Rowarth

ROWARTH

November 27, 2019

CAR PARK OF THE LITTLE MILL INN AT ROWARTH, MATLEY MOOR, KNARRS FARM, HOLLINWORTH HEAD, CARR MEADOW, MIDDLE MOOR, SHOOTING BOX, TWENTY TREES, ROYAL HOTEL AT HAYFIELD, SLACKS MILL, LITTLE HAYFIELD, LANESIDE FARM, LITTLE MILL INN

Distance: 8.5 miles​

Difiiculty: Moderate.

Weather: Largely dry, slight rain later

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns,Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Tip, Graham Stone 

Non-walking drinker: Colin Davison

Apologies: Alan Hart (cruising), Laurie Fairman (Switzerland), George Whaites (domestics), Julian Ross (de*or>*ing), Hughie Hardiman (family duties)

Leader: Cairns​​Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Car park of the Little Mill Inn, Rowarth

Starting time: 9.45am ​Finishing time: 2.40pm

As I was writing this report I was told through Alan the sad news that Carolyn, wife of our friend and official blogger George Dearsley, had died suddenly following a fall at their home in Turkey on Monday of this week. I know all the Wanderers will want to join in sending their heartfelt sympathy to George at this terrible time for him. Carolyn's funeral was due to take place in Turkey on Friday and his two married daughters and their husbands are there with him.

In the circumstances it seems trivial to log our ramblings around Derbyshire but I can record that an impressive turnout of nine Wanderers ignored the gloomy weather predictions, which as so often proved unduly pessimistic. There was a little rain towards the end but largely we completed our route in the dry.

We turned right out of the car park of the Little MIll Inn and immediately right again up a track past some cottages. This soon narrowed to a rocky path whch led us in to Rowarth village. We bore left and at the now disused red telephoine box turned right down a path.

We turned right on a metalled lane, forded a stream and crossed a footbridge on the left taking us in to a wooded,boggy area, where we followed the course of the stream before reaching a track. We recrossed the stream and after a short section of track came to a metal gate leading us on to a narrow road.

This climbed steadily and swung right before reaching a gate at a ramshackle barn, where we turned in to a muddy field (30 mniutes). We climbed across two fields and crossed a wall stile to skirt Knarrs Farm, where extensive building work is going on.

We descended on a track which brought us to the Monks Road, once used by the friars of Basingwerk Abbey on their tax-collecting journeys. We turned right and soon reached the precarious crossing of the main Hayfield to Glossop road on a blind summit (45 min).

Unscathed, we crossed a stile at the far side and swung right down a path through the heather. This is a concessionary path and thus not marked on the OS maps. It brought us down to the stream at Carr Meadow, where pietime was declared six minutes early (69 min).

Resuming we crossed a footbridge, with its nearby memorial stone dedicated to Thomas Boulger 'who served the Peak District and Northern Counties Footpath Preservation Society from 1921 to 1963'. We climbed steadily from here on a quite badly eroded footpath through the heather moorland.

We dropped down to ford a stream and climbed slightly again before reaching a footbridge across a bog near the white-painted shooting box that can be spotted from large parts of Kinder Scout, which was largely swathed in mist in front of us (94 min).

We turned right here on a track, putting us on the Snake Path linking Hayfield and the Snake Inn. We reached a metal kissing gate marking the end of the moorland and descended through a series of rough pastures, past the landmark copse of Twenty Trees.

This emerged on Kinder Road, Hayfield, where we turned right to soon reach the Royal Hotel (136 min), where a selection of real ales were on offer (average £3-60).

After a pleasant break in the pub's ramblers' bar, adorned with a collection of antique walking and climbing gear, we resumed, turning right through the village, and immediately opposite the Pack Horse pub, took a track on the left, taking us under the relief road. Tom split from us at this point, to take the Sett Valley Trail to New Mills and an appointment with his dentist.

We crossed the village May Queen field to reach Swallow House Lane, turned left and then right at the former paper mill, now imposing apartments. This brought us to a group of cottages where a collapsed gate on the right gave access to the path to Little Hayfield.

On reaching the small village we descended left to skirt the renovated Clough Mill, now apartments, and made a sharp climb up a field. This brought us to a cottage, where after slanting right in to a narrow path, we took a short lunch break (172 min).

We climbed up the rocky path, emerging on a large pasture below the summit of Lantern Pike. We reached a decaying stone wall ahead and bore right along the ridge before reaching a gate, where a left turn took us along a substantial track. This joined another track, where we turned sharp right and after a rocky descent reached Laneside Farm and the start of a short stretch of road taking us to the Little Mill (312 min).

