Whaley Bridge

 

August 30, 2023.

 

WHALEY BRIDGE CANAL WHARF, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY LINE (DISUSED), GOYT VALLEY, TAXAL, TAXAL NICK, WINDGATHER ROCKS, DUNGE VALLEY GARDENS, ROUND KNOLL FARM, CLOUGH FARM, THE SWAN AT KETTLESHULME, HARDY GREEN, TODD BROOK, TODD BROOK RESERVOIR, THE COCK AT WHALEY BRIDGE

 

Distance: 9-10 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, warm, cloudy with sunny spells.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman with Coco, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, David Willetts, Simon Williams

Alternative Walker: Jock Rooney with Milly.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (leg injury), Peter Beal (entertaining visitors), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w^*king), Cliff Worthington.

Leaders: Hart and Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Tom Brad's Croft free car park, Whaley Bridge (SK23 7LX)

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

 

 

 

 

What a blessed bunch we are !  There had been forecasts of rain throughout the morning and some wanderers confessed they had considered staying at home. But fortune favours the brave and we were rewarded with a dry day which blossomed from cloud to sunshine.

It had been decided that your diarist would lead the first leg to Kettleshulme, from where Tom would take over to negotiate a new and tricky crossing of Todd Brook. The mission was accomplished successfully although Tom still labours under the delusion that at all times he is my boss and that I must obey when he barks his commands. 

Our route took us through some stunning scenery and we received a warm welcome at The Swan, where we sat outside in the sunny beer garden. A problem with our early pints was immediately rectified and I suspect this pub will now become a regular substitute for The Shady Oak at Fernilee on our journeys from Whaley Bridge.

 

From the car park we walked across the bridge over the River Goyt to reach the public footpath along the trackbed of the disused Cromford and High Peak Railway Line.

 

This 33-mile stretch linked Cromford Canal Wharf at High Peak Junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. Designed by Josias Jessop it included a climb of more than 1,000 feet to Ladmanlow and was one of the highest railway lines in Britain at that time.

Originally powered by horses it was later pulled by steam engines taking minerals to the canal wharfs for onward transportation. It closed in 1967.

 

When we reached Buttercup Cakes premises on our right (5mins) we turned right downhill to the main road where we turned left under a railway bridge. After passing The Cock pub on our left we turned immediately left over a narrow bridge across a stream to head uphill, turn right and continue along the former trackbed (9mins). 

As we reached Alpha Mews on our right (15mins) we turned right at a footpath sign and followed the well-beaten track uphill through a field. It emerged on a road where we turned right downhill.

At the end of Mevril Road we reached and crossed the main road (21mins) and continued down a gravel track until we reached a wooden footbridge on our right (25mins). 

We used this to cross the River Goyt. The path took us steeply uphill to St James' Church, Taxal, on our right at a T-junction.

We turned left for 30 yards then entered a field on our right at a public footpath sign (28mins). Keeping to the right of the field we reached a gate, went through it with a drystone wall on our left, and continued uphill until we reached a track.

Here we turned left and walked along the track until we reached a green public footpath sign indicating the way to Windgather Rocks on our right (42mins) 

 

We climbed steeply up this path, passing a memorial tree to keen hiker Terry Lardner (48mins) on our way up Taxal Nick to reach the drystone wall on Taxal Ridge (53mins). From Taxal Nick the distinct formation of Windgather Rocks was clearly visible and we proceeded towards them. We reached the summit of the cliffs (77mins) which are often popular with rock-climbers literally learning the ropes.

 

            

 

 

 

We turned left along a track which led to a sheep fold on our right where we stopped for Pietime in its shelter (80 mins). Continuing we walked along the minor road in the direction of Pym Chair. At a T-junction we turned right towards Salterford (93mins) and headed downhill.

At a wooden public footpath sign (100mins) we turned right over a broken wall and soon crossed a short ladder stile to head through a field. When we reached a farmhouse (107mins) we walked right across its frontage and then turned left up a path to the right of the building.

 

       

 

After crossing a stile with a yellow arrow (113mins) we passed a derelict farm building and followed a series of posts marked with yellow arrows which led us to two metal gates. These took us into Dunge Valley Gardens (119mins), a former nursery specialising in rhododendrons. 

After leaving the gardens (130mins) we continued to a crossroads and went straight across into Clayholes Road (137mins). Bearing slightly left we passed Round Knoll Farm on our right and reached Clough Farm on our left (144mins). Next to its entrance was a wooden gate on the right which we walked through and headed left downhill through a copse.

