Curbar Gap

 

 

 

CURBAR GAP

 

June 28, 2023

 

CURBAR GAP, SWINE STY, WHITE EDGE, A625, TOTLEY TUNNEL AIR VENT, FOX HOUSE INN, LONGSHAW LODGE, LONGSHAW ESTATE, GROUSE INN, FROGGATT EDGE, CURBAR EDGE

 

 

Distance: 11 miles​Ascent/descent: 1,291ft

 

Difiiculty: Easy

 

Weather: Fine, dry and warm. A very few spots of rain

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Enright, Mark Gibby, Chris Owen, Dave Willetts, Simon Williams 

 

Apologies: Alan Hart and Alastair Cairns (both in Canada but not together), Cliff Worthington (Majorca), Andy Blease (Valderama), Mike Cassini (France), Dean Taylor (medical appointment), others unknown

 

Leader: Cunliffe​​Diarist: Beal

 

Starting point: Lay-by 400 yards west of Curbar Gap

 

Starting time: ​9.53am​Finishing time:3.05pm

 

     Map by Tom Cunliffe

 

 

If the Wanderers have walked this route before it cannot be found on record and the scenic traverse of White Edge was a new one for most of our number. The extensive network of well-maintained tracks and footpaths of the Longshaw estate also came as a surprise to us. 

 

Tom devised this excellent route which he dubbed the Three Edges Walk for obvious reasons and it is one that should be repeated. One feature of the route was that we had to cross not a single stile throughout the 11 miles. 

 

We were rewarded with magnificent views for many miles all round and the threatened heavy rain and possible storm forecast for early afternoon came to nothing more than a few spots of rain.

 

We left the lay-by where we found ample parking just west of Curbar Gap and climbed the road to reach the gap. Just past the pay-and-display car park on the crest we came to a fingerpost pointing us through a gate to the left towards White Edge. A gentle climb, including a flight of wooden steps, brought us to the start of the edge at Swine Sty. This is the site of a settlement where shale was worked in the Bronze Age to provided primitive jewellery.

       Out in the bush…pic by Tom Cunliffe

 

A short distance in to the climb we spotted a magnificent stag observing us across a wall from the bracken close by on the left. It could have been a 12-pointer, but our party lacked the expertise to be sure.

 

After 30 minutes walking we passed on our right a trig point just 100 yards short of the ridge’s highest point, which at a mere 1,204 feet belies its qualities as a viewpoint. To our right, across the large expanse of Big Moor could be seen buildings marking the outskirts of Sheffield and, further south, Chesterfield.

 

Down to the left we spotted one of our sometime haunts – the Grouse Inn. Indeed White Edge is named after the land-owning White family who in th 19th century cleared the land on which the pub was built.

 

After 63 minutes walking pietime was called in the lee of a stone wall where a path led down on the left towards the said Grouse. We then continued to the end of the ridge at the junction of the A625 and B6054 roads. Our plan here had been to bear left through the Longshaw estate towards our goal of the Fox House Inn. But fearing we would arrive too early Tom decided to put in a loop that saw us head north up the A625 for a few hundred yards before turning right along a track across Totley Moor, with an air vent for the Totley railway tunnel, carrying the Manchester-Sheffield railway line, ahead of us. 

 

Shortly after the vent we turned left along a good bridleway that then crossed the A625 before soon reaching the A6187 just to the right of the Fox House Inn, where we enjoyed refreshments outside. Such are the times that £4-45 for the Moonshine Pale Ale from the nearby Abbeydale Brewery failed to raise eyebrows. But Tom was rather aghast to be charge £1-90 for a packet of ordinary Pipers’ crisps. The landlady did have the good grace to apologise for this.

 

We turned right on leaving the pub and entered the National Trust’s Longshaw estate opposite. We followed a track and soon reached the impressive Longshaw Lodge, where a large party of schoolchildren were picnicking outside.

 

The Lodge, now private apartments, was built as a shooting lodge by the Duke of Rutland in the 1820s. He had bought extensive tracts of Derbyshire after abandoning Haddon Hall near Bakewell, which was to stand empty for 200 years. His main seat was Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire.