This old building was a working mill producing candle wick in the 1780s, and still has a water wheel - but one that was a replacement for the original, ruined in a flood in 1930 known as the 'great Rowarth cloudburst'. In the ground is an old pullman rail coach - once part of the Derbyshire Belle , which operated on the London-Brighton line. It once served as a restaurant but has now been converted in to three guest rooms.

Seven of us enjoyed Jenning's Cumberland bitter and the pub's own-branded ale, the price of which remains a mystery as the round was most generously provided by Graham - and it wasn't even his birthday.

Next week's quite challenging walk will involve the ascent of Kinder Low and a visit to Kinder Downfall, starting at The Sportsman in Kinder Road, Hayfield (ample road parking) at 9.40am, hopefully returning there by 2.15pm. Note: this route may be changed at the last minute in the event of bad weather.

Happy wandering!

Ridgegate Reservoir

20^th November 2019

RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, SHUTLINGSLOE, CRAG INN AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, PIGGFORD NATURE RESERVE, THE HANGING GATE INN AT HIGHER SUTTON, THE GRITSTONE TRAIL AND THE LEATHERS’ SMITHY AT LANGLEY

Distance: Ten miles.                     Difficulty: Moderate and difficult in parts

Weather: Breezy but dry with occasional sunshine.

Walkers: Jock Rooney with Tips, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Mike Barrett, Mark Gibby, Andy Blease and Hugh Harriman

Alternative Walkers: Laurie Fairman and Colin Davison

Leader: Chris Owen

Diarist: Tom Cunliffe

Apologies: George Dearsley (living in Turkey), Alan hart (hols), Peter Beal (Hols) George Waites (hols), Dean Taylor (hols), others unknown to me

Starting point: Roadside next to Ridgegate Reservoir, Langley, Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.36am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.

With Shutingsloe in our sights, we set off walking with Ridgegate Reservoir to our right and headed uphill in the direction of said peak.

After climbing for about a mile or so through the forest, along a gravel track, we levelled out at a viewing point which took in a magnificent vista of the valley below. (see Pic1). Leaving the forest path behind in favour of open moorland, we eventually passed through a gate. Still climbing we made our way along the paved path eventually reaching a metal kissing gate where decisions had to be made. Our younger members decided to take the high road up and over Shutingsloe where they were treated to magnificent views of the surrounding countryside (Pic2) whilst the young-at-heart members took the low road around the shoulder of the hill.

Shutingsloe is a distinctive hill which can be seen peeping above the skyline for miles in every direction. Its shape gives it the ironic title Cheshire’s Matterhorn. At 1,660 feet it is Cheshire’s third highest peak behind Shining Tor and Whetstone Ridge.

On the other side of the hill we teamed up once again and after crossing another style we continued down hill along a tarmac road reaching the junction of another road, at which we turned right. Upon reaching the car park of the Cragg Inn we stopped for pietime. The Cragg currently only opens at weekends.

After leaving the bench in the pub car park we crossed the style immediately on our right and headed uphill. There followed a series of wooden gates, through several fields. Eventually we came upon a stone step stile to a lane where we turned left.

Walking down the lane with Piggford Nature Reserve on our right, just before crossing a stream, we eventually reached a road on our left and a style on our right. We crossed the style and followed the stream to reach a metal gate and over a new footbridge (replacing an old rickety bridge). Proceeding uphill and levelling out we passed the former home of David Cameron’s right-hand man, George Osborne, whose Tatton constituency lies nearby.

Up and over a wooden stile we headed up hill once more, over another style we turned half right following the defined path across a couple more fields to reach another style. We crossed the style and headed downhill along a sunken gravel path emerging at the former pub, The Hanging Gate.

The pub is nearly 400 years old and has stunning views at the back from its modern decking area. Over many many years the WW have visited this watering hole to be entertained by the gobby and slightly dotty landlady Luda, sadly this pub is no more. What a shame that Hydes, the owners of the pub cannot make it pay.

After tipping our hats in the direction of the bar and with a right-of-way through the property, we left by the back garden through a gate and followed the well-worn path downhill exiting by a metal gate on to a lane.  We turned immediately left along a lane, after 400 yards we took the track on our right. After negotiating a couple of fields akin to the Somme, we eventually began to descend and emerged at the rear of the Ryles Arms where we took our welcome alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments and met up with Messrs Davison and Fairman who had taken an alternative route.