We then went through a field which we exited through a metal gate marked with a yellow arrow (149mins). After crossing a stone step stile (150mins) we reached a track and swung right to the left of a farmhouse, ignoring two wooden stiles marked with yellow arrows.

On reaching a crossroads we went forward, passing Stocks Bank Cottage on our right (158mins) and turned left at a flight of steps (159 mins) to reach The Swan immediately on our left. Here we joined Jock and Milly.

 

 

Our first choice of a light cask ale from the local Storm Brewing company proved to be a mistake because it tasted sour and was cloudy. Happily our complaint was greeted with apologies from the bar staff, who quickly exchanged our beers for excellent pints of Marstons Pedigree.

Resuming our journey with Tom now leading we crossed the road opposite the front door of the pub and walked through a garden centre to exit opposite a church (159mins). Here we turned right and then left into Kishfield Lane. This took us past Hardy Green on our left and Kishfield Croft on our right (170mins) before we reached a bridge over Todd Brook where we stopped for lunch (174mins)

Afterwards we retraced our steps for 30 yards and turned left over a wooden stile to enter a wood (175mins)

          

 

Ignoring paths to our right we kept Todd Brook in sight on our left until the path led us down to it. 

With Tom leading the way over a makeshift bridge we reached the far side where we squeezed through a gap in a metal fence (192 mins). We now walked with the sluice channel on our left and the reservoir on our right as we made our way back into Whaley Bridge.

After passing Brookfield Pond on our left (202mins) we arrived at the main road through Whaley Bridge. Some walked and some drove from the canal basin car park but eight of us joined Jock for pints of Dizzy Blonde at £4-30 a pint. This price compared favourably with the £4-85 charged in The Swan.

 

 

 

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from the upper car park of The Rose and Crown at Algreave (SK11 0BJ). We shall be aiming to go through Gradbach, Luds Church and The Roaches before arriving at The Ship Inn at Wincle (SK11 OQE) for a stiffener at about 12.30pm. We expect to reach The Rose and Crown around 2.15pm.

 

Happy wandering !

Rowarth

 August 23, 2023.

LITTLE MILL INN AT ROWARTH, KNARRS FARM, THE MONKS ROAD, HOLLINGWORTH BROOK AT CARR MEADOW, MIDDLE MOOR, TWENTY TREES, THE KINDER LODGE AT HAYFIELD, SETT VALLEY TRAIL, BIRCH VALE RESERVOIR, THORNSETT. HIGH WALLS FARM, ASPENSHAW HALL, ROWARTH

Distance: 9.5 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately easy.

Weather: Early drizzle disappeared then dry but mainly cloudy.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart, Jonathan Hart, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor with Tommy, Cliff Worthington.

Alternative walker: Jock Rooney with Milly.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (dodgy knee), Alastair Cairns, George Dearsley (in Turkey), Simon Williams (in Edinburgh)

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of the Little Mill Inn at Rowarth, High Peak (SK22 1EB)

Starting time: 9.43am. Finishing time: 2.35pm.

All around the blooming heather

This was billed by our leader Tom as The Purple Heather Walk when he pitched the route last week. He suggested that late August was the ideal time to enjoy the moorland scenery and we were rewarded with a dazzling display by Mother Nature.

There was light drizzle in the air as we assembled but this had disappeared as we sallied forth on a steady climb towards the foothills of the Kinder Plateau. We were soon enjoying dry weather, some blue sky and a few glimpses of sunshine.

We paid visits to two of our favourite pubs. At the first of these, The Kinder Lodge in Hayfield, Jonny marked his birthday with a round of drinks. We wish him many happy returns. At the second hostelry, The Little Mill Inn at Rowarth, the sun had finally broken cover and we enjoyed our pints in the warmth of the beer garden surrounded by exotic breeds of poultry.

There was one blemish to this lovely walk and I feel duty-bound to report the unacceptable behaviour of Tommy Taylor. For several months now he has been showing an increasingly ardent interest in Daisy Cunliffe.

It is not just the fact that Daisy is twice Tommy's age which alarms us. We are not ageist bigots. There is also the size issue and the question of consent. Daisy has made it clear that although she is happy to be friends with Tommy she has no wish to take things further. Her French ancestry means she can be a flirtatious bitch but that is no excuse for Tommy's relentless pursuit.

Being from Italian bloodstock which emanates from a land where bottom-pinching is considered normal, he has to realise that persistently sniffing a ladies' nether regions is not permissible in the UK. So Dean was obliged to spend a large portion of the day dragging his besotted Italian mastiff away from Tom's toy poodle.

