Wednesday Wandering: Buxton

BURBAGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY, ERRWOOD RESERVOIR, FERNILEE RESERVOIR, ERRWOOD HALL, GRIMSHAWE GRAVES, SHOOTERS CLOUGH, STAKESIDE, BERRY CLOUGH, MACCLESFIELD OLD ROAD, BURBAGE

Distance: 11 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Light showers and sunny intervals.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Keith Welsh, George Whaites.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mickey Barrett, Alastair Cairns, Mark Gibby and Hughie Hardiman (self-isolating), Laurie Fairman (taking wife for medical check), Dean Taylor (hols)

Leader: Jones. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Bishop's Lane, Burbage, Buxton.

Starting time: 9.46am. Finishing time: 2.58pm.

The hills and moors overlooking Errwood Reservoir provided the spectacular backdrop for this challenging walk from the suburbs of Buxton. Although we endured our share of showers we also enjoyed some bright sunshine towards the end and the visibility was good throughout.

This enabled us to admire the stunning scenery in the Peak National Park and to learn some of the history of the area. It was a comparatively new route, having been tested just once during the early months of the Covid19 lockdown.

JJ handicapped himself by bringing the wrong map and then found one of his planned footpaths had been closed for forestry work. But his memory of the area ultimately triumphed as we found an alternative trail following advice from Jock.

The disappointing lack of pubs en route will be remedied next week when we plan to visit two hostelries.

From the far end of Bishop's Drive, Burbage, we headed uphill from the starting point at two ancient gateposts. Once again we were obliged by numbers to split into two groups of 5 or a sextet and a quartet. On some occasions we chose 4-4-2; on others a more adventurous 4-3-3 formation with three strikers upfront.

As Bishop's Drive appeared to be petering out (7mins) we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign and ascended a flight of wooden steps. We reached a wooden gate and turned right(11mins). Directly behind us on the skyline was the folly known as Solomon's Temple overlooking Buxton.

The path brought us to a junction with the closed and locked tunnel of the disused Cromford and High Peak Railway 100 yards on our left (21mins)

This railway, stretching 33 miles, was completed in 1831. It was designed to carry minerals and goods between Cromford Canal Wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. It was closed in 1967.

We turned right and crossed the moor along a well-trodden path, ignoring a wooden footbridge on our left leading to Goytsclough Quarry (44mins). By now Errwood Reservoir was beginning to emerge on our left. When we reached a fork in the paths we ignored one leading towards the reservoir but headed right slightly away from the water until we reached a road (72mins). Here we turned left and walked along the road which divided Errwood Reservoir on our left and Fernilee Reservoir on our right.

After reaching the far side we went straight on up a path opposite where we stopped for pies, port and damson gin kindly provided by Chris under a convenient tree (77mins)

After re-joining the road, with Errwood Reservoir on our left we reached a footpath on our right which JJ had intended to use to reach the ruins of Errwood Hall (91mins). However the path was closed for “forestry work” and JJ consulted Jock to confirm another path on our right would lead us to our destination.

By taking the next path and swinging right off it (99mins) we reached the ruins of Errwood Hall (101mins)

Errwood Hall was built in the 1830s by Samuel Grimshawe, a wealthy Manchester businessman and was occupied by his family for the next 100 years. The estate of 2,000 acres consisted of several farms, a school, a private coal mine, the hamlet of Goyt's Bridge and The Cat and Fiddle Inn.

Samuel's grandchildren were the last family members to live in the hall, which was partially demolished to facilitate the construction of Fernilee Reservoir in 1934. Stones from the hall were used to build the water treatment works below Fernilee Reservoir.

The hamlet of Goyt's Bridge and much of the farmland is now submerged beneath the waters of Errwood Reservoir – although the old packhorse bridge after which it was named has been relocated further up the valley.

Errwood was the second of two reservoirs built in the Goyt Valley, the other being Fernilee. Errwood was constructed by the Stockport Water Corporation for £1.5 million and work was completed in 1967. It is now owned by United Utilities and holds up to 4,215 million litres of water.

Fernilee was finished in 1938 for £480,000 and holds 5 billion litres. The village of Goyt's Bridge and Errwood Hall were destroyed to prevent pollution after Stockport Corporation Waterworks had bought the Grimshawe Estate.

A makeshift tin town was built to accommodate the workforce during construction. The creation of Fernilee Reservoir drowned the Chilworth Gunpowder Mill, which had manufactured chemical explosives from the 16^th Century until the First World War.

After looking round the ruins of Errwood Hall we continued uphill away from the reservoir, emerging at the start of Shooters Clough. At this stage we turned left (116mins) and climbed steeply uphill for a diversion to the graves of the Grimshawe family. In pride of place were the epitaphs to Samuel and Jessie Mary Magdelane Grimshawe.

In the absence of a pub stop, JJ generously produced bottles of beer which he had brought for us to share.

From here we took an alternative route down, reaching another ruined building where the path arrived at a plateau. We turned left to continue our walk along Shooters Clough towards Stakeside (131mins)

Swinging left at a gatepost (146mins) and pausing for photos of the magnificent view of the reservoir below, we turned right following a sign for The Cat and Fiddle pub (151mins). This brought us to a footpath sign (172mins) for Shining Tor on our right, back to Errwood or straight ahead for The Cat and Fiddle. We aimed for the pub, knowing it had been closed for more than a year and with no false hopes.

We turned left just before reaching a wooden gate (175mins) and soon stepped right through a gap in the fence to begin a lengthy descent.

Stopping for lunch at a stone wall (191mins) we realised some of our group were finding the stony track downhill difficult. Continuing we crossed a wooden footbridge and crossed a lane (211mins). We followed a green public footpath sign for Buxton and crossed a wooden footbridge on our right for Berry Clough (213mins)

At another wooden public footpath sign we followed the sign for Burbage (232mins).

At a wooden gate (246mins) we turned left along a stony track (250mins) which had once been the packhorse route to Macclesfield.

At the end of Macclesfield Old Road (266mins) we turned left along St John's Road, passing the closed Duke pub and turning left into Bishop's Lane to reach our cars (270mins)

Next week's walk of 10 miles will start at 9.40am from the road leading to The Navigation pub at Bugsworth Basin, Chinley.Meet outside the pub. We will be following the Peak Tramway to Chapel Milton, passing through Wash to go via South Head to The Lamb at Chinley for a bracer around 12.30pm.

Our journey back will be along Cracken Edge and Brierley Green aiming to return to the Navvy at about 2.40pm.

Happy wandering !

pictures by Alan Hart