Resuming, we retraced our steps back up the hill crossing a field with Passchendaele conditions. We meandered for the next 3 miles back to our starting point at Ridgegate at reservoir

Next week’s wander will start at 9.40am from the Little Mill at Rowarth calling at Royal pub in Hayfield around 12ish, returning to the Little Mill for 2:15ish. Our leader for the day will be Alastair Cairns.

Happy wandering !

Marple Bridge

MARPLE BRIDGE

November 13, 2019

BRABYNS PARK IN MARPLE BRIDGE, ETHEROW COUNTRY PARK, ERNOCROFT WOOD, ERNOCROFT FARM, BROWN LOW, SMITHY LANE, MELLOR HALL, MELLOR CHURCH, DEVONSHIRE ARMS, TARDEN, BOTTOM'S HALL, ROMAN LAKES, OLDKNOW'S MILL, MARPLE BRIDGE 

Distance: 8.5 miles​Ascent/descent: 1,250 ft

Difiiculty: Easy

Weather: Mainly dry and clear. Some rain at first.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Mickey Barrett, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Graham Stone, Dean Taylor 

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman

Apologies: Jock Rooney (Isle of Man), George Whaites (Canary Islands), Andy Blease (Grandparenting duties)

Leader: Beal​​Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Brabyns Park public car park, Marple Bridge

Starting time: 9.41am ​Finishing time: 2.10pm

Despite a most unpromising start with persistent rain and low cloud as we gathered for the start in Marple Bridge, the skies soon cleared and while not sunny, it was bright - affording us splendid views of the surrounding countryside, Manchester and the Cheshire Plain.

The heavy rain of the past few days had swollen the streams and rivers, but apart from a couple of boggy fields and a deepish ford crossing we were able to avoid the worst of the wet.

We enjoyed a couple of fine pubs, one of which - the Devonshire Arms at Mellor - appeared to be thriving after its recent expensive refurbishment.

We left the Brabyns Park car park, much frequented by dog-walkers, at the far end and took a metalled track running parallel to the Peak Forest canal. This split at some houses and we took the right fork, skirting a barrier, which took us across playing fields, some of which were under water after the recent heavy rains.

We crossed a small bridge and then immediately a larger, more modern one spanning the River Goyt just to the east of its confluence with the Etherow. The River Mersey is generally regarded as starting in Stockport at the junction of the Goyt and the River Tame - although apparently older maps show the Mersey carrying the name downstream from this point.

Building date on wall

View of Manchester from Linnet Clough

Labour voting Roman soldier outside Mellor church

We left the park here and joined a track that soon brought us to the Marple to Romiley road. We turned left here past the rather forlorn site of the former George pub, once a regular starting point for the Wanderers.

We continued alongside the high brick wall of a former mill before turning right in to the car park of the Etherow Country Park (20 minutes). The country park was one of the first of its kind in the country and attracts 250,000 visitors a year. It includes a sailing club and a model boat club.

We walked with the lake on our left past the sailing club and at the end of the lake continued along the track with a canal feeder on our left and the fast-flowing River Etherow below us on our right. The canal took water from the river and was used to power 'Big Lily', a giant water wheel used by the mill-owning Andrews family, which was turned by 50 million gallons a day.

Here we saw three fine specimens of plump and brightly coloured Mandarin ducks among the more mundane mallards in the canal.

The track ended at a massive circular weir, down which was pouring so much water that the spray could be felt from the bridge above (41 min). We took a track to the right here, signed to Glossop Road. This climbed steadily through the delightful Ernocroft Wood for some time, before emerging on the Marple to Glossop Road (61 min).

Here we turned right for a short distance before crossing a rickety stile on the left in to a field. The path climbed briefly before slanting left on a boggy grassy incline towards a house. We went through a rusty gate here and reached a minor road, where we turned right past Ernocroft Farm and two tethered noisy dogs.

Soon after this we took a stile on the left and climbed steadily up a track, passing numerous rusting old vehicles and farm machinery. The farmer has clearly ruled himself out of the Tidy Farm of the Year awards.

We reached another stile at a four-way track junction, whre pietime was enjoyed (83 min). We were joined here by Laurie and Colin, arriving across the fields from the opposite direction, having parked at Rowarth.

From here we turned sharp right, almost back on ourselves, and soon reached the wooded height of Brown Low, where a rounded Bronze Age barrow, or burial mound, could be seen in the trees.

