New Mills

 

Peak Forest canal

New Mills

May 28th, 2025

NEW MILLS LEISURE CENTRE, BEARHOUSE FARM, HAGUE BAR, WATERSIDE, GREENSHALL ROAD  CORKS LANE GREEN LANE RED LANE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, THE TORRS.

Distance: 8.46 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Mostly Dry Occasionally Sunny, Rain threatened but didn’t appear (Chris!)

Walkers: Mike Cassini, Russell Spencer, Keith Welsh

Leader: Cassini. Diarist: Cassini

Starting point: New Mills Leisure Centre, Hyde Bank Road, New Mills (SK22 4BP)

Starting time: 10.15am. Finishing time: 1:30pm.

 

THE WALK OF RUSSELLS’ BOOTS

The planned walk for the day was to begin at Curbar Edge and walk near to where Springwatch was being filmed on the Longshaw estate. Due to the recent Moselle trip and possible bad weather numbers were expected to be low and didn’t disappoint, a late cry off from Chris took the number down to three and a minor problem meant a relocation. Having set off and reached Disley, Russell’s mind began to clear from half term grandchilditis and he realised he was sans boots as they say near to the Moselle.

It was decided to cut travelling time and move to a walk round New Mills and Disley and forego the pleasures of possibly the Dandy Cock walking in an amended version of a route we had done previously, setting off at a slightly later time of 10am.     

      

 

 

 

Starting at New Mills leisure centre we walked onto the Sett Valley trail for a few hundred metres before heading up a zigzag path (4mins) we turned left at a road and immediately right through a graveyard (5mins). We exited by a gate and headed down to the end of Dye House Lane, where we turned right (7mins). We crossed the road and headed up Spring Bank (10mins)

Turning left at Whittle Road (14mins) we went left again at a green public footpath sign (17mins). Just before we reached Bearhouse Farm we turned left down a flight of steps (20mins), went through a wooden gate and over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (21mins)

We followed the path through a wooden gate and over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (25mins). After crossing a road we went through an alley (27mins) and reached a road where we turned left downhill (29mins). At the end of The Crescent we turned right uphill (31mins). Just before the crest we went left over a wooden stile (35mins) into a field and crossed a stone step stile (36mins).

After crossing another stone step stile (38mins) we turned right at a bench (40mins) to head downhill, crossing a stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow (41mins) and then going right at a similar stile (42mins)

On reaching a lane we turned right and then went left at a green public bridleway sign (45mins). This led us to a track where we turned left downhill (46mins). At the end of Hague Fold Road (51mins) we crossed the main road and then went across a bridge over the Manchester-Sheffield railway line. There has been extensive work re-building the banks of the railway even shutting the entrance to Mousley Bottom footpath on the Goyt way for several months- happily although work continues into its second year the path is now re-opened.

Having reached the lowest level at Waterside  we then carried on up the hill under the  Manchester to Buxton train line across the peak forest canal across the A6 up Greenshall lane  past the Girl Guides Outdoor Recreation centre- where for some reason about 8 Electricity Utility vans stood idle- then on to Cork lane, left up Buxton Old Road for about 400 metres before turning right along a bridle path taking us to the Kennels which if we carried on left would have taken us into Lyme Park at the East Gate; we turned right which took us down past St Mary’s Church into Disley where we passed the Dandy Cock – without stopping- and onto the Peak Forest Canal.

This took us back into New Mills past Swizzels and the Canal Marina and then down through the Torrs back to the Leisure Centre- for those of you interested directly opposite Swizzels so you can enjoy 24/7 the constant hum of the factory and the aroma of boiled sugar mixed with sulphur for a snip at £350k there are a number of recently built townhouses plenty still available!!

The 4th June walk will begin in Mobberley planning to meet Alan at the Bulls Head at 1:30, starting at Simon’s house Beechfield Faulkners lane Mobberley WA16 7AL. Walk will begin at 9:30 sharp but Simon has invited orders for bacon butties for 9:15 arrivals