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!