This was apparently excavated in 1810 by the Vicar of Disley, a Rev Marriott, but it was poorly managed and resulted in considerable damage to the site after his work attracted the attention of a horde of locals.

We skirted the wood and continued downhill along a very wet path through fields before reaching a lane (96 min). We turned left here and soon after took a right turn down Smithy Lane. This continued down past several converted farms, before becoming rough and climbing to join a road. Just before the road we had to ford a dip filled with what appeared to be a daunting amount of water, but which proved negotiable with the help of some rock-hopping.

We turned right here (123 min) and continued along the quiet minor road, and on to a track  passing Horsepool Cottage and climbing to the imposing Mellor Hall, now converted in to several fine homes. The hall's rooms are apparently panelled with the former choir stalls from Manchester Cathedral.

The path took us through the buildings and bore left along a metalled track. At the end of this we turned right and soon reached Mellor Church (135 min), enjoying a commanding view over the surrounding countryside. Its 14th century wooden pulpit is the oldest in England and possibly, it is claimed, the world.

Next to the church is the site of a former Iron Age hill fort and village that has now been developed as an attraction, complete with replica rude dwelling.

We took the minor road downhill, using a footpath at the side, and emerged in Mellor next to the Devonshire Arms (150 min), a recently refurbished Robinson's pub doing a roaring trade in lunches and serving excellent Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde at £3-60 and £3-80 respectively. Laurie and Colin were already there, having taken a more direct route from our pietime stop.

Resuming, we crossed the road and took the minor road of Gibb Lane opposite the pub. At a fork we bore right on a lane taking us down through the Mellor and Townscliffe golf course. We passed the clubhouse away on our right and reached the extensive Linnet Clough scout camp after which we had a brief lunch stop.

Here the stony track became rougher and descended gradually before it passed the buildings of Bottom's Hall and reached a broader track between the two large ponds known as the Roman Lakes. These owe nothing at all to Roman origins, but were the mill ponds for Samuel Oldknow's nearby mill, and named by a Victorian entrepreneur as a way of attracting visitors to the boating lake.

We arrived at Oldknow's Mellor Mill site, which is being excavated by a local history society, and turned right here uphill. The track descended and soon emerged near the centre of busy little Marple Bridge (201 min).

It was at this exact spot that your diarist, in his former existence as a journalist, recalled covering an election campaign visit by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1992 when she was attacked by an angry local woman with a bunch of daffodils. The Iron Lady emerged none the worse from the incident. The fate of the daffodils was not recorded.

A short stroll down the main street brought us to the quirky Norfolk Arms, where five of our number enjoyed some of an unusual but tasty range of real ales. We then made the short walk back to our cars to deboot.

Next week's walk, led by Chris, will start at 9.40am at the lay-by at the top of the Ridgegate reservoir at Langley near Macclesfield, beyond the Leather's Smithy pub (postcode SK11 ONE). After ascending Shutlingsloe, en route refreshments will be at the Ryle's Arms, and the Leather's Smithy at the end.

:: Diary date. It was agreed that the Wanderers' Christmas lunch will be at the Wilfred Wood Wetherspoon's pub in Hazel Grove at 2.30pm on December 11. The walk beforehand will be from Torkington Park, calling at the Ring o' Bells in Marple.

Happy wandering!  

Edale

EDALE

November 6, 2019

CAR PARK ON ROAD BETWEEN BARBER BOOTH AND UPPER BOOTH, CHAPEL GATE, RUSHUP EDGE, LORD'S SEAT, MAM TOR, HOLLINS CROSS, THE OLD NAGS HEAD AT GRINDSBROOK BOOTH, COOPER'S FARM, BARBER BOOTH

Distance: 7.5 miles​Ascent/descent: 1,440 ft

Difiiculty: Moderate

Weather: Dry and clear at first, some rain and mist later

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe, Hughie Hardiman, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Tip, Graham Stone, Dean Taylor 

Alternative walker: Laurie Fairman

Apologies: Alan Hart (car problems), Julian Ross (family visit to North East), Mark Gibby (family visit to Ripon), George Dearsley (Turkey), Alastair Cairns and Mickey Barrett (both walking in Lake District)

Leader: Beal​​Diarist: Beal

Starting point: National Park car park on minor road between Barber Booth and Upper Booth, Edale

Starting time: 9.50am ​Finishing time: 2.07pm

Plans for today's walk originally involved the ascent of Crowden Tower on the Kinder plateau by way of Crowden Brook. But reports of recent heavy rainfall making an already scrambly climb more difficult prompted caution and we opted instead for the more straightforward traverse of Rushup Edge.

