Marple Bridge

 

MARPLE BRIDGE

May 12, 2021

BRABYNS PARK IN MARPLE BRIDGE, LOW LEA ROAD, MELLOR MILL, ROMAN LAKES, STRINES STATION, FOX INN AT BROOKBOTTOM, SHAW FARM, CASTLE EDGE, HILLTOP FARM, MELLOR CHURCH, DEVONSHIRE ARMS, MELLOR GOLF COURSE, BOTTOM’S HALL, NORFOLK ARMS

Distance: 9 miles Ascent/descent: 1.457 ft

Difiiculty: Easy

Weather: Mainly sunny

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease,  Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, John Jones, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor

Non-walking drinker: Howard Jones

Apologies:  Alan Hart (entertaining workmen), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Micky Barrett (unspecified) 

Leader: Beal Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Brabyns Park in Marple Bridge

Starting time: 9.35am Finishing time: 2.20pm

Today’s route was I believe a new one for the Wanderers, taking in a stroll along the River Goyt and a climb to higher ground above Mellor with fine views as far as Manchester and the Cheshire Plain. A fine day saw a good turnout of 11 walkers and two of our canine friends.

We visited two pubs who had really got their act together in coping with the outdoor drinking restrictions without raising their beer prices to stratospheric levels, as some others have.

We left Brabyns Park for the centre of Marple Bridge and at the end of Town Street bore right up the unmade Low Lea Road. This soon dipped down to bring us to the site of the former Mellor Mill.

This cotton mill was built by industrialist Samuel Oldknow in 1790. It was six storeys high and 400-feet long and in its heyday employed 500 people. Fire destroyed the building in 1892 and the ruins have recently been developed as a heritage site by local volunteers.

We continued along the track with the fast-flowing River Goyt on our right and soon reached the two Roman Lakes and a closed tearoom (27 minutes). The lakes were the former ponds for Oldknow’s mill and owe nothing to the Romans but were so named by a local entrepreneur in Victorian times to enhance their value as a tourist attraction.

We continued along the track, passing the similarly-named Roman Bridge, in fact a 17th century packhorse bridge which crosses the Goyt. We bore left along a newly-resurfaced footpath and went under a viaduct beneath the Manchester to Sheffield railway line.

Soon after recrossing the line on a bridge we emerged on Station Road, Strines, a short distance below the station (59 min). We turned left uphill along cobbles and passed the station on our right.

Passing under the railway again we came to a junction where we bore right uphill on a rough track with a stream below us on the left. This climbed steadily to finally emerge at the familiar sight of the whitewashed Fox Inn at Brookbottom, a regular stopping point for the Wanderers (75 min). It was too early for the pub to be serving, but it has reopened daily for outside table service under the soon to be lifted Covid restrictions. 

We crossed Brookbottom Road and entered what appeared to be a private driveway. At a house at the top we took a narrow footpath up a flight of steps. A short distance further on we bore left down a path through woods to cross a small stream. The path rose to join a track which brought us in to the yard at Shaw Farm, one of the oldest in the area and mentioned in documents of the 12th century.

Crossing the farmyard we climbed a stile leading to fields. Climbing a short distance to a small copse of trees pietime was declared at 11.05am.

We crossed a stile and turned left at a green Peak and Northern Footpaths sign directing us towards New Mills. Two more fields brought us to Castle Edge Farm (105 min), where we bore right to emerge on a lane overlooking New Mills Golf course.

We turned left here and at a junction of tracks carried straight on with Broadhurstedge plantation and a covered reservoir on our right. This brought us to a road junction known locally as Five Ways (129 min). We crossed straight over in to Shiloh Road and a short distance further on, soon after passing How Green Farm on our right, climbed a stile to take a narrow path between a wall and a fence. 

A series of stiles in quick succession brought us to Rush Lane where we turned left for a few yards before branching right along a track in front of Hilltop Farm. With another farm on our right we carried straight on along a bridleway across a large field that soon brought us to a lane with Mellor Church ahead of us.

The church has a long history dating from the 15th century, but there is thought to have been an earlier church on the site long before that. It has a pulpit – reputed to be the oldest in England – carved from the trunk of an oak tree in the mid 1300s. The churchyard contains the site of 17th century Mellor Grammar School.

We turned left downhill on reaching the church (158 min) and at a bend in the road took a track marked Church Road on the left that soon emerged on Longhurst Lane at the Devonshire Arms (165 min).

Pints of Robinson’s Unicorn (£3-75) and Dizzy Blonde (£3-80) were enjoyed in their pleasant and expansive beer garden where we were joined briefly by sometime Wanderer Howard Jones.

Leaving the pub we took Gibb Lane on the opposite side of the road, which brought us to the hamlet of smartly-restored homes at Tarden. where we bore left to take a metalled road downhill that took us past Melllor and Townscliffe Golf Club and then the Linnet Clough scout camp. We paused here for lunch.

En route we encountered a car coming in the opposite direction which proved to be driven by erstwhile Wanderer Phil Welsh, whom none of us had seen for some time. He has been working as a volunteer at the golf club after retiring and he was entreated to join us on future walks.

From there a narrow track took us downhill once more to the large building of Bottom’s Hall (195 min). In Samuel Oldknow’s time this housed 100 children who were used as cheap labour at the nearby mill. The kind-hearted Mr Oldknow preferred them to be known as ‘orphaned apprentices’ and no doubt accommodated them in well-fed comfort. Or perhaps not.

Below the hall we rejoined, between the two Roman Lakes, our outward route for the 20-minute walk past the mill site and in to Marple Bridge and the Norfolk Arms, where your diarist, Dean and Chris enjoyed pints of the excellent hoppy Mosaic Ale outside.

At the time of writing it is hoped that an easing of the Covid restrictions will mean this is the  last Wednesday when we will have been banned from the inside of a pub.

Next week’s walk, led by John Jones, will start from the bottom of Temple Road in Buxton at 9.45am. Refreshment on the way will be at The Park in Harpur Hill.

Happy wandering!

Map by Tom