LONGNOR, HOLLINSCLOUGH, FOUGH, CHROME HILL, GLUTTON BRIDGE, THE PACK HORSE INN AT CROWDECOTE, RIVER DOVE, YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT LONGNOR
Distance: 7-8 miles.
Difficulty: Easy apart from one steep climb.
Weather: Misty start and mainly cloudy but always dry.
Walkers: Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart, Howard Jones, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, George Whaites, Dave Willets.
Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sailing in Turkey), Peter Beal (walking with wife), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Laurie Fairman (in Wales), Mark Gibby (self-isolating), Hughie Hardiman (unavailable for two weeks), John Jones (attempting the Coast-to-Coast Walk), Chris Owen (French hols), Alastair Cairns and Julian Ross.
Leader: Rooney. Diarist: Hart.
Starting point: Cobbled main square opposite the Crewe and Harpur, Longnor, Staffs.
Starting time: 9.55am. Finishing time: 2.13pm.
Early morning mist never quite disappeared during this walk which criss-crossed the borders of Derbyshire and Staffordshire on several occasions. It shrouded some of the distinctive hills and reduced the panoramic views from the summit of one known locally as The Dragon's Back.
This did little to curb the enthusiasm for those who were conquering Chrome Hill for the first time as Jock led the older hands round the shoulder of this impressive knoll.
We made a prompt start and finished earlier than usual despite calling en route at a 16th Century inn on a former packhorse trail where we enjoyed pints of strange-sounding beers from a bizarrely-named brewery based in the unlikely Leicestershire town of Ashby de la Zouch.
Meanwhile we wish the best of luck and weather to JJ, who had been planning to start his long-distance walk from the Irish Sea to the North Sea on Tuesday.
From the cobbled square facing the Crewe and Harpur pub we turned right, passing The Horseshoe on our right and taking a side road forking off (if you'll pardon the expression) to the right between Hillcrest and The Bakehouse (3mins). This took us past a field where two kids were acting the goat, balancing on a small set of steps.
Beyond this field we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign just before a farm (7mins) following a path through two gap stiles and over a stone step stile on our right (13mins)
After turning left we then went right (15mins) following a sign for Hollinsclough. As we walked along the road we saw a string of palamino horses in a field on the right. With their golden tanned bodies and contrasting blonde manes and tails they looked as if they had been to an equine beauty parlour. As we entered Hollinsclough (39mins) the shapes of Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill had already appeared on our right.
Hard to imagine that these limestone knolls were the remains of coral reefs in a shallow lagoon when sea covered what became the Upper Dove Valley during the Carboniferous era 340 million years ago. The reefs had originally been formed by the skeletons of the sea creatures which died and left the limestone base for the hills which followed when the tide went out.
After passing the methodist church we exited the village and turned right past a new barn at a wooden public footpath sign (43mins). This path took over a stone footbridge (49mins) which we crossed and turned left to reach a lane and turn left again (52mins)
By now we were in an area on the map called Fough for which nobody knew the correct pronunciation. The least likely suggestion was eff off.
After going through a metal gate (53mins) we stopped for Pietime (65mins) at a convenient bank overlooking the valley to our left. Continuing we crossed a cattle grid (71mins), went over a wooden stile on our right (72mins) and through a wooden gate (75mins)
After walking through an open gateway (80mins) we reached a junction of pathways and followed the one marked Glutton Bridge via Chrome Hill (82mins). This took us through a kissing gate (84mins), a wooden gate (86mins) and left through a wooden kissing gate (88mins).
As Tom, Jock, George and Keith took the left shoulder, Andy, Dave, Howard and Dean sprinted to the summit (105mins) for a photo opportunity. The descent involved following the ridge which gave Chrome Hill its nickname of The Dragon's Back before crossing a wooden stile to reach a lane (123mins). Once reunited with the others (129mins) we turned right passing a sign for Hollinsclough.
On reaching a main road (141mins) we turned left and then right (143mins) opposite Glutton Bridge Garage. Our route now was straight ahead along paths and lanes which took us past fields and through farmyards. Where the road bent left we went straight on over a stone step stile (165mins)
Another stone step stile (170mins) took us through a farmyard to emerge on a lane opposite Smithy Farm (175mins). We turned right to reach a main road where we turned right again to find The Pack Horse Inn at Crowdecote immediately on our left (177mins)
This traditional village pub dates back to the 16th Century when it served those using a packhorse trail from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Hassop, near Bakewell.
Its new landlord is Kris, an east European, and his wife Hannah. A free house it serves products from The Leatherbritches Brewery in Ashby de la Zouch, which was once famous for ribbons rather than beer. Among its products was Hairy Helmet, which nobody fancied, and a pale ale called Milkshake. The Hop Tropic cask bitter was in good form at £3-80 a pint.
Suitably refreshed we turned left away from the pub and walked round a sharp bend to cross the River Dove, thereby returning once more from Derbyshire into Staffordshire (178mins). We followed the road all the way into Longnor, passing Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on our right (193mins) before reaching our cars to de-boot (195mins). Returning to the pub three of us enjoyed pints of Dizzy Blonde at £3-70.
Next week's walk will start at 9.55am from the road outside The Bulls Head at Monyash, walking through Lathkilldale to have a snifter in The George at Youlgrave about 12.30pm, hoping to return for a final drink in The Bulls Head around 2.30pm.
Happy wandering !
pictures by Alan Hart
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