Topley Pike

January 3rd 2020.

TOPLEY PIKE QUARRY, BLACKWELL CYCLE HIRE, WYE DALE, CHEE DALE, DEFIBRILLATOR HILL, FORMER BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT, BLACKWELL, GROVE RAKE, CHELMORTON, CHURCH INN, SHEPLEY FARM, BURRS FARM, DEEPDALE, TOPLEY PIKE QUARRY

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy. with one exception ie Defibrillator Hill

Weather: Dry with weak wintry sunshine.

Walkers:, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns ,Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby,  John Jones, Jock Rooney with Tips, Julian Ross and Dean Taylor.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mike Barrett (visiting Naples and its Nutcrakers), Peter Beal (hols), Chris Owen (hols)

Leader: Cunliffe Diarist: Hart.

Alternative Walkers: Laurie Fairman and Colin Davison

Non Walking Drinker: Alan Hart

Starting point: Topley Pike Quarry.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 3.00pm.

Today’s Wednesday Wander took place, for the second time on a Friday because of Christmas and New Year falling on a Wednesday. Not to be outdone by the vicissitudes of the calendar it was decided for the second time in a week to defer our normal walking day to the Friday and from the number of participants it was a successful turnout.

It was pleasing to see the return of Mark and John after recent bouts of illnesses. Both men looked in fine fettle, ready, willing and able for the task ahead.

From our informal car park at the entrance to the quarry, we crossed the very busy A6 passing through the official Topley Pike Car Park and as we did so we cocked a snook at their tiresome parking charges thereby saving each driver £4.70 (back of the net). 

Our party joined the banks of the River Wye passing the Blackwell Cycle Hire shack (closed until Spring) before the first of several river crossings. We stayed with the riverbank passing through Wye Dale and Chee Dale with their spectacular limestone overhanging cliffs and picturesque stepping-stones. Sadly the river wasn’t very high enabling us to traverse the stepping-stonesincident free.

At 11:15 we paused for pie-time at our final bridge crossing sitedat the foot of what has recently been dubbed “Defibrillator Hill”, a particularly challenging and tortuous hill. As we completed our short break we gave our challenge the Roy Keane thousand yard stare, took deep breaths, stiffened our sinews, summoned our blood and set off up this punishing lung-busting climb. As the famous idiom goes; fortune favours the brave and so it proved again as the views from the top looking down Wye Dale and its river gorge were superb. I counted our number at the foot of this remorseless hill and counted them as we peaked at the Bronze Age settlement, we lost nobody. As we reached the summit some wag was heard to remark that this settlement was unremarkable (just a few lumps, bumps and divots). We picked up signs for the footpath and proceeded passing a farm, crossing a minor road at Blackwell then picking up a footpath on our right. Sticking with this footpath we climbed and passed between two hills crossing the A^ once again eventually reaching a farm track. 

We followed the farm track, passing the farm before picking up a footpath on our right. This took us down to another minor lane, which we crossed before descending in to Chelmorton and the welcome Church Inn at 12:20 via an interesting but played out Lead Rake. For a potted history of Chelmorton and the Church Inn click on link http://www.thechurchinn.co.uk/history-of-church-inn.php  and for further reading on Peak District Lead Mining click on this link https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/90925/lead-chapter1.pdf

At the Church Inn we met up with Harty, who had cancelled his full participation in our Friday wander in favour of a reportedly heavy cold (but not too heavy). We also teamed up with our fellow alternative walkers Laurie and Colin who had taken a gentler route from the A6 to the Inn via Taddington. We consumed our drinks of choice and proceeded on our way.

We turned right out of the Inn for 50 meters or so before turning right once again up a farm track in the direction of the sign-posted Shepley Farm. Crossing a number of fields we eventually reached Deep Dale, where, lying in wait for the unsuspecting is it’s entrance, a dangerous and murderous steep descent down wet greasy limestone to the bottom of the dale, even the local mountain goats steer clear of this descent. After gaining our composure and a change of underwear we continued along the footpath passing the quarry on our left back to our waiting vehicles.

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am, where Tom will lead the gathering on our phallic adventure starting from outside the Soldier Dick in Furness Vale, the foreplay will be a stiff climb up,and passing through Lyme Park before descending in to Disley for the main event at the Dandy Cock at around 12.10 returning to the Soldier Dick along the Peak Forest Canal at about 2.20pm further refreshment and if you’ve still energy to spare you can do it all over again.

Happy wandering!

Pictures by John Jones

Highland cow.

Chelmorton church

Mind games

Winter colour

Stepping stones