 

The Lodge was a military hospital in World War 1 but death duties later forced Duke to sell and it was taken over by Sheffield Corporation before being transferred to the National Trust, who maintain the extensive estate.

 

We made a slight error at the hall, for which your diarist shares responsibility, and veered too far right in the network of paths, but soon corrected this with the help of Tom’s digital device and eventually emerged on the road just short of the Grouse Inn. Four hundred yards further south we crossed the road and took a turning on the left marked Froggatt Edge.

 

A good path took us along the escarpment and Tom declared a lunch stop at a group of rocks with extensive views -including the sight of Chatsworth House to the south. At this point Chris and Mark E absconded, never to be seen again.

 

Resuming, shortly after Froggatt became Curbar Edge we took a signed path through thick bracken on our right to take a tricky descent in to woods. This levelled, and with the crags of the Edge high on our left, emerged on the road just 100 yards below our parking space.

 

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am from the rough car park in front of the Wheatsheaf in Well Gate, Old Glossop, SK137RS. We will ascend Glossop Low, drop down Torside Clough to the Transpennine Trail and call at the Anchor in Hadfield around 12.30pm. Refreshments later at the Queen’s in Old Glossop.

 

Happy Wandering!

 

 

Whaley Bridge

  Whaley Bridge

June 21, 2023.

Tom Brad’s Croft Car Park Whaley Bridge, Taxal Edge, Windgather Rocks, Dunge Farm, Swan Inn Kettleshulme, Garden Centre, Coalhurst, Kishfield, Toddbrook Reservoir, Car Park

Distance: 10 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: warm and sunny with one almighty shower Walkers: Daisy Cunliffe, Tom Cunliffe, Dave Willets Apologies: Uncle Tom Cobley et al

Leader: Daisy Cunliffe Diarist: Tom Cunliffe Starting point: Tom Brad’s Croft Car Park Whaley Bridge. Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.15pm

What a poor turn out with everybody seemingly on holiday or otherwise preoccupied with something higher up their agenda. It is what it is as they say!

Not to be deterred, the gruesome twosome set off in fine weather following the newly appointed leader for the day. She favoured the usual route to the usual Pie Time venue, Windgather Rocks but arriving at a ridiculously early time of 10:40 the leader decided it was far too early to stop so we marched on.

Arriving at Dunge Farm at 11:15 Pie Time was declared as the tall trees provided shade from the bright sunlight with a friendly stile doubling up as a good seat.

Refreshed, we proceeded along the usual route whereupon we heard a rushing noise from behind. We turned to see what the fuss was about only to discover that a shower was rapidly accelerating along the valley bottom towards us at an alarming rate, your diarist just had enough time to don his waterproof jacket and for the next 10 mins the rain was of biblical proportions. Sadly, Dave had neglected to bring a waterproof with him (a basic schoolboy error) and duly paid the price; soaked to the skin, our leader was also soaked but was able to shake it off.

We reached the Swan at 12.30 where the beer was found to be in fine fettle but was a wallet-smashing £4.75 pint.

The historical data on the WW blog-site shows price changes over the years:

16th May 2012 Marston’s Bitter 3rd May 2017 Marston’s Bitter 24th July 2019 Marston’s Bitter 21st July 2023 Wincle Bitter

£2.35 £3.30

£3.85 £4.75

 Having emptied our wallets and slaked our thirst we carried on through the Garden Centre and of course, at this time of the year everything was blooming, lush and full, very nice.

On reaching the other end of the Garden Centre at the small church, we turned right and headed up towards Kishfield Bridge where the WW would ordinarily take lunch, however, nobody had any lunch so we pressed on.

Hopping over a stile we proceeded in the same direction as Todd Brook to discover that the weir had beed dammed, presumably in support of the leaky dam at Toddbrook Reservoir. The water had been diverted along the manmade channel, Dave thought the water was being diverted towards the canal. We needed to cross the weir but the crossing had been completely fenced off (in the name of Health and Safety), however, with discretion taking second place to valour, we inched our way across the dam and climbed up the opposite side whilst at the same time rounding a security fence. 

