Whaley Bridge

October 9, 2019.

WHALEY BRIDGE CANAL BASIN, TODD BROOK RESERVOIR, TAXAL BEECHES, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, ERRWOOD RESERVOIR, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, FOLDS LANE FARM, GOYT VALLEY, MEVRIL ROAD, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY (DISUSED)

Distance: 10+ miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Blue skies, sunshine, cloud and one brief shower.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Graham Stone and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (yachting in Turkey), Peter Beal (Greek island hopping), Tom Cunliffe (Portuguese hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (New Zealand hols)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Tom Brad's Croft free car park next to Whaley Bridge Canal Basin.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 3.02pm.

Sadly this walk will be remembered as the day when Alastair received a call telling him his mother had passed away. Although she was 98 years old and enjoyed a happy life, it was clearly a blow to our dear pal Alastair and our sympathy and condolences go out to him and his family.

We had been blessed with unexpectedly good weather, despite forecasts of prolonged showers, and our early climb to Windgather Rocks was rewarded with excellent views of the picturesque countryside which surrounded us. We also had an opportunity to examine the damage to the dam at Todd Brook Reservoir which had dominated the national news headlines in August.

At the first watering hole we were awaited by John Jones, who has been missing for several weeks as he has been suffering from what appear to be pancreatic problems. He joined us for the last leg of our journey and we wish him a speedy recovery.

From the back of the car park we headed uphill to cross the main road opposite The Jodrell Arms, then turned left and right to go up Reservoir Road. After walking under a railway bridge which serves the Manchester-Buxton line we took the second public footpath sign on our left to enter Whaley Bridge Memorial Park.

Ahead of us was the damaged dam which had caused much of Whaley Bridge to be evacuated for three weeks while RAF helicopters dropped reinforcing rocks and pipes drained the overfull reservoir into the nearby River Goyt. The best way to describe these repairs would be unsophisticated.

We turned left to pass the dam on our right and entered the memorial park itself before taking a path on our right which brought us to the far side of the dam wall. Here there was a huge fenced-off section of land, with machinery, huts, tools and everything apart from a workforce. We skirted the area of inactivity by going to the right of a football pitch and behind some tennis courts to find the footpath and turn left (19mins)

At the end of the path we turned left past a row of cottages and then went left through a wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow (20mins) to enter an estate of mock Tudor houses. We went along Reddish Avenue (22mins) and entered a cul de sac. Just before it ended we eventually found a path on our left which brought us to a road (28mins)

We crossed it, turned right and then headed left up a rough road next to a bend warning sign (29mins). This brought us to a wooden stile and a sign marked Taxal Beeches (30mins). After crossing a stone step stile (36mins) we turned sharp right uphill along an undefined path. This took us to a wooden public footpath sign (38mins) where we turned left and then swung right past an electricity sub-station to reach the ridge above Taxal (41mins)

From here we had a largely flat walk with a commanding view of Whaley Bridge back to our left. We reached a depression known as Taxal Nick (57mins). Just beyond it was a wrought iron gate which we went through and reached two metal gates in quick succession through which we dog-legged left and right to continue with woods on our left (65mins)

We climbed uphill through a field to reach Windgather Rocks (75mins) to pause for breath and photographs. A left turn brought us to a natural sheep pen on our right (83mins) where we stopped for pies and port. 

Our nine-strong party split into different groups at this stage as first two of our number immediately joined the road and turned left. Your leader and diarist continued along the path from Windgather and followed the footpath which ran parallel with the road while others chose the road route.

Before reaching Pym Chair car park we took a footpath which forked left (104mins) and cut off a corner to join the road going downhill to the reservoirs (110mins). Here again some wanderers chose the footpath and some the road which ran parallel to it.

The main party reached the bridge separating Errwood Reservoir on the right with Fernilee Reservoir on the left (141mins).

The former was completed in 1967 and the latter in 1938 to provide water for the growing population of Stockport. The Corporation had bought the Grimshawe Estate, including Errwood Hall, which fell into ruin. During the building of the reservoirs, hundreds of navvies flocked to the area, living in “tin towns”. These were built temporarily out of corrugated iron and usually included a licensed canteen to to stop the workforce from visiting nearby pubs. The navvies were known as heavy-drinking, foul-mouthed, uncouth womanisers, or “guys” as they are called today. 

We crossed the bridge and turned left to walk with Fernilee on our left (144mins). We later discovered that Chris and George had turned left  before the bridge to take a path on the left bank

When the missing duo failed to appear, three of us walked back up to the bridge to seek them. Meanwhile Alastair heard the sad news about his mother.

At the far end of the reservoir the nine of us were reunited (181mins) and swung right along a road leading to the main road (191mins). Turning left we reached The Shady Oak on the right (196mins), where JJ had arrived by bus from his new home in Buxton.

Alastair departed immediately taking his passengers Andy and Julian with him. Those of us who remained were not impressed with the pint-pulling prowess of the new barmaid, nor the disappearance of the Marston's bitter in favour of Jennings. The disappointment was mitigated by the unexpected arrival of two large bowls of chunky chips provided by the landlord.

Resuming our journey we crossed the main road immediately opposite the front door and headed downhill towards Fold Lane Farm, passing the stables on our right and crossing a field to reached a wooden stile which we crossed and paused for lunch (208mins)

We continued downhill to the River Goyt, turning right (213mins) and going through two wooden gates along a path which brought us back to the main road (237mins). We crossed it into Mevril Road and headed uphill to a children's playground, on the far side of which was a footpath (240mins). This took us to the disused Cromford and High Peak railway line (245mins), where we turned left. When the path ended we turned left across a stream to reach the main road and turned right, passing The Cock on our left (250mins).

After going under a rail bridge we turned right to return to the disused railway line and turned left,

going back over The Goyt to reach our cars (257mins)

Next week's walk will end with  lunch and a pint at Poynton Sports Club to celebrate your diarist's 74th birthday. We will start from the club at 9.30am and head over the Macclesfield Canal into Lyme Park before calling for a livener at The Boar's Head, Higher Poynton, at about 12.30pm. We expect to be back at the club for chilli, chips and rice around 2.30pm, where we hope our chums from the B team will join us.

Happy wandering !   

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Repair work on the dam at Todd Brook Reservoir 

View from Windgathers Rocks

Errwood reservoir 

Fernilee reservoir