Fighting for Daisy's honour Tom was behaving like a distraught dad whose daughter was being courted by a tattooed drug dealer, shouting his favourite phrase with increasing volume as the day progressed. One can only hope that this unrequited romance has a better ending than that of Romeo and Juliet.

Star-crossed lovers Tommy and Daisy

From the car park facing the pub we turned right and after a few yards turned immediately right again at a public footpath sign. This took us along a rocky trail which emerged on a lane where we turned left. After a few yards we turned right at a path which started by the side of a red phone box (5mins)

We were soon crossing three wooden stiles as the path ran alongside a stream. When it reached a junction we turned right and forded the stream by using stepping stones (13mins). We left the path by the side of a wooden gate and headed left uphill. Where this road swung left we walked straight ahead through a metal gate marked with a green footpath sign (29mins)

We crossed a wooden stile and a stone steps stile before another stone step stile brought us out to the left of Knarrs Farm (35mins). We turned left and followed the farm track until it reached a road where we turned right (42mins). This is still known as Monks Road despite the fact that The Dissolution of the Monasteries took place in 1536. The folk of Derbyshire have long memories.

At the end of Monks Road we reached the A623 (46mins), crossed it and went over a wooden stile and turned right to head through The Intakes moorland towards Hollingworth Clough. We crossed the Thomas Boulger Memorial Bridge at Carr Meadow (60mins) and continued to a cairn where we stopped for Pietime (77mins)

Continuing we crossed a wooden footbridge (89mins) and turned right at a junction (90mins). Beyond two metal kissing gates (95and 106mins) we reached the copse known as Twenty Trees on our right (109mins). By now we could see the village of Hayfield below us.

The descent into Hayfield

After crossing a wooden stile (111mins) we reached Kinder Road on the outskirts of Hayfield and turned right (115mins). As we descended the road Tom directed us down an easily-missed narrow path on our left (117mins) where stone steps led us steeply downhill.

It was here that Cliff slipped and snapped one of his poles in half as he fell, grazing his right elbow and falling into a clump of stinging nettles. As Jonny treated Cliff's wounds Tom berated the latter for buying cheap poles.

At the road at the path's end we turned left (118mins) and crossed a wooden footbridge, passing a playground on our right before turning right through a wooden gate (119mins). We walked right across another footbridge (123mins) and crossed a stone step stile on our left to enter Hayfield Cricket Club.

We exited the cricket club grounds via The Royal Hotel car park and turned left at the main road. After passing St Matthew's Church on our right we turned right (127mins) and crossed the A623 at the pedestrian lights before turning left to pass the bus station on our right. At the end of Station Road we turned left and immediately reached The Kinder Lodge on our left (130mins)

Here we were soon joined by Jock as we enjoyed a choice of three excellent cask ales provided by Jonny, celebrating his 42nd birthday and making his first appearance since spring.

Retracing our steps to the bus station we turned left to head for the trestle tables and stopped for lunch (131mins). Resuming we joined the start of The Sett Valley Trail heading west along the trackbed of the former Hayfield-New Mills railway line.

En route we passed Birch Vale Reservoir on our right.

Birch Vale Reservoir

The trail crossed a road and we continued along it until we reached a sign for Thornsett at crossroads (162mins). The path took us through Thornsett Trading Estate and right up stone steps (165mins) before crossing a road and following a cobbled path (166mins)

At a T-junction we turned left uphill (167mins) and then turned left, right, left and right in quick succession at High Walls Farm. We went over a stone step stile at a wooden public footpath sign and entered a field through a gap stile, keeping a drystone wall on our right (170mins)

The view looking back from High Walls Farm

After crossing another stone step stile we entered a field and turned left. We crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (178mins) to cross another field and leave it via a wooden stile.

Our group passed Aspenshaw Hall on our right (183mins) before turning right over a stone step stile marked with a wooden public footpath sign (185mins)

Aspenshaw Hall

We then crossed two similar stiles ((190 and 197mins) to reach a farmyard.

We went through a wooden gate and over a wooden stile to walk through a field. Beyond it we turned left and reached The Little Mill Inn on our left (206mins) where we enjoyed pints of Little Mill cask bitter. By now the sun was shining and we quaffed them in the beer garden outside.