Whilst the gruesome twosome deliberated on how to cross the weir, our leader took the decision to have a sniff round but got caught on a length of slippy tarpaulin that was covering the damming material, unfortunately she had mis-judged how slippy the tarpaulin was and couldn’t escape (see short vid on whatsapp). Your diarist felt obliged to rescue her (not all heroes wear capes)

Daisy trapped on the tarp.

Continuing, we eventually reached the Reservoir and inspected the repair work thus far. See pic on WhatsApp showing the steel piles in front of the section of the dam that had failed. We were reliably informed it would be another 18 months minimum before the great god fearing folk of Whaley would once again be able to sleep soundly in their beds.

Due to the diversions around the dam we were forced to carry on down Reservoir Road then under the railway bridge out on to the main Whaley Bridge thoroughfare. A pleasant surprise was to see that the Jodrell Arms, which had been closed for around 20 years had finally completed a total refurbishment from a derelict condition and was displaying signage offering a lease to some poor unsuspecting sod, good luck to him or her.

Our parked cars were one minute away.

Next weeks walk will be a Three Edge Walk with a choice of three pubs.

We’ll meet at the usual Curbar Edge lay-bys starting at 9:50 am. We’ll be taking in Wellington’s Monument, White Edge, Froggatt Edge and Curbar Edge. we’ll have a choice of three pubs - Fox House, (being the debutant visit with this particular generation of WW), The Grouse Inn and the Bridge Inn. Distance approx 10 mile.

Happy wandering

Dave having a blow.

Dry Todd Brook weir. It won’t be completed for 18 months, say workmen

 

Marple

 June 14, 2023.

 

BRABYNS PARK, ROLLINS WOOD, ETHEROW COUNTRY PARK, ERNOCROFT FARM, BROWN LOW, MELLOR CHURCH, THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS AT MELLOR, LINNET CLOUGH, MELLOR AND TOWNSCLIFFE GOLF COURSE, OLD HALL FARM, SITE OF MELLOR MILL, THE NORFOLK ARMS AT MARPLE BRIDGE

 

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, hot and sunny.

Walkers: Mike Cassini, Mark Enright, Hughie Hardiman with Rex, Alan Hart, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts, Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sailing off Turkey), Peter Beal (Greek island hols), Andy Blease (Anglesey hols), Tom Cunliffe (domestic duties), George Dearsley, Chris Owen (Alpine hols), Jock Rooney (Cyprus hols), Simon Williams (Majorcan hols) 

Leader: Taylor. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Brabyns Park car park (nearest postcode SK6 5DT), Marple Bridge.

Starting time: 9.43am. Finishing time: 2.13pm

 

Another week and another glorious sunny day. Some of our holiday absentees must have been questioning the wisdom of leaving baking Blighty for foreign sun traps.

Two months have now gone by since your diarist last had to clean any mud from his boots. 

With the temperature reaching 30 Celsius plenty of lotion and hats were the order of the day. Dean led us at a cracking pace and within the first mile we were all sweating like Scousers in a Job Centre.

This was a replica of the walk Dean led on August 31 last year with seven of today's walkers (Hughie plus Rex, Alan, Julian, Dean, Keith, Dave and Cliff) repeating the journey.

For that reason I am attaching the diary of last year's walk for those who wish to read the directions in greater detail.

Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from Tom Brad's Croft car park next to Whaley Bridge Canal Basin (SK23 7LX). We will be aiming for Taxal Ridge and Windgather Rocks before heading towards Saltersford and through Dunge Valley to have a bracer in The Swan Inn at Kettleshulme around 12.20pm. When we return to the car park at Whaley Bridge at about 2.30pm those with thirsts can decided where to slake them.

Happy wandering !

Poynton Pool

 June 7, 2023.

