Disley

 January 24, 2024.

DISLEY RAILWAY STATION, HAGG BANK, PEAK FOREST CANAL, WOODEND, STRINES, RIDGE END, STRAWBERRY HILL, GOYT VALLEY, ROMAN BRIDGE, MELLOR CROSS, MELLOR MOOR, CASTLE EDGE FARM, THE FOX INN AT BROOKBOTTOM, STRINES STATION, HIGGINS CLOUGH SWING BRIDGE, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY

Distance: 9.6 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate with long strenuous climb.

Weather: Mild, dry with some mist.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Julian Ross, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington.

Alternative walkers: Jock and Keiran Rooney with Milly.

Apologies: Micky Barrett (knee injury), Peter Beal (in La Palma), Mark Gibby (poorly), Chris Owen (doesn't like The Fox), Dean Taylor (chauffeuring duties)

Leader: Ross. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free car park at Disley Railway Station (SK12 2AE)

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.50pm.

                                        

                                                                     map by Tom

After stormy weather earlier in the week had brought transport chaos to the UK, we were warned to expect light showers during the early stages of our walk. In fact, the gale force winds of Storm Jocelyn, hard on the heels of Storm Isha, had blown themselves out by the time we assembled and the rain never materialised.

So Julian, who had been handed the poisoned chalice of route-master, supervised a dry walk for one of his rare sorties as leader of the pack.

It was not without incident, despite Julian's claims to have carried out a recce five days earlier, but a few minor hiccups in the middle of the journey were soon rectified.

Outrageous parking at Disley Station

Before we got underway I was encouraged to photograph this outrageous piece of selfish parking in an area where spaces are at a premium. One doesn't wish to appear misogynistic but what on earth was she thinking ?

Our route took us past a rare sighting of cormorants, one of whom was fishing in the canal. This happened just before we began a prolonged and steady climb to Mellor Cross which proved to be another example of global steepening. This is a phenomenon that has been completely ignored by Greta Thunberg and the Just Stop Oil activists.

                    A gulp of Cormorants

Are the Wednesday Wanderers alone in noticing how our local hills are getting steeper year on year? It seems to me that those obsessed with global warming have taken theireyes off the (increasingly) bigger picture.

From the car park, we headed for the A6, crossing it and turning left just in front of The Dandy Cock. After walking under the railway bridge we soon turned left again into Hagg Bank Lane (6mins). At a parking space on our right (8mins) we turned right downhill to reach the Peak Forest Canal (10mins) and crossed it by the Higgins Clough Swing Bridge.

On the far side, we turned left with the canal on our left and proceeded passing Woodend Farm on our right just before we noticed a gulp of cormorants. Three of them were in a nearby tree whilst a fourth member of the group was fishing.

Continuing past Turf Lea Lift Bridge (31mins) we finally left the canal on our right at Bridge 21 (41mins) to cross a main road and head down towards Lum House and the Goyt Valley. We turned right over a hump-backed crossing known as Roman Bridge (48mins) and on the far side turned right with the Goyt on our right.

The path took us through a railway tunnel (54mins) and when we reached a T-junction we turned left uphill (64mins) for a steep unrelenting climb which took more than half an hour.

We passed Greenhough Cottage on our right (68mins), swung left then right and reached a four-way junction (76mins). To communal groans, we were instructed to carry on uphill. On reaching a wall overlooking a golf course, your exhausted diarist stopped for an anticipated Pietime (84mins). But our leader, now showing an unexpected sadistic streak, urged his men forward for another tough climb to Mellor Cross (96mins) at Cobden Edge.

At a T-junction by turning right one could then turn left up a well-trodden path to stand beneath this well-known landmark,

Mellor Cross was originally created in 1970. It was made by a local carpenter and erected one afternoon by a group of men from nearby churches who carried the timber uphill. It stood 26 feet high. In December, 2015, the top of the cross was brought down during a storm. It was restored three years later with galvanised steel being added to the wood. A local appeal raised £25,000 for the cost of the project.

Mellor Cross at Cobden Edge

Postponed Pietime was taken in a sheltered dip in the hillside.

Pietime in the shadow of Mellor Cross

Continuing along a path at the rear of the cross we headed uphill and reached a T-junction (106mins) and turned right. At another T-junction we turned right again (115mins). At a green public footpath sign (117mins) we turned right yet again towards Castle Edge Farm.

After a few steps, we went left over a stone gap stile. We followed the path and swung right. This brought us to wooden stiles both left and right (118mins)

Initially, we turned right through the farmyard for a brief diversion before realising the error of our ways and retracing our steps. We should have turned left and now did so (127mins)

After crossing another wooden stile we proceeded forward then turned left to follow a well-trodden path which brought us to a drystone wall (132mins). We turned right and crossed a stone step stile (135mins) and went through an open gate (136mins) to head left downhill. The path took us through a farmyard (141mins) and left over a wooden stile (144mins)

Turning right we crossed a wooden footbridge, then soon went left over another wooden footbridge (146mins), taking the higher path right on the far side. We crossed a stone step stile with a yellow arrow and headed down a long flight of steps. On reaching the tarmac to the left of a house (148mins) we turned right and reached The Fox Inn at Brook Bottom on our right (149mins)

Simultaneously Jock and Keiran arrived with Milly as we almost filled the lounge, drinking pints of Fox and Unicorn cask bitters at £4-40 a pint along with an embarrassing selection of soft drinks.

On leaving the Fox we turned right by the side of a red phone box and headed down a rocky path. This took us through a tunnel, past Strines Station and Strines Hall on our left and a lake with a dovecote on our right.

The dovecote in the lake at Strines

Beyond the lake on our right we paused for lunch on convenient stones beneath Bruce's Clock (163mins)

Thomas Bruce was a foreman mechanic at Strines Print Works. He made the turret clock in 1809 and it was the timepiece by which generations of workers ruled their days. It was sited on the original works buildings next to Strines Hall. The clock was moved to the third works circa 1930 over the main entrance. When the site was demolished a Lottery Grant gave it a new lease of life near the lake.

Resuming we reached and crossed Strines Road (168mins) continuing uphill past the 18^th Century cottage of Peeres Swindells on our right. As we approached the aqueduct taking the Peak Forest Canal over the track (175mins) we followed a footpath on the right which brought us to the waterway. We turned left with the canal on our right and made our way back to Higgins Clough Swing Bridge (180mins)

Here we turned right to cross the bridge and retrace our earlier footsteps, passing Hagg Bank allotments on our left as we reached the A6 by the right of The Dandy Cock (198mins). Here four of us enjoyed pints of Robbies' Unicorn cask bitter – and a pot of tea – before returning to our cars at Disley Station to de-boot.

Next week's walk will start at 10am at the free car park next to the miniature railway by the side of Rudyard Lake off the western side of the A523 between Macclesfield and Leek (ST13 8PF). We will be aiming for the Hollybush Inn, Denford Road, Leek (ST13 7JT) for a livener before returning to our cars at 3pm.

Happy wandering !