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from Tom Brads Croft car park next to the Canal Basin at Whaley Bridge (SK23 7LX). We will head up through Taxal to Windgather Rocks before walking through Dunge Valley for a livener at The Swan at Kettleshulme (SK23 7QU) around 12.20pm. We aim to head back past Todd Brook Reservoir for the option of a pint at The Cock in Whaley Bridge (SK23 7JE) around 2.40pm.

Happy wandering !

Styal

 August 16 2023

THE SHIP INN AT STYAL, STYAL CROSS, BOLLIN VALLEY, CHAPEL WOODS, KINGFISHER BRIDGE, OXBOW BRIDGE, GIANT'S CASTLE BRIDGE, AIRPORT INN, MORLEY GREEN, NEWGATE NATURE RESERVE, LINDOW MOSS, LINDOW COMMON, THE KING WILLIAM AT WILMSLOW, BODDINGTON PLAYING FIELDS, THE CARRS, QUARRY BANK MILL, STYAL COUNTRY PARK

Distance: 10 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Warm, dry and mostly sunny with some cloud..

Walkers: Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: Peter Beal, George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w^*king), Hughie Hardiman (Beverley Races), Julian Ross, Dean Taylor and Dave Willetts (funeral), Simon Williams (cough)

Leaders: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Ship Inn at Styal.

Starting time: 9.46am. Finishing time: 2.20pm.

This tricky route was suggested by Chris and seconded by Tom but the poisoned chalice of leadership fell to your diarist because he had brought with him directions recorded on the same route last October. Happily we seem to have learned from earlier mistakes when we tried to negotiate an oxbow in the River Bollin which has caused confusion in the past.

The start and finish of the walk were through stunning countryside. Unfortunately the middle section includes trudging through two miles of suburbia and the consensus was that we should seek to eliminate the tarmac element of this walk in future. I will liaise with Tom and others to seek rural alternatives.

Once again the weather provided ideal walking conditions but only a Magnificent Seven wanderers presented themselves. Still sometimes quality is better than quantity.

From the road outside The Ship Inn, we headed uphill and turned left at a sign for the Methodist Church, passing a thatched cottage on our left before dog-legging left and right to continue (1min). At the first path on our right marked with a red arrow, we turned right and reached Styal Cross on our right (3mins)

Styal Cross was originally located at Cross Farm, Styal. Around 1860 it was moved to Holly Lane where it stood until 1980 when it was demolished by a runaway lorry.

The base, thought to be medieval, was rebuilt. The upper column remained a truncated stump until 2010 when the cross was restored to its original state.

Styal Cross

We turned left toward Chapel Woods taking the right fork marked with a red arrow and then turned left to walk down and cross a metal bridge (6mins). After heading up steps on the far side we turned right and crossed Kingfisher Bridge (10mins) and then Oxbow Bridge (17mins) before turning left and heading first up and then down steep flights of steps before walking along duckboards.

River Bollin

At a T-junction (26mins) we turned right and crossed Giant's Castle Bridge (28mins) before turning left up a flight of steps. No sooner had we stopped climbing than we went down another flight of steps to cross a footbridge (32mins), then passed a wooden bridge on our left to follow a red arrow with the Bollin on our left (40mins)

The Bollin Valley

Ignoring a path on our right with a red arrow (47mins) we continued to keep the Bollin on our left as we left the woods and turned left across a bridge. On the left was The Airport Inn, formerly The Valley Lodge Hotel where Thursday night discos were once popular with ladies of a certain age.

Crossing the main road we turned left and proceeded until we reached Morley Green Road (61mins) where we turned right. When we reached a pair of benches on the village green at the end of the road (71mins) we stopped for pies and port.

Resuming we crossed the T junction to follow a green public footpath sign by the side of a lane marked “Except for Access.” Where it forked we went left (77mins) and entered Newgate Nature Reserve (82mins). We forked right (84mins) and reached a lane where we turned right (86mins)

This brought us to a junction where we carried straight on with Sylvia Cottage on our right (89mins). After swinging left (92mins) we turned left before a farm (96mins), crossed a footbridge and then turned right (98mins). We crossed another footbridge and turned left (102mins)

The former peat fields were visible on either side. Strange to consider that Wilmslow, part of The Golden Triangle renowned for housing some of the UK's overpaid international footballers, was once famous for producing peat for household fires.

