February 2, 2022.
ERRWOOD RESERVOIR, SHINING TOR, PYM CHAIR, OLDGATE NICK, HOO MOOR, THE SHADY OAK AT FERNILEE, FERNILEE RESERVOIR
Distance: 10 miles.
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous.
Weather: Misty start: bright finish.
Walkers: Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Enright, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Keiran Rooney, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington.
Apologies: Mickey Barrett and Alastair Cairns (covid victims), Peter Beal, George Dearsley (in Turkey), Hughie Hardiman (fraternising)
Leader: Keiran Rooney. Diarist: Hart.
Starting point: Car park overlooking Errwood Reservoir near dam bridge.
Starting time: 10am. Finishing time: 3.05pm
Our debutant leader Keiran Rooney could hardly have had a more soggy baptism. After a lucky run the weather gods turned against us for this walk which would normally have provided excellent views across picturesque valleys. Instead we were shrouded in mist and reaped no rewards for our stiff climb for the first hour.
The start was delayed by a tardy carload of wanderers and at some stage the mist became decidedly damp. It was like walking through gravity-defying rain which made you wet without hitting the ground. As the usual suspects hared off ahead and the more venerable of us fell behind Keiran managed to avoid losing his control and his temper. He no doubt had lessons from Tip.
Despite an occasionally treacherous surface we only had one near faller as Cliff went into a skid on his first few steps off the tarmac. But we were treated to a virtuoso performance later by Dave when his feet hit a slippery set of flags. Dave's pas de deux and pirouette to stay upright were reminiscent of Jayne Torvill when she partnered with Christopher Dean in the 1984 Olympics. Are we too late to crowd-fund him for a trip to Beijing?
Errwood Reservoir was the second of two reservoirs to be created in the Goyt Valley. It was built by Stockport Water Corporation for £1.5million and completed in 1967. It holds 4 billion litres of water.
Errwood Reservoir
From the car park we turned right along the lane with the reservoir on our left, After crossing a bridge and just before we reached Errwood Hall car park we turned right uphill (10mins). It was a narrow track which sent Cliff slithering backwards but his recovery paled to insignificance compared to Dave's balletic performance later.
We continued to follow the paths and tracks uphill before swinging left between two walls (21mins). This brought us to a wooden public footpath sign (28mins) indicating a path left which involved fording a stream.
A babbling brook
The path soon continued uphill. After going through a wooden gate we turned right and continued climbing (40mins). At a wooden kissing gate marked with a yellow arrow (58mins) we turned right and continued our climb to the Shining Tor Trig Point (72mins).
At 1,834 feet Shining Tor is the highest hill in Cheshire. It normally commands a spectacular view across the valley to The Cat and Fiddle pub. On this occasion visibility was restricted to 10 yards.
We turned right following a wooden footpath sign for Pym Chair and walked along stone flags with a drystone wall and the valley below on our left. We were just about able to view the wall. At Oldgate Nick we used the wall to protect us from a chilly wind as we stopped for a belated Pietime (108mins)
Continuing we soon reached a sign for Windgather (113mins) and crossed a road. On the far side, instead of heading towards Windgather Rocks we turned right and walked downhill for the first time in nearly two hours.
The narrow road back down to the two reservoirs took us to a wooden public footpath sign on our left for Hoo Moor and Fernilee (138mins). We followed the path with glimpses of Fernilee Reservoir on our right. Ignoring a sign on our right for Fernilee we went through a farmyard (155mins). The path continued to a wooden gate (167mins). Beyond this was a wooden public footpaths sign where we turned right before turning left over a stile on what appeared to be a door frame (170mins)
The path now led us diagonally downhill through a wood before we emerged over a wooden stile opposite a house (173mins). On its gatepost was a huge yellow arrow indicating we should proceed down the drive and exit the property over a wooden stile (174mins)
We crossed a wooden footbridge (180mins) and a wooden stile (181mins) before crossing a footbridge over the River Goyt (182mins). Turning left we immediately reached a sign for Fernilee and turned right uphill (183mins). Crossing a footbridge over a stream (185mins) we continued up to a wooden stile (188mins)
Ahead was a farmyard which we entered via a metal kissing gate (191mins). A final walk up the farm drive brought us up to the A5004 Whaley Bridge to Buxton Road (194mins). On the opposite side, joy of joys, was The Shady Oak.
The Shady Oak at Fernilee
Here we enjoyed, among various refreshments, pints of Hobgoblin Gold at £4-20. This is a pub where we have mixed experiences in the past but on this occasion we received a warm welcome from a friendly efficient barman.
Indeed his helpfulness extended to taking a team photograph outside the hostelry.
Suitably refreshed we turned left out of the pub along the main road. At the first road on our right we crossed and headed downhill (203mins). This brought us to the northern end of Fernilee Reservoir where we turned left with the lake on our right.
Fernilee Reservoir was completed in 1938 at a cost of £480,000. It has a capacity of 5 billion litres and is 38 metres deep. To create it farmers were forced to leave their ancestral land. Among the buildings beneath the water lies Chilworth Gunpowder Mill, which manufactured chemical explosives from the 16thCentury until World War 1.
At the far end of the reservoir we climbed up to the road and turned right (236mins) to cross the dam between Fernilee and Errwood. As the road turned left we followed and then turned right up to the car park (244mins)
Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from Disley Railway Station car park. It is planned to head up through Lyme Park then across Whaley Moor before descending to The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale for a bracer around 12.30pm. From there we will walk alongside the Peak Forest Canal back to the Dandy Cock at Disley at about 2.30pm.
Happy wandering !
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