Wednesday Wandering: Hayfield

Hayfield

August 14, 2019

SPORTSMAN INN AT HAYFIELD VILLAGE, VALLEY ROAD, CHURCH STREET, SETT VALLEY TRAIL, BIRCH VALE, MORLANDS ROAD, OLLERSETT MOOR, BIG STONE, CRACKEN EDGE, MAYNESTONE ROAD, THE LAMB INN AT CHINLEY HEAD, VERPOSTEN FARM, HIGHGATE ROAD, SPORTSMAN INN

Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Rainy and very misty at first, clearer later

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alan Hart, Mark Gibby, Hughie Harriman with Coco, Chris Owen

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Jock Rooney with Tip

Non-walking drinker: Tom Cunliffe

Apologies: Graham Stone (arrived late), George Whaites (awaiting home delivery), Julian Ross (w+*!ing), George Dearsley (Turkey)

Leader: BealDiarist: Beal

Starting point: Outside the Sportsman Inn, Kinder Road, Hayfield

Starting time: 09.42amFinishing time: 2.15pm

Atrocious weather blighted the first leg of this walk, with constant rain and thick mist rendering the normally magnificent views non-existent. We were rewarded however with brief sights of the summer's first purple heather, newly arrived on the surrounding moorlands.

Our six-strong party were accompanied by a canine debutante in the form of Coco, a lively and amiable cockapoo in the care of Hughie for the day.

After a thorough soaking we were given a warm welcome in the cosy bar of one of the Wanderers' favourite pubs - the Lamb Inn above Chinley.

We turned left in front of the Sportsman before immediately going right, through a gap in the wall to descend a flight of steps down to the River Kinder. We crossed a bridge at the foot and bore right in to Valley Road leading to Hayfield village.

Once a quiet backwater, Hayfield - originally Hedfelt or Hedfeld - blossomed during the Industrial Revolution, when it became a centre for the cotton and calico industries.

The parish once boasted more than 17 pubs - now reduced to seven - and dozens of shops and businesses. It is now best known as the scene of the Mass Trespass of 1932 on to the moors of Kinder Scout, an event credited with doing much to bring access to open spaces for walkers, and which led indirectly to the formation of the country's first national park in the Peak District.

My Peak District Companion tells me that its ancient fair was supposedly the inspiration for the traditional air 'Come Lassies and Lads'.

In the early 20th century the trains would bring thousands of Manchester factory workers each weekend to the village to enjoy their fill of rare fresh air. On one Good Friday 13,000 people alighted from the trains here. Apparently drunkeness and fighting often ensued. On some Saturday nights it still does.

We turned right down Church Street and at the bottom turned left at a sign for the Pennine Bridleway to cross the Glossop to Chapel-en-le Frith road at a pedestrain crossing. This brought us in to a car park that is the site of the former railway terminus. The line closed in 1972 and was later converted to become the Sett Valley Trail, which we joined at the far end of the car park.

A mile further on we arrived at a point above the Birch Vale reservoir where a path to the left, signed 'Chinley 4 miles', took us up to the Hayfield - New Mills road opposite The Grouse pub, which boasts a fine Chinese restaurant but is sadly in the process of being sold for housing development.

We turned up Morlands Road to the left of the pub and began a long, steady climb 0f 900 feet towards Ollersett Moor (31 minutes). Although ahead of us in the rain was only thick mist, a slope on our right showed a fine display of purple heather, the first of the summer.

After half a mile a gate took us from the rough track on to the open moorland with a TV and communications mast on our right.

We ascended steadily until the slope eased and we reached another gate at a two-way bridleway fingerpost. We went through the gate and crossed an open pasture to the far right corner, where we rejoined the track at a small stream. Shortly after, at another fingerpost, we bore left uphill again and after a short descent, climbed to a stile. Soon afterwards we reached a rocky outcrop known as Big Stone.

Here there are often panoramic views of Kinder Scout and the Cheshire hills. Today there was only a veil of mist, as captued by Alan in a picture.

Pie time was declared near the ruins of some workings and an old quarrymen's hut that provided some shelter from the wind and continuing rain (88 mins).

We turned right here along the escarpment that marks the start of Cracken Edge with its extensive gritstone quarry workings. Little seems to have been documented about the workings of the quarries, which date back to the 19th century and probably earlier, but much evidence remains, including remnants of machinery. There are also shafts which were sunk when it became difficult to access the stone by tradition quarrying.

We resumed along the escarpment before dropping down to a slightly lower path continuing in the same direction. When we reached the highest point of the cliffs on our right we turned sharp left down a rocky rake to reach a path below. We slanted left here and crossed a stile. A steep path down through a field brought us to buildings and a flight a steps taking us down to Maynestone Road. We turned left here and shortly after we reached two houses on our right called Upper Lodge and Lower Lodge, where we took a footpath on the right leading us alongside some gardens (124 min).

This brought us to a gate and over a small stream uphill; to a second gate, which we went through to reach a field.

We continued up the field with a wall on our left to reach another gate, where we turned right, soon reaching a sheep pen and a large gate which brought us out on to a farm track.

We turned left up this and after a short, steep climb reached the main Hayfield to Chapel road almost opposite the Lamb Inn (136 min).

The sight of Tip waiting outside the door alerted us to the fact that his master Jock was inside, together with Colin and Laurie. They had walked from Chinley, across the slopes of South Head.

Your temporary diarist notes that on a previous visit here in November, 2016, the following was recorded on the Wanderer's blog site: 'Despite the friendly and welcoming, and indeed attractive, bar staff there was a tart reminder from their superior about not wandering on to carpeted areas in our boots. But most disappointing was the beer - the Marston's Pedigree and Ringwood Razor Back, both at £3-20, might not have been actually off. But they were certainly not spot-on.'

This time the welcome was indeed warm, the tart superior presumably gone, there were no admonitions about footwear and the Wainwright's was excellent at £3-40. Your diarist was pleased to invite the Wanderer's to join him in toasting the arrival of a grandson, his first, whose delivery he had only been told of minutes earlier during the climb to the pub.

Resuming, we turned left outside the Lamb before almost immediately going through a gate skirting a stile on the left. The path wound through a clump of gorse and climbed up a field to a wall. Here it slanted left through more clumps of grouse until levelling out and coming to a small gate (144 mins).

Our objective of a farm over to our left was seen, but to save the descent and ascent we continued round the path and carried on left round the head of the small valley to reach the track to the farm near a stream (150 mins), shortly after which we stopped for lunch.

Resuming, we soon reached Verposten Farm, recently renovated. It's name is a mystery. In German if means 'outpost' and there was apparently a local theory that sheep and cattle never thrived on the adjoining slopes of Mount Famine.

The footpath skirted the farm We rejoined the farm track, where we turned right, across a cattle grid and through a gate.

This soon joined a track descending to our right from the direction of South Head. We turned left down it and descended to a junction of bridleways (166 mins).

We carried straight on here down the track and joined a minor road (181 min). We turned right here and continued downhill along Highgate Road. Shortly before the village the party turned right downhill on a small footpath leading back to Valley Road, from where they ascended to the Sportsman (198 mins).

Next week's walk, to be led by Chris and taking in Bosley Cloud and the delights of Congleton, will start at 9.35 am at a lay-by on the A523 Macclesfield - Leek road at Bosley near the Harrington Arms.

Happy Wandering!