Longnor

  

Longnor

19/04/2023

 

LONGNOR, FOLDS END FARM, RIVERSIDE, BRUND, STEEN, DOVE VALLEY, THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS ATHARTINGTON, BANK TOP FARM PILBURY CASTLE, CROWDECOTE, LONGNOR.

Distance: 10.1 miles

Difficulty: Largely Easy

Weather: Dry with occasional sunshine

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Chris Owen, Mike Cassini, Hughie Hardiman, Mark Gibby, Julian Ross, Andy Blease, Simon Williams, Keith Welsh, Cliff Worthington

Alternative Walkers: Jock and Kieran Rooney with Milly

Apologies: Alan Hart parental duties, Dean Taylor illness, Alastair Cairns vaccination app. George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jonathan Hart (w**king) and Peter Beal mentioned something last week but I don’t recall what.

Leader: Tom Cunliffe. Diarist: Cliff Worthington

Starting Point: Main square opposite The Crew and Harpur pub in Longnor, Staffs.

Starting time: 09.55 am, Finishing time 3.55pm

My day started with a debate between the Oak Drivers as to who was driving. Julian stood up to the plate (decision later regretted) and Andy Blease providedassertive and authoritative directions from the back seat to lead us on a tour of the back roads and farm tracks of Potts Shrigley. It took well over half an hour to reach the A537 and consequently we arrived at Longnor a few minutes late and, as if to provide a source of punishment, yours truly (totally innocent in all this) was selected to draft the blog. Armed with no note pad or pen I’m relying on the blog from the last time we did this walk – which will not be of much help as we regularly made directional mistakes. I have omitted the timings as these would be completely inaccurate.

From the cobbled square we turned left towards Crowdecote, we passed Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and 50 or so yards later we turned right at a public footpath sign for Brund.

This took us through Fold Ends Farm where we walked straight past the gate with the word ‘footpath’ painted on it and set off into the wrong field. Realising our mistake we doubled back (after calling to Chris who by now was over 100 yards ahead).

After passing through the gate we initially got lost and couldn’t find the way out of the next field. Eventually we went across a stile assuming it to be correct – it may or may not have been. We turned to our right and proceeded down a steep bank to an impassable stream and riverbank so after some debate retraced our steps to another sign we had walked past. By this time Chris was bleating more than the many newborn lambs we saw on the day. The constant bickering between Tom and Chris provided a backdrop of entertainment for the wanderers throughout the day but I got the impression Tom wasn’t seeing the funny side of it.

Is this the right way?

 

We proceeded to cross field after field of long wet grass and passed through multiple stiles and gates. We stopped for pietime in the second last field where we found a reasonably dry grassy bank to sit on. After continuing we emerged onto a road opposite St Luke’s Church.

Here is an extract from the last blog which details the route we should have been taking. Note in the last line it states we should pass the church on our left but we emerged almost directly opposite the church.

We crossed a gravel track and exited the field via a wooden stile. We went through a wooden gate then followed a wooden public footpath sign for Pool and Brund. After passing through a gap stile and a metal gate we entered a field over a wooden stile and crossed a stream by a footbridge.

The onward path led us through a wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow to a gap stile, and a stone step stile which we crossed and turned left. We opened a wooden five-barred gate to reach a road and turned right. This brought us to a crossroads where we continued by going straight on across the four-way junction which brought us to a T-junction where we turned right to enter the village of Sheen. 

St Luke’s Church had served the parish for many centuries before it was rebuilt in 1851. Soon after passing it on our left we turned left at a wooden gate on the right side of a driveway (80mins). 

 

Note also that in the last line we were to pass through a gate to the right of a driveway but we were faced with a drive with a gate on the left! At this point we phoned for the cavalry and in a few minutes said cavalry appeared in the shape of Jock and Kieran who advised we were 50 years short of the correct turning. Sure enough, 50 yards on was a drive with a pedestrian gate on the right.

With Kieran now directing we went through the side gate and on to two further two wooden gates and a double stile, through a gap stile and a wooden gate where we could see Hartington in the distance.

We approached by going down a gully, over a wooden stile, and crossing a farm track to go through a wooden gate. A footbridge took us over the River Dove and thereby into Derbyshire. A gap stile and four wooden gates later we turned left at a road to enter the pretty village of Hartington.

We soon reached The Devonshire Arms, where we were able to sit outside in pleasant sunshine. After this we discovered the real reason Tom had selected this walk as he took a few of us over the road to the famous Hartington Cheese shop. After sampling a few of the cheeses last night I would particularly recommend the Smoked Wensleydale, the Hartington Chili Bomb and the Harlech with horseradish.

Kieran advised us to leave the village by passing the duck pond which we did, heading in the direction of Pilsbury. At this point we should have forked right up a hill but true to the form of the day we went straight on! At least we were traveling in the right direction so we were able head largely straight on for several miles enjoying pleasant views of the valley to our left. We remarked that it looked rather like a golf course.

We passed an old mine entrance labeled Ludwell Mine level 1862 before reaching Pilsbury Castle which is no more than a pile of rock. Pilsbury Castle probably dates from the late 11th or early 12th century, just after the Norman Conquest. It was presumably built by the Ferrers family, later the Earls of Derby, perhaps as part of the Norman response to the unsuccessful rebellion in the north.

We continued on until we reached the road with the Pack Horse Inn 20 yards to our right. Given the late time we didn’t stop there but carried on up the road to our lefttowards Longnor. This was around ¾ of a mile up a quite steep hill to finish the day off. We arrived back at Longnor at just before 4.00pm.

Next weeks walk will be led by Chris Owen starting at Sutton Hall, Macclesfield at 9.40am