September 10, 2020.
DISLEY, RING O' BELLS LANE, ST MARY'S CHURCHYARD, RED LANE, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, KNIGHTSLOW WOOD, BOWSTONES, WHALEY MOOR, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, YEARDSLEY LANE, THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, THE PEAK FOREST CANAL, THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY
Distance: 9 miles.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Weather: Always dry, cloudy start, sunny later.
Walkers: Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Howard Jones, John Jones, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, George Whaites, Dave Willets.
Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Laurie Fairman.
Apologies: Peter Beal (in Lakes), Mickey Barrett, Alastair Cairns and Julian Ross (hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey)
Leader: John Jones. Diarist: Hart.
Starting point: Car park of The White Horse at Disley.
Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.
A lovely warm, dry and eventually sunny day produced a good turnout of 12 walkers, one of whom had not been seen before the Covid19 lockdown. We were delighted to welcome back Hughie to the fold for the first time in six months.
Tom and Dave were obviously delighted to see each other after a long separation and greeted each other with a warm hug. May I remind all Wednesday Wanderers that hugging and kissing are actually banned under the social distancing regulations. Even when these restrictions are lifted we still have a strict no tongues policy within the group.
Our leader JJ had included a minor deviation to the traditional route, known as The Phallic Walk, from The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale to The Dandy Cock at Disley and back. Because of parking shortages the reverse route has to start from the car park of The White Horse at Disley, with the approval of landlady Amy. On this occasion we had the car park swept clear of leaves as we arrived. Both The White Horse and The Soldier Dick, though labouring under frustrating limits brought about by our government's response to the pandemic, provided good service and beer.
Of course the cask ale was a minor diversion as we studied the flora and fauna en route and learned something of our local history.
Dividing into two groups of six we headed up Ring O' Bells Lane, reaching the former pub of that name which still bears the inn sign on its wall. It is now a Friendly Society Meeting House for the Quakers Movement.
We turned right at the sign, crossing a footbridge over a stream and turned right again at the far side to follow a path through the churchyard of St Mary's, Disley's parish church. This brought us to Red Lane (5mins) where we turned left and passed a series of expensive mansions on our way to the entrance to Lyme Park (13mins)
We turned left at the green wooden entrance hut and walked for 50 yards along the tarmac lane before turning left along a well-trodden grass track which led to Lyme Cage (28mins).
With the approach of the rutting season next month, a stag party had already formed nearby. These red deer are the descendants of the original herd which was enclosed within Lyme Park by Piers Legh in the 14th century.
After a photo opportunity (31mins) we headed in the direction of Lyme Hall but took a path to the right which brought us to the original carriage route to the hall before the invention of the horseless carriage (or motor cars as you youngsters call them these days). We followed this path until we came within 200 yards of the hall, then branched off through the public car park and followed the sign for Knightslow Wood (46mins) to the left.
We walked to the right of a wall by the side of the wood until we reached its entrance gate (54mins). Following the path through the wood we exited by another gate (60mins) and started the climb towards Bowstones. At a ladder stile we stopped for pies, port and damson gin kindly provided by Chris (77mins)
Continuing we crossed the stile and another one to reach Bowstones' Farm on our left and The Bowstones themselves round the corner (80mins). We began our descent with the ancient relics on our left reaching a wooden public footpath sign and a short ladder stile on our right (93mins) which we crossed.
Talking of ancient relics, the alternative walkers were at this time on a seven-mile journey round The Peak Forest area examining old mining sites.
But I digress. This stile led us to through a field, two kissing gates on either side of a lane, and a footbridge over a stream (98mins). After crossing this we climbed a path leading over a stony track by a cattle grid and followed a green public footpath sign towards Furness Vale via Whaley Moor (104mins). We crossed a ladder stile (111mins) and a stone step stile (115mins).
With the Dipping Stones downhill on our right, we turned left and crossed another stone step stile to reach a road (131mins). We turned left and then right over a wooden stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign (133mins). This took us through a field, over a wooden stile (139mins) and through a wooden gate with a farmhouse on our right (148mins). A gravel track swung right and when we reached the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park on our right we turned left down a lane (151mins)
At the end of Yeardsley Lane (158mins) we turned left along the A6 and within 50 yards we had reached The Soldier Dick (159mins) on our left. Here we enjoyed pints of Atlantic Pale, Doombar or Reverend James' cask bitter for £3-50 in an exclusive room booked earlier by our leader JJ.
Suitably refreshed we continued by crossing the main road opposite the front door of The Soldier Dick and turning left for a few yards before turning right down Old Road. At the end we swung right and then left to go through a tunnel under the railway line and right at the far side. This brought us to a road and, with the level crossing on our right, we turned left over a road bridge, and left again to join the towpath to the right of the Peak Forest Canal (163mins)
The Peak Forest Canal covers a total of 23.8 kilometres consisting of two level pounds separated by a flight of 16 locks at Marple dividing the Lower Peak Forest Canal from the Upper Peak Forest Canal which we were walking alongside.
Our section travels for seven miles from Whaley Bridge through Bridgemont, Furness Vale, New Mills, Disley and Strines to Marple, where it joins The Macclesfield Canal. The PFC was fully opened in 1800 and was linked with The Peak Forest Tramway to transport limestone quarried in Derbyshire throughout the country by its canal system.
It declined as railways spread. In the 1920s the Tramway and Bugsworth Basin closed. The lower canal fell into disuse and became impassable. But in the early 1970s the Peak Forest Canal Society and the Inland Waterways Association campaigned successfully to have the canal reopened as a leisure facility in 1974. Bugsworth Basin reopened in 2003 after restoration work by British Waterways.
After 400 yards we stopped for lunch (169mins). Resuming we passed the Swizzels-Matlow factory at New Mills on our right (189mins) before leaving the canal at Bridge 26 (211mins). This involves going under the bridge and continuing for some 50 yards before turning sharp right to head back up to the bridge, crossing over it and turning right at the footpath on the far side.
With the canal now on our right we followed the path with gardens and houses on our left until, after passing a house called Waters Edge, we turned left to follow a yellow arrow (216mins). At the end of Sherbrooke Road we turned right (217mins) and followed a road which swung left to reach the A6 by the side of The Dandy Cock (222mins).
We turned right, then left at the traffic lights to reach The White Horse on our right (224mins). After de-booting we were able to enjoy pints of Robbies' Unicorn for £3-35.
Next week's walk will start at 9.55am from the main cobbled square at Longnor, Derbyshire. We hope to reach the popular Pack Horse at Crowdecote around 1.30pm for a bracer before finishing at The Cheshire Cheese, Longnor, at about 2.45pm.
Happy wandering !
pictures by John Jones
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