On reaching a T-junction we turned right (110mins) and soon began approaching the outskirts of Wilmslow. After passing Dan's DIY store on the right we turned left into Moor Lane (115mins). Just before we reached The Farmers Arms on our right we turned left into Buckingham Road (128mins)

At its end we turned right (135mins) then headed left just before Water Lane Clinic to enter Hale Road (141mins). Turning right into Hawthorn Park (142mins) we then turned left just before Wilmslow Conservative Club into Kennerley Road. At its end we turned right (145mins)

We were now in the heart of Wilmslow's shopping centre. At a pedestrian crossing, we turned left, passing Waitrose on our right and then turned right uphill to reach the rear entrance of the King William (149mins). Here we were able to enjoy pints of Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde cask bitter in the sunny beer garden

Suitably refreshed we turned left out of the pub and crossed the busy roundabout to pause for lunch in a sunken garden bedecked with begonias (151mins). We then headed left passing a church on our left before turning left into Boddington Playing Fields (154mins). Beyond the playground we turned right with the Bollin on our right and walked through an area known as The Carrs.

This comprises 70 acres of a picturesque linear walk linking Styal Country Park and Dean Valley. It was bought in 1935 by Wilmslow Urban District Council to mark the jubilee of George V.

The Carrs

En route, we passed a wooden sculpture of a bird and a spaniel, beautifully carved but out of scale.

Giant bird or tiny dog ?

We crossed a footbridge and turned right following a sign for Lindow Common (161mins). After ignoring one bridge on our right we carried on until we reached Twinnies Bridge (176mins) which we crossed to enter a car park on the left.

Following a sign for Styal with the Bollin now on our left we went through a metal kissing gate (178mins) and crossed Heron's Pool Bridge (184mins) before reaching Quarry Bank Mill on our left (193mins)

This was a former cotton mill built in 1784 by Samuel Greg, where adults and children worked 72 hour weeks until 1847 when a new law made such long working weeks illegal. The National Trust now uses the mill as a museum.

Beyond the mill we turned left (197mins) towards Styal, then turned right (200 mins) to reach the road from where we had started (202mins). A short walk right brought us to The Ship Inn on our left (203mins)

Next week's walk will start at 9.45am from The Littler Mill Inn at Rowarth (SK22 1EB). Tom will lead us through purple moorland heather to The Kinder Lodge at Hayfield (SK22 2JG) around 12.15pm for a snifter before returning to The Little Mill Inn at about 2.20pm. Those using the pub car park will be expected to call inside for refreshment upon their return.

Happy wandering!

Topley Pike

 August 9, 2023.

TOPLEY PIKE, WYE VALLEY NATURE RESERVE, MONSAL TRAIL, DEEP DALE, PRIEST WAY, HORSESHOE DALE, SHEPLEY FARM, CHURCH INN AT CHELMORTON, BANK PIT SPRING, FIVE WELLS FARM, TOP YARD BARN, TOPLEY PIKE

Distance: 9-10 miles

Difficulty: Moderate apart from two strenuous climbs up the same hill.

Weather: Warm and sunny with gentle breeze.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Enright, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, Dave Willetts, Simon Williams and Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Mark Gibby (in Cardiff), Hughie Hardiman (in France), Jock Rooney (in the Isle of Man), Julian Ross (w*^king)

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by on A6 at Topley Pike, south east of Buxton.

Starting time: 9.53am. Finishing time: 2.26pm.

View from starting point across Wye Valley

A lovely summer's day with blue skies, sunshine and a cooling breeze. A picturesque route through the Derbyshire Dales. One of our favourite country pubs. A round of drinks from birthday boy Deano. What could possibly go wrong ?

Where to start ? Tom has previous form for volunteering to lead us on new walks and then getting lost. On this occasion he surpassed all his other miserable failures.

Not only did he go wrong but he insisted on continuing in the wrong direction, ignoring any advice given.

Consequently, after missing a right turn, we went round in a three-mile circle, re-climbed a steep hill and returned to the missed turn-off 91 minutes later.

He means well but performs badly. Several years ago, after he had misled us for 14 miles in a heatwave, I offered to go with him on a reconnaissance of any new walks. My idea was to test the routes, making a note of all the twists and turns, so we could have a written account of the journey before Tom led the Wednesday Wanderers en masse. The offer was ignored.

Since then we have been led over walls, clambered over barbed wire and paddled through calf-high streams. Now this travesty. Your diarist is enthusiastically in favour of attempting new routes. But the Wanderers have a right to know that when they turn up for a hike on Wednesdays they are not taking part in an adventurous experiment.

We can all make mistakes on walks but Tom's seem to be the most spectacular. Can I make a final heartfelt plea for him to carry out a recce before he leads us on a new route in future.

