Hope

September 11 2019

HOPE, CHESHIRE CHEESE, LOSE HILL LANE, LOSE HILL, BACK TOR, HOLLINS CROSS, MAM TOR, BLUE JOHN CAVERN, TREAK CLIFF CAVERN, SPEEDWELL CAVERN, PEAK CAVERN, YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE INN AT CASTLETON, PEAKHOLE WATER, HOPE PINFOLD, THE OLD HALL AT HOPE

Distance: 7-8miles.

Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous.

Weather: Prolonged light shower initially; sunshine later; strong winds on summit.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tip, Graham Stone, George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (Greek islands hols), Tom Cunliffe (Portugal hols)

Leaders: Hart and Rooney. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Edale Road, Hope, near Old Hall Hotel.

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2.15pm

This is one of our tougher climbs and happily it includes an option to circumvent the most vertiginous ascents. What follows is the description of the route of George Whaites and I who took the “big girl's blouse” route avoiding the summits of Lose Hill and Back Tor.

Readers should understand that the others, whom we shall call The Magnificent Seven, conquered both peaks. Not only that but they did so when the weather was at its worst in heavy rain and gale force winds.

As we carried on to the top of Mam Tor the rain ceased, the sun came out and the 70mph winds acted like a giant hair dryer removing every drop of moisture from our waterproofs. As we descended into Castleton the warmer weather disguised all evidence of our earlier hardship and dogged determination. We completed the walk back to Hope in blue skies and sunshine.

George returned to our ranks after several weeks' absence and he chose a gruelling challenge for his comeback in the wildest weather.

We headed up Edale Road, Hope, away from The Old Hall on the corner of the main road through the village. After passing The Cheshire Cheese on our left (6mins) we turned left up Lose Hill Lane (12mins) before turning left again up Townhead (16mins). Shortly afterwards we turned right at a public footpath sign (18mins) and began a steady ascent. 

When we reached a cairn of stones, George and your diarist opted to turn left over a wooden stile (50mins) while The Magnificent Seven continued up the ever-steepening slope towards the top of Lose Hill. We went through a wood (62mins), exiting it (67mins) and continued to Hollins Cross (84mins) for Pietime.

Hollins Cross is the point between Edale and Castleton where in days of yore pallbearers carrying coffins for burial in the churchyard in Castleton would pause for rest and refreshment. At this time there were no churches in Edale.

Our colleagues had still not come into view as we set off again. By the time we reached the Trig Point at Mam Tor (114mins) we had just been overtaken by Chris and Hughie.

Mam Tor, at 1,696 feet, is also known as The Shivering Mountain because it stands on unstable lower layers of shale which slip in bad weather. The unequal struggle to keep the A625 Chapel-Sheffield road open was abandoned after it crumbled yet again in 1979.

Fighting against the wind in our faces we descended the hill, which was once a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age fort, to reach a road where we turned left (119mins). We then turned left before the road, descending a flight of steps through a wooden gate and turning left (121mins). This brought us to a road where we turned left (130mins)

We turned right at the entrance to The Blue John Cavern (132mins) and left again at the Cavern shop (135mins). The path took us past Treak Cliff Cavern (145mins) to reach a road (the former A625) where we turned right. This took us towards Castleton passing on our right the Speedwell Cavern (154mins), Goosehill Hall (164mins) and Peak Cavern (165mins) before reaching Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Inn on our right (171mins)

This 17th Century coaching inn had several alcohol-related messages on its walls. One stated: “Without question the greatest invention in history is beer. I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention but the wheel does not go nearly as well with Innkepper's Pie.”

Leaving the pub we turned right along the main road towards Hope. At a green public footpath sign we turned right following the sign for Hope (174mins), passing a ruined mill on our left before reaching the right bank of a brook called Peakhole Water (178mins). Ahead of us was the unmistakeable blot on the landscape of Hope Cement Works.

When we reached a railway line from the cement works we paused for lunch (193mins). Continuing we reached a road and turned left (201mins). This brought us to Hope Pinfold on our left (203mins). Here a plaque informed us that the circular walled enclosure had been used to keep stray cattle and sheep until they were claimed or sold at auction.

We turned left to pass the Woodroffe Arms on our left and dog-legged right and left across the main road to reach Edale Road and our cars (205mins). We de-booted and called at The Old Hall for further refreshment.

Next week's walk will start at 9.45am from Danebridge, Wincle, which lies some 200 yards after passing The Ship Inn on the left. Chris intends to lead us up Croker Hill to reach the Ryles Arms at Sutton around 12.30pm for a bracer, finishing at The Ship Inn at Wincle at about 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !