailand hols), Jock Rooney (Isle of Man), Julian Ross (mending toilet)

Leader and diarist: Hart.

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

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.40pm.

This walk has become a familiar one, starting in Furness Vale, pausing for a livener in Disley, and returning for further refreshment back in Furness Vale. As an experiment in reversing routes for the purpose of variety of perspective we started and finished in Disley, stopping for drinks in Furness Vale.

Aided by fine weather the plan was working perfectly until George received a phone call. Colin's ability to try to change routes has reached legendary proportions but on this occasion he excelled himself by managing to disrupt a walk in which he wasn't even taking part. He also managed to lose his sole walking partner, more of which later.

Once again we heard the cry of the curlew and saw many new-born lambs enjoying the spring sunshine.

From the car park we turned right up Ring O' Bells Lane, passing the former pub of that name which is now a Quaker Meeting House but still displays the inn sign on its wall. We crossed a footbridge over a stream and turned right to go through the graveyard of St Mary's Church, Disley, to reach Red Lane. Here we turned left and at the end of the lane we entered Lyme Park.

An immediate left turn brought us to a stream which we stepped across and headed uphill towards the distinctive Lyme Cage.

Lyme Cage, a Grade 2 listed building, was originally built around 1580 as a hunting lodge for ladies to amuse themselves while their husbands were out killing deer. It was rebuilt in 1737 and used as a park-keeper's cottage and as a temporary lock-up for prisoners caught poaching.

We reached the building (31mins), pausing to admire the mist-shrouded views and pose for photographs. We turned left from the direction in which we had reached the building, descending to a gully and then climbing back up to a wooden stile (38mins) while a herd of motionless deer watched us in the distance.

The path uphill took us to the left of a wood. We ignored the first ladder stile on our right (46mins) and climbed over the second one (51mins) to follow a path through the wood. This brought us to two ladder stiles in quick succession. By turning left at the second one we exited Lyme Park (59mins)

We headed downhill towards the former Moorside Hotel, once a haunt of local celebrities which has been converted into a home for children with behavioural problems. On reaching a lane by the side of a newly-built mansion, we paused for pies, port and Chris's bootleg damson gin (69mins)

Continuing we crossed a ladder stile on the other side of the lane, walked through a field and crossed a road (74mins). The path took us through a metal kissing gate, over a wooden footbridge and to the left of a cattlegrid.

It was around this point that George received a phone call from Colin, who had chosen to walk with Lawrie in a similar area but not join our group because they might slow us down. Notwithstanding the reason for originally declining our company, Colin informed George that he had spotted our group in the distance.

While George paused to talk to Colin and while Colin stopped to talk to George, Lawrie continued forward, ultimately getting lost. Meanwhile the rest of the A team, having made good time, decided to make a minor detour to The Murder Stone, a local landmark which four of our group had never seen.

George eventually passed on a message that Colin had asked him to wait so he and Lawrie could catch up. As we proceeded at a now leisurely pace for George, Colin and Lawrie to catch us up, we discovered that George was left waiting for Colin who was in turn waiting for Lawrie to return from his misadventures. Consequently, with the time saved now being lost, the diversion to The Murder Stone was abandoned.

After crossing a ladder stile and a stone step stile (88mins) we made a modest detour while we waited for our three comrades to hove into view, examining The Dipping Stones.

This is believed to be a wayside and boundary cross which had been shaped for holding Anglo-Saxon crosses. According to legend the indentations in the rock were used during the Great Plague in the 17^th Century for coins to be disinfected in vinegar and left in payment for food from uninfected areas.

After inspecting The Dipping Stones we returned to the path 50 yards uphill and proceeded down to a road (115mins) where a phone call by John confirmed that the trio were now united and not far behind us.

From this road, Disley Old Road at Longside , you can turn left and after 500 yards The Murder Stone is on the right of the road. It reads: “William Wood, Eyam, Derbyshire, Murdered July 16, 1823.” It marks the site where 30-year-old William, married with three children, was battered to death as he walked home with the proceeds of sales from a market in Manchester the previous day. After stopping for a drink at a pub in Whaley Bridge, he was followed by three sailors who bludgeoned him to death and tried to hide his body under a drystone wall they had broken. The killers went to Macclesfield where they bought new suits and shoes and left their bloodstained clothing behind. One was arrested and hanged himself in his cell in Macclesfield, a second was caught in Liverpool and sentenced to death after a trial. The third man was never apprehended.

With the 21^st Century trio now in sight behind us we went down the road for 50 yards and turned right at a wooden public footpath sign over a stile (118mins). We headed downhill through a field, turning left through an open gateway just before a drystone wall, passing stables on our left and a farmhouse on our right (130mins)

The gritted lane swung right, passing the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park on our right (134mins). Here we turned left to reach the A6 (141mins). Another left turn brought us to The Soldier Dick on our left (142mins)

Here the Wainwrights' cask bitter was on excellent form at £3-10 a pint.

Resuming our perambnulations we crossed the A6 and went down Old Road which took us through a tunnel under the railway track. On the other side we turned right and then left at the road before turning left again to reach the right bank of The Peak Forest Canal (145mins). The towpath took us past the spot where Peter's narrowboat is moored at Furness Vale Marina.

We also passed a boat which had been painted yellow by an afficianado of Only Fools and Horses. It was inscribed Trotters Independent Traders and the stern was in the shape of a Reliant Robin.

After pausing for lunch at a bench (156mins) we were approaching the Swizzels sweet factory at New Mills when John bade us farewell. We continued until Bridge 26 (194mins) where we switched to the left bank. After passing several gardens we turned left up a flight of steps (200mins) leading to Dryhurst Drive.

Turning right we passed Hagg Bank Allotments on our right (205mins) before swing left under a railway bridge and emerging at the A6 on the right of The Dandy Cock (208mins). We turned right and then left at the traffic lights to reach The White Horse on our right for ;pints of Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde cask bitter.

Next week's walk will start at 0940 from The Old Hall at Whiterhough, Chinley. We plan to reach The Kinder Lodge at Hayfield around 1220 for a bracer and then return to The Old Hall around 1430 for further refreshment.

Happy wandering !

Pictures by John Jones