Happily the weather was perfect and the scenery was idyllic. I would have feared for Tom's safety if it had been cold, wet and windy like the week before. He has tried following written instructions and maps to no avail. Now he puts his faith in a phone app. Sometimes, old pal, you have to use your common sense. A compass even.

I apologise for this outburst but some things need to be stated.

From the lay-by on Topley Pike we walked away from Buxton until, just before the lay-by swung right to rejoin the A6 we carried straight on for a few yards and then turned left at a gate leading into the Wye Valley Nature Reserve. We then plunged on a steep downhill path and went over a stone step stile to cross the Monsal Trail and follow a sign for Wormhill (9mins)

Passing the Blackwell Mill cycle hire centre we turned left (12mins) and followed The Monsal Trail with the River Wye on our right.

The Monsal Trail is 8.5 miles long and runs through six tunnels along the former railway line opened in 1863 and closed in 1968. It was reopened as a facility for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders in 1981, running from Topley Pike to Coombs Viaduct through Chee Dale, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell.

It is one of the prettiest valleys in the country as I hope the photos below will illustrate.

River Wye

Viaduct across the Wye

On reaching the car park at the start of the Monsal Trail we turned left to cross the A6 (26mins) and headed towards the quarry on the opposite side of the road. On the left was a fenced footpath which emerged at the foot of Deep Dale with a path through vegetation which included, to the discomfort of those of us wearing shorts, nettles.

Where the path forked (31mins) we turned right and then left through a wooden gate.

This was the start of a steep climb which ended when we crossed a stone step stile at the summit (41mins)

Looking back we had a view blighted by the quarry workings and machinery. Turning right along a well-trodden path at the edge of the field we crossed a stone step stile (46mins) and continued along a track. We passed a path on our right from which we were to emerge 91 minutes later.

Instead of taking it Tom led us to another track on our right (54mins) which was the start of a three-mile detour in which we completed a circle. During this aberration we stopped for Pietime, walked the wrong way along Priest Way and Horseshoe Dale.

By now we were clearly heading north and another clue came when we passed a sign for Deep Dale and Topley Pike Nature Reserve. When we passed a landmark cave on our right Tom dismissed it as the wrong cave because it was on the “wrong” side of the path.

Entrance to the cave

Your diarist begged to differ but was ignored as he made a swift diversion to photograph the entrance to the cave which he and Tom had visited together with Laurie Fairman some 20 years earlier.

We now took a path on the right which was the start of a steep climb back through a wooden gate to the track we had walked along previously. Because of the time consumed by our detour it was decided we should aim directly for the pub in Chelmorton.

When we reached a road (151mins) we dog-legged left and right towards Shepley Farm, passing it on our left (159mins), This brought us to the village of Chelmorton were we turned left at the road (162mins) and reached The Church Inn on our left (163mins)

Here Dean generously bought a round of various cask ales at £4-40 a pint, ciders and soft drinks to celebrate his 57^th birthday. Many happy returns Deano !

For the final leg of our journey we turned left out of the pub, taking a footpath uphill past Bank Pit Spring, famously known by the miners of yesteryear as “The Illy Willy Water” (166mins)

On reaching a lane (175mins) we dog-legged left and right to head for Five Wells Farm, passing through the farm (180mins), going through a wooden gate and turning left along a farm track (186mins)

An attractive cottage on our right

Just before a wooden gate we went left over a stone step stile (190mins), crossed the A5270 and carried straight on through another field (197mins). We went through a small wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow (200mins)

Instead of leaving this field via a stile in its centre, Tom led us to the left corner where some of us followed him over barbed wire and a wooden gate (206mins). Wiser heads had spotted the stile and used it.

We turned left and followed a sign for Blackwell. At a T-junction we turned left towards Beech Croft Farm (208mins)

After passing Top Yard Barn on our right (209mins) we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (213mins). By now my appeals for a lunch stop had been ignored and Chris had decided to strike out alone. He is a man for whom the phrase “Less haste: more speed” could have been invented.

Chris later apologised for his premature departure after seeing Tom staring at his phone once too often. It surprised nobody that Chris got lost on the final mile back.

The remaining ten of us went through a metal gate (217mins), through a wooden gate (225mins) and turned left along a well-trodden path. It led us through a wooden gate to the A6 (227mins) where we turned right and returned to the lay-by (230mins)

Next week's walk will start at 9.45am from the road opposite The Ship Inn at Styal (SK9 4JE). We will be aiming to reach The King William in Wilmslow (SK9 1BQ) at about 12.20pm for a livener before returning to The Ship around 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !