Chapel-en-le-Frith

 March 22, 2023.

CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, COOMBES EDGE, CASTLE NAZE, BAGHOUSE FARM, MEVERIL BROOK, THE BEEHIVE AT COMBS, MANCHESTER TO BUXTON RAILWAY LINE.

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Stiff climb in windy conditions: barbed wire hazard.

Weather: Blue skies and sunshine: dry with strong winds on the ridge.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jonathan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, Simon Williams, Dave Willetts.

Non-walking drinkers: Jock and Keiran Rooney.

Apologies: Andy Blease (supervising carpet fitter), Alastair Cairns (in Kirby Stephen), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w^*king), Mark Evans (medical appointment), Hughie Hardiman, Cliff Worthington.

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station, Derbyshire.

Starting time: 9.48am. Finishing time: 2.03pm.

Two prodigal wanderers returned to the fold to swell the numbers for our first walk of spring, 2023. We were rewarded with blue skies, sunshine and a moderate temperature as we climbed a ridge that once protected an Iron Age hill fort.

JJ made an all-too-rare appearance and Mickey came back at weekend from a world cruise which included visits to various former colonies of the British Empire.

The walk was led by Tom in his usual carefree manner with two of our group choosing an alternative and legal route while Tom's followers found themselves on an assault course. Your diarist was left wondering when was the last time Tom had led a walk which did not involve us climbing through or over a barbed wire fence. Answers on a postcard, please.

From the road leading to the station we walked uphill, going over the Manchester to Buxton railway line at the level crossing. We forked right at a green public footpath sign (11mins) and reached a lane where we turned right.

A bright start

When we reached a stile on our left marked “Access Land – No Dogs” we crossed it and started a stiff climb up to Coombes Edge. Two woolly hats had already been snatched by the blustery wind and as we reached the top of the ridge (42mins) we had to crouch low to avoid being blown over.

Ahead lay a path to Castle Naze, a promontory hill fort from the late Iron Age occupying 2.5 acres of land. It is protected to the north and south by natural slopes. From the east it is sheltered by two man-made mounds of earth and a ditch beyond.

Instead of visiting the summit, we turned right keeping a drystone wall to our left as we began walking along a sometimes boggy path with great views to our right across the valley below.

Looking down from Coombes Edge

We followed the well-trodden permissive path through the moors until we reached two buildings erected for the exclusive benefit of grouse-shooters. At the second (82mins) we stopped outside for Pietime. As we prepared to leave Peter spotted a gamekeeper in the distance heading our way.

Sensing the danger of being caught with a banned dog Tom sounded the metaphorical bugle and we immediately took a path downwards off the main ridge. At this point Peter and Mark decided he was heading the wrong way and proceeded along the higher ridge.

This would have had the added bonus of luring the gamekeeper away from the main peloton if he had spotted Daisy and was in pursuit.

For the rest of us it was a somewhat boggy slalom until we reached a fenced field and started heading uphill to go round it (110mins). When a weak link in the barbed wire was spotted Chris and Keith combined to create a gap just wide enough for us to bestride at great risk to our crown jewels.

We were then able to reach a farm track which led to a lane where we turned right and passed Baghouse Farm on our left (127mins). After crossing the bridge over Meveril Brook and Combs Infant School on our right we turned left at the end of Lesser Lane and reached The Beehive at Combs immediately in front of us (140mins)

As we enjoyed pints of Beehive cask bitter at £4-30 a pint at tables in the sunshine outside, we were joined by Jock and Keiran. Twenty minutes later Peter and Mark arrived having taken the longer orthodox route.

Leaving the pub we retraced our steps but then carried straight on where Lesser Lane appeared on our right until we reached a wooden footpath sign on our left (144mins) and followed it to a T-junction (145mins). Here we turned right, crossed a wooden stile and headed diagonally left uphill through a field.

One of two cute Shetland ponies in an adjoining field

At the far side we crossed a wooden stile (153mins) and turned right along a footpath which brought us to a bridge over the railway line (158mins) and stopped for lunch.

Resuming we crossed the bridge and turned immediately right to follow a footpath which ran parallel to the Manchester-Buxton railway line on our right.

This path led all the way back to Chapel Station (169mins) where we turned left to reach our cars (170mins)

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from spare land next to the entrance to the quarry at Topley Pike. It is on the A6 between Buxton and Bakewell opposite the entrance to the pay-and-display car park at the start of the Monsal Trail (SK17 9TE)

We plan to reach the Church Inn at Chelmorton for a livener around 12.15pm and return to our cars at 2.15pm for a possible flyer in Wetherspoons in Buxton.

Happy wandering !

                                                 The pictures below by Jonathan Hart