 

POYNTON POOL, SOUTH PARK DRIVE, BLUEBELL WOODS, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, LYME MARINA, WOOD LANE ENDS OLD FARM, THE COPPICE, BOAR'S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, PRINCE'S INCLINE, ANGLESEY DRIVE

 

Distance: 9-10 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry with warm sunshine after cool cloudy start.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Mike Cassini, Alan Hart, Dean Taylor and Dave Willetts.

Alternative walkers: Jock and Keiran Rooney.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (inflamed knee), Andy Blease and Tom Cunliffe (on holiday in Anglesey), Alastair Cairns, Hughie Hardiman, Pete Johnson and Julian Ross (finishing The West Highland Way), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Chris Owen (Alpine holiday), Keith Welsh (Cornish hols), Simon Williams ( hols in Majorca with wife and Ryan Giggs), Cliff Worthington (Holland hols)

Leader and Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Poynton Pool free car park off Anglesey Drive, Poynton (nearest postcode SK12 1LJ).

Starting time: 9.40am.: Finishing time: 2.30pm.

 

Once again our numbers for this journey were reduced by four Wednesday Wanderers being absent while they completed The West Highland Way – a long-distance trek of nearly 100 miles between the outskirts of Glasgow and Fort William, In addition several other regular members were away on holiday in various exotic resorts.

Those who did sally forth were rewarded with yet another fine day, which improved with time, as we mixed the rural landscape around Poynton with a close-up view of some of its most prestigious houses.

On the nature front we saw a buzzard, wild rabbits and a young deer resembling Bambi which appeared to have escaped from the Lyme Park herd and found itself on the west side of The Macclesfield Canal.

Although much of the route was familiar in parts, there were new paths which we explored as we aimed to arrive at a much-used watering hole, The Boar's Head in Higher Poynton. Unfortunately after excellent first pints of Wainwrights' cask bitter at an eye-watering £4-50, second pints were not at their best. To the pub's credit they changed Dave's rejected pint without quibble – albeit for a £5 pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord.

Our walk started by exiting the car park and heading west with Poynton Pool on our left. This attractive lake, hidden by trees from the main A523 road linking Hazel Grove and Macclesfield, is one of Cheshire's secret gems. It provides a home for various waterfowl, including the ubiquitous Canada geese and mallards as well as coots, waterhens, herons, great-crested grebes, and occasional cormorants.

At sunset an array of bats demonstrate their aeronautical skills while anglers try to land one of the huge carp lurking below the surface.

Poynton Pool 

 

When we reached the end of the footpath on the right of the lake (10mins) we turned left into South Park Drive and admired the luxurious homes on our right which commanded views across the water. The drive took us to its T-junction with Towers Road (20mins) where we turned right for a few yards before turning left to enter a field through a metal kissing gate (21mins)

The path took us to a track across which we crossed via two metal gates (28mins) and continued along the path, ignoring a footbridge on our right as we passed ponds first on our right and then our left. On our journey we saw the remains of bluebells which had withered during the month-long dry spell.

The pond on our right was guarded by a dazzling display of wild flowers 

 

 

After the second pond on our left we ignored a metal kissing gate on our right (37mins) and continued along the path with a hedge on its right to exit the field by a wooden stile (40mins). We turned right for 25 yards then crossed a road to go through a metal kissing gate to enter a field with stables on our right.

A gap stile enabled us to weave our way out of the field and cross the track which is Prince Road and walk along a rough road with houses on our left. When we reached a  proper road we turned left (45mins) and then headed down a flight of steps (51mins) which led to The Middlewood Way.

We turned left in the direction of Marple and after walking under one bridge across the former railway line we turned right to climb and leave it at the next. With the bridge on our left we turned right. It was as we made our way along this path we first saw rabbits playing on our left and then a sweet young deer in a field on our left.

 

 All together now: Aarrhh 

 

We reached the Macclesfield Canal and turned right (64mins) with the waterway on our left.

 

Proposals to create the canal were first discussed in 1765 but it was not until 1824 that Parliament gave the go-ahead. The canal, engineered by Thomas Telford, opened in 1831. It runs for 21 miles from the Peak Forest Canal at Marple in the north to The Trent and Mersey Canal in the south.

