September 6, 2023.
ALLGREAVE, THE EAGLE AND CHILD, GOOSETREE FARM, GRADBACH, BACK FOREST, LUD'S CHURCH, HANGINGSTONE, DANE VALLEY, DANEBRIDGE, THE SHIP AT WINCLE, ALL MEADOWS FARM, WHEELWRIGHTS HOLLOW, THE ROSE AND CROWN AT ALLGREAVE
Distance: 9 miles.
Difficulty: Moderate,
Weather: Hot with blue skies and sunshine.
Walkers: Mike Cassini, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington .
Alternative walkers: Jock Rooney with Milly.
Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sore leg), Peter Beal (in Corfu for two weeks), Andy Blease (in Anglesey), Alastair Cairns (in Keswick), Tom Cunliffe (doing jobs), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w^*king), Julian Ross (cruising in The Med), Dean Taylor (working in the shop)
Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.
Starting point: Higher car park at The Rose and Crown, Allgreave (SK11 0BJ).
Starting time: 9.55am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.
An Indian summer of hot sunny weather had the effect of reducing our numbers for this spectacular walk. Many of our regulars were missing for what proved to be a glorious day of sunshine, stunning scenery and a history lesson.
It is always a joy to see the looks of astonishment on those walkers approaching Lud's Church for the first time. This chasm in the rocks is clearly a national treasure to be cherished.
Finding it in the middle of Back Forest is no easy matter and Chris struggled for several minutes before we discovered the route to this ancient monument. It is definitely a site worth finding and the newcomers to it were suitably impressed.
A delayed start and the difficulty in locating the historic landmark as well as the sweltering temperatures meant that Chris wisely shortened our planned route and is now saving a trip to The Roaches for another occasion.
Heavy traffic held up the arrival of Simon and Cliff, who then waited in vain in the lower car park.
We eventually got away 15 minutes late and turned left at the foot of the upper car park to head east towards Helmesley. On our left we passed a house which was once a pub called The Eagle and Child.
The sign above the door of the former pub built in 1735
After passing Helmesley Farm on our right (18mins) we turned right opposite the house which was once The Eagle and Child and headed towards Goosetree Farm (23mins). With the farm on our right we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (25mins)
The path led us down through a gap and across a footbridge over the River Dane to reach a building on our left which was once Gradbach Youth Hostel. We turned right following a sign towards Lud's Church (32mins).
Sadly this was the last sign we saw for the main attraction in the area as we encountered many other hikers trying to find it with tracking devices on their mobile phones. The instructions on the phones of Simon, Mike and Cliff sent out conflicting messages. Eventually, after retracing our footsteps and using stepping stones to cross a stream, we located a rock tower which we recognised as being close to the church.
From here we were able to find the chasm known as Lud's Church at the end of a footpath (77mins)
It was caused by a giant landslip in the gritstone which is 100 metres long and 59 feet deep. During the 15th Century it was used as a secret place of worship for people known as Lollards who were followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer (or heretic, as Hugh describes him)
It may have been named after Walter de Ludank, who was captured and arrested here at an illegal prayer meeting.
In 1862 local landowner Philip Brocklebank placed a wooden ship's figurehead from his ship Swythamley on a high niche in the chasm. It mysteriously disappeared. Legends involving Robin Hood, Sir Gawain and The Green Man abound.
The chasm called Lud's Church
At the far side we followed a path over duckboards and turned right at a sign for The Ridge (88mins). At a crossroads we turned right for Swythamley and Dane Bridge (94mins) and stopped for Pietime.
Resuming we passed two outcrops on our left before reaching Hangingstone (120mins)
The impressive outcrop is inscribed with two memorials – one to Burke, the loyal mastiff of Squire Brocklehurst and the other to his descendant Lt Col Henry Courtney Brocklehurst, who was killed on commando in Burma at the end of World War 2.
We descended a path below the rock to reach a track where we turned right (125mins) and then turned left over a wooden stile (128mins) to descend through a field into woods along the Dane Valley. At a junction after wrongly turning right we quickly retraced our steps and reached the road where we turned right across Danebridge (142mins) and marched uphill to The Ship Inn at Wincle just as Jock arrived with Milly (145mins).
Here we were able to drink cask ales called Dragon's Fire or All The Way in a shady tented section of the beer garden at the bargain price of £4 a pint. (This is a phrase I thought I would never live to use !)
Continuing we turned right out of the door of the pub and walked uphill for a few yards then turned right up steps marked with a yellow arrow (146mins). After going through a metal kissing gate we kept to the right side of a field as we approached trees and crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (151mins)
After crossing a wooden footbridge we went over another wooden stile on our left to take us through a house garden and emerge at a lane with a wooden stile on our right (154mins). After crossing it we stopped for lunch. The path then led us through fields as we reached the final leg of our journey.
Returning from Wincle to Allgreave
After passing All Meadows Farm and Wheelwrights Hollow on our right we reached the A54 and turned right (174mins). We were then faced with a tough climb along the main road as it passed a church and swung sharply left with The Rose and Crown on our right (185mins)
Here again we were charged £4 for pints of cask bitter and given a warm welcome after many years by Luda, the Estonian wife of Ian Rossenbury. The pub chef was born and raised in Poynton where his father taught woodwork at Poynton High School.
Their hospitality made what became known as The Chipsgate Scandal a distant memory.
Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from the car park at New Mills Leisure Centre, Hyde Bank Road, New Mills (SK22 4BP). We will be aiming to arrive for a bracer at The Devonshire Arms, Mellor (SK6 5PP), around 12.30pm with an optional extra pint at about 2.30pm in The Masons Arms, New Mills (SK22 4BR).
Happy wandering !
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