Disley

 22nd January 2025

DISLEY, BOLLINHURST RESERVOIR, MILLENIUM WOOD, BLACK ROCKS, BYRON HOUSE, GREENSHALL LANE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, GOYT VALLEY, HAGUE BAR, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES, PEERES SWINDELLS' COTTAGE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, HAGG BANK, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: fine and dry

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Daisy Cunliffe, Chris Owen, Cliff Worthington, Clive Rothell, Julian Ross, Mike Cassini, Russ Spencer and Simon Williams

Apologies: Unkown

Non Walking Drinkers: Jock Rooney and Milley

Leader: Cunliffe D Diarist: Cunliffe T

Starting point: Disley rail station car park.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 2.15pm.

 

Having faithfully followed the diary of the identical walk written by Mr Hart on a previous occasion, I find myself plagiarising his carefully crafted effort from 6thApril 2022. His words and pics follow, interspersed with a few of my own  

 

From the station car park we walked past The Ram's Head on our right and turned right uphill, passing Red Lane. Just before we reached The White Horse we turned right up Ring O'Bells Lane and headed up to the building, a former pub, which gave the lane its name. The original pub sign is still there but the building is now a Quakers' meeting house.

We turned right in front of the building, crossed a footbridge over a stream and turned left (5mins). We continued along a path with graveyards from the parish church on either side.

We turned left and headed diagonally left along a well-trodden path which cut off a corner and emerged opposite a metal kissing gate which we went through to head diagonally right across a field with the distinctive Lyme Cage atop a hill in the distance (9mins)

At the corner of the field we left via another metal kissing gate to head up a track with Lyme Cage to our right until we reached the entrance to a farmyard. Here we turned left up steps through a wooden kissing gate (18mins). The path took us along the left of a drystone wall behind which was Bollinhurst Reservoir.

 

         The reservoir with Lyme Cage in the distance

 

As we walked towards the eastern end of the reservoirwe heard the first cries of a curlew. When we reached a wooden stile on our right (28mins) we turned right to enter a wood, following a path through a metal kissing gate and then headed right towards a metal gate (34mins)

Beyond the gate was a track and a sign directly opposite for Drake Carr. We followed this path and when we reached the picturesque cottage on our right after 50 yards we turned left up steps to enter Millenium Wood (36mins). The path brought us through a wooden gate to a road where we turned right (40mins)

After passing Bolder Hall Farm on our left we turned left to cross a stile by a wooden public footpath sign for Black Rocks (43mins). 

 

Having reached the ridge known as Black Rocks we turned left, soon climbing over a ladder stile marked with a white arrow. Pie time was declared.

Continuing along the ridge we went through a metal kissing gate and followed a yellow arrow (68mins) to the left of a copse of trees. We headed left to a new metal kissing gate which brought us to the rear of a cottage (78mins)

A right of way through the cottage garden brought us to the road. We crossed it and followed a footpath sign through the garden of Byron House. At a gate on the far side we were able to turn left and head downhill along a narrow pathway.

At the bottom of the path we turned right (83mins) passing Pear Tree Cottage on our left. We now followed this track, which became rocky, as it wound downhill. It was revealed as Greenshall Lane as it reached the A6 (95mins). We crossed the busy main road and entered Lower Greenshall Lane, walking through the tunnel under the Manchester-Buxton railway line and over Bridge 27 across the Peak Forest Canal.

 

We continued along the canal on our left as we headed in the direction of Marple.

The Upper Peak Forest Canal is 7 miles long starting from Whaley Bridge and Bugsworth Basin through Bridgemont, Furness Vale, New Mills and Disley on its way to Marple. It was opened in 1796 and was predominantly used to transport coal and limestone, using the Peak Forest Tramway and linking with other existing canals.

 

When we reached Bridge 25 we turned right through a gap marked with a green public footpath sign (113mins). The path led us down a flight of steep wooden steps and across a footbridge (119mins). After climbing uphill on the far side of a stream we turned right up a steep flight of wooden steps to cross a wooden stile (124mins)

Turning left at a yellow arrow we crossed a wooden stile (128mins) and walked to the left of a pond to enter a car park. As it emerged on a road at the far side we turned right for 10 yards then went left following a green public footpath sign(131mins)

This brought us to the banks of the Goyt where we walked with the river on our left.

The path led us back to the road where we turned left and crossed a bridge over the Goyt. We were now heading relentlessly uphill, passing a children's playground on our right at Hague Bar and crossing a main road (141mins)

This minor road became progressively steeper as it passed Lower Hague Fold Farm on the right just before it swung left in front of a row of cottages. 

Beyond the cottages the path swung right and came to a minor road (148mins). Turning left past a memorial bench to Eric Burdekin we arrived at The Fox at Brook Bottom, we were joined by Jock and Milly. 

 

On leaving the pub we retraced our footsteps for a few paces before turning right at a sign marked Goyt Valley Way, it was a rocky descent. We continued past Strines Station and Strines Hall on our left and passed a former millpond with its own dovecote on our right.

                      The millpond and dovecote at Strines  

 

 

 

We crossed Strines Road and headed uphill along a rough track. As it levelled we came to an ancient cottage on our right with a stone transcription above its door 

 

informing us that “Peeres Swindells purchest this land and built this house in the yeare 1694.”

 

          Built to last 326 years ago

 

On reaching an overhead bridge we turned left, climbed up the banking to reach the Peak Forest Canal. 

We exited at Bridge 24 and climbed steadily uphill before descending to pass Hagg Bank Allotments on our left.

One last climb under the railway bridge brought us to the A6 at Disley with The Dandy Cock a few yards to our left. Here, Mike C and your diarist enjoyed a pint of Unicorn and Dizzy Blonde whilst the rest of the party chose to forego the pleasure of a pint of Robbies and headed staright back to their vehicles. On emptying our glasses we heading back to our cars. From the pub is was a five minute walk across the A6 and right through the traffic lights to reach our cars at the station.

 

 

 

 

 

Next week’s walk will start at 9.50am from the A623 in Castleton, park on the roadside between the tight right turn and the tight left hand turn to Winnats pass indicated thus:

 

 

The wander will be led by Cliff who expects to reach the Old Hall at Hope around 12:30. We anticipate debootingaround 2:30 or thereabouts. 

 

Happy wandering !