It carried minerals and goods commercially until 1954 when the canal fell into disuse as railways and roads dominated the transport system. But in 1965, after much lobbying for its restoration for leisure purposes, the canal was designated as part of the Cheshire Ring and gained a new lease of life.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking with the canal on our left we reached Lord Vernon's Wharf (75mins) and stopped for Pietime at two convenient benches. With only five walkers present your diarist was able to dispense the port without jealous rivalry as we admired the peaceful scene.

 

    A narrow boat enters Lord Vernon's Wharf 

 

After our break we left the canal by crossing Bridge 15 and headed in the direction of Lyme Park. When we reached a green footpath sign on our right (82mins) we turned right towards electricity pylons and followed a path which brought us back to the canal. When we reached Bridge 16 we turned right to cross the footbridge and followed a footpath on the far side which ran parallel with the canal for 30 yards before swinging left downhill (90mins)

Passing a white-painted villa on our left we ignored a footbridge on our right and continued a few yards further to cross a wooden stile on our right marked with a yellow arrow (95mins). The path through a thicket of bush and bramble soon brought us to a road opposite Brookbank Farm (96mins). Here we turned left along the road towards Pott Shrigley before turning right over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (99mins)

This took us through a farmyard and we turned left just before a bridge over the Macclesfield Canal, turning momentarily left before realising the error of our ways and turning right instead with the water on our left (106mins). This brought us to Lyme Marina which we exited at Bridge 18 by turning right and heading downhill over the bridge across The Middlewood Way (118mins)

At crossroads (120mins) we turned right, passing The Miners Arms on our left and wondering whether this once-busy traditional country pub would ever see customers again. (It has been closed for more than 12 months)

 

 

We carried on, passing luxury homes on our left and a wishing well on our right before reaching Wood Lane Ends Old Farm and turning left along a public footpath (128mins). This took us through two kissing gates to a wooden footbridge which we turned right to cross (136mins)

On the far side we turned right again to head towards The Coppice. After passing a white wooden gate we turned right at an unmarked but well-trodden footpath on our right (141mins) heading through bushes and trees before going through a wooden kissing gate (147mins)

We were now walking along a path with a valley on our right below before reaching the exit marked with carved wooden falcons and reaching The Middlewood Way (149mins). Here we turned left, reaching a picnic area of trestle tables and the stone platform of the former Higher Poynton railway station, which opened in 1869 and closed in 1970. At the far end we climbed a flight of steps and emerged directly opposite The Boar's Head (157mins)

Jock and Keiran were already inside as we sampled the expensive pints of cask bitter on offer. On leaving the pub we retraced our steps to the station platform and sat at trestle tables in the sunshine  for lunch (158mins)

Resuming we headed left towards Marple along The Middlewood Way, leaving it at Bridge 17, which we crossed to follow the old Princes Incline, which used gravity to take mined coal into the heart of Poynton. This took us along the unmade Princes Road and across Middlewood Road where we took the right of two footpath options (175mins). At a metal kissing gate we turned left and headed towards a group of huge trees.

 

    Homeward bound

 

 

We followed the path through the woods, emerging at the tracks through Davenport Golf Club and turned right (195mins). We went left through a metal kissing gate (202mins) to enter a field and follow the path past a small group of trees on our right.

At a cluster of green footpath signs we turned diagonally right to the corner of a field where duckboards led to a wooden stile (214mins)

Opposite was a narrow gap which was a public footpath dividing houses on Towers Road, where we were, and Anglesey Drive at the far side. We walked along the footpath and tuned right when it reached the road (215mins)

As we turned right and headed back to Poynton Pool car park (220mins) we passed some ancient but mainly modern homes known as Millionaires' Row whose rear gardens overlooked the lake.

Next week's walk will start at 0940 at the free Brabyns Park car park at  Brabyns Brow, Marple Bridge (nearest postcode SK6 5DT). We will be aiming for a livener at around 1230 in The Devonshire Arms at Mellor, before finishing at The Norfolk Arms in Marple Bridge at about 1430.

Happy wandering !