Rain and mist arrived by the afternoon but not before we had enjoyed splendid panoramic views from the ridge, one of the finest vistas in the Peak District.

We left the free National Park car park on the lane that leads to Upper Booth and headed right towards Edale. We soon went under a viaduct carrying the Manchester to Sheffield railway line and shortly afterwards crossed a stile on the right in to fields.

We crossed a track leading to Manor House Farm just before the farm buildings and crossed a series of fields by way of gates and stiles, with the bulk of Rushup Edge looming in front of us. 

We climbed slightly and reached a gate at the junction with a major track known as Chapel Gate, originally the main route between the Edale Valley and Chapel-en-le-Frith. A complicated legal history surrounds this byway. It was once classed as a BOAT (Byway Open to All Traffic) and prized by those odd people, the four-wheeled drive enthusiasts who think it adventurous to churn up the countryside.

But pressure some years ago prompted Derbyshire County Council to ban vehicles from the route. After lengthy legal battles, including a High Court case, the ban was upheld and the council began work to repair the badly worn track.

This brought protests from mountain biking groups, claiming the work was removing the challenge of the route and proving that whatever you do you just can't please everybody.

We slanted right on a stiffish climb up the track that cuts across the flank of Rushup Edge. We reached and ignored a green footpath sign on our right, pointing to Dale Head, and after this the slope eased (38 minutes).

After this the track bore gradually round to the left until reaching a junction with another track, where we turned left (50 min). This was the start of the Great Ridge, two-miles long and linking the tops of Lord's Seat, Mam Tor, Back Tor and Lose Hill.

A gentle climb, with some stiles, brought us to the ridge's highest point of Lord's Seat (1,804 feet), where pie-time was declared (70 min). The summit is topped by a large Bronze Age burial mound or barrow, now fenced off to prevent interference.

We sought shelter in a hollow just below the summit and enjoyed the magificent views, stretching along the ridge and, across the valley, over the massive Kinder Scout plateau.

We started the gentle descent that led us to the road crossing at the pass known as Mam Nick and then up the steepish climb of the man-made rock staircase to the 1,695 ft summit of Mam Tor (115 min).

The naming of the hill might commemorate a pagan mother goddess. Its summit was also the site of an Iron Age hill fort, the largest in the Peak District, much of the evidence of which has been removed by successive landslips that have sculpted the almost sheer southern face of the hill.

We continued downhill to reach Hollins Cross, a stone column that was once surmounted by a topograph, but now only has a plaque dedicated to Tom Hyett of the Long Eaton branch of the Ramblers. This dip in the ridge was once on the coffin track over which the dead were carried from Edale to the churchyard in Castleton, before Edale got its own church in the 17th century.

From here we descended steeply on a rough track to Hollins Farm, then crossed a road in to fields. We went through a tunnel under the railway line and soon crossed a stream to reach the village of Edale. More properly the named is applied to the whole valley and the village is actually Grindsbrook Booth.

A booth was a farm building on land enclosed to keep livestock safe from wolves and the five in Edale - Upper, Barber, Grindsbrook, Ollerbrook and Nether Booths - would originally have been rented from the Crown by foresters or private landowners.

We turned right to reach The Old Nags Head (152 min), the pub that marks the start of the 270-mile long Pennine Way, and which can now be added to Alan's list of pubs commiting the cardinal sin of leaving out an apostrophe where one should be.

Here we found Laurie, who had completed a slightly shorter route to ours, climbing directly to Hollins Cross and descending via Nether Booth.

Your temporary diarist had the pleasure of supplying drinks to mark his birthday five days earlier - including pints of Bradfield Farmers Blonde at £3-90. At that price the least you would expect would be an apostrophe, but no.

From the pub we bore right through the entrance of the Cooper's camp site and along a track towards a farm, just before which we crossed a stile on our left and followed the path through fields and a succession of countless gates.

This brought us to the road at Barber Booth, where we turned right and immediately right again to retrace our steps to our cars (193 min).

Next week's walk will start from the car park in Brabyn's Park in Marple Bridge. Refreshments en route will be at the Devonshire Arms in Mellor around 12.15pm and afterwards at the Norfolk Arms in Marple Bridge.

Happy wandering!