Whaley Bridge Circular
October 15th, 2025
WHALEY BRIDGE, BUGSWORTH BASIN, HORWICH FARM, ECCLES PIKE, NAZE VIEW FARM,
TUNSTEAD MILTON, COMBS RESERVOIR, SHEPHERDS ARMS
Distance: 8.41 miles Ascent/descent: 1372 ft
Difficulty: easy with one steep climb
Weather: Fine & dry
Walkers: Steve Brearley, Mike Cassini, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardman, Greg Owens, Russell Spencer,
Simon Williams, Keith Welsh, Cliff Worthington.
Alternative walkers: Jock Rooney with Milly, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Colin Davison
Leader: Russell, Diarist: Russell
Starting point: Canal Wharf Car Park, Tom Brads Croft Rd Whaley Bridge, SK23 7LX
Starting time: 9.50am Finishing time: 14.00pm
This Weeks Route:
https://explore.osmaps.com/route/29173156/wednesday-wanderers-whaley-bridge-circular?
lat=53.32636&lon=-1.97588&zoom=13.39&style=Standard&type=2d
I have saved this walk for public consumption. Anyone can follow the route using the OS app,
providing you have a registered account (Free) in future.
Another Grey day proceeded the walk, which started a little late due to roadworks on the A6, which seem to be getting worse every week. We had a reasonable turnout, with holiday season over everyone seems to be getting back into it. We had a nice gentle start along the canal to Bugsworth Basin, where we crossed over the canal and headed toward Eccles Pike, a long
meandering uphill around Browne Hill with a steep finish to the top.
En-route we passed a peculiar perfectly round pitch, marked on the map which I believe is the old cricket ground (we passed the new one further down).
Pie time was had at the top of the Pike and after a group photo we set of, mostly downhill, towards Combs Reservoir, passing the Naze View Alpaca farm, we saw some peculiar looking Alpacas which the sign indicated ‘Girls’, these were shorter than ones we usually see. A quick cross of the Main Road at the bottom, we came to Combs Reservoir, where our resident twitcher (Mike C) announced some sort of bird floating on the water, it was so remarkable the name eludes me. We were running ahead of schedule, so I stopped to pass the information on to the ‘B team’ about a revised meeting time and left the others to follow their noses, which unfortunately took them downhill to a fenced off corner, Mike C and 2 other brave souls attempted to scale the barb wire
fence and in doing so making a mess of the local architecture. The rest of us backed up the field and found the correct path.
We descended into Whaley for refreshments at the Shepherds Arms, where the beer was exceptionally good and reasonably price. We were soon joined by the B Team, who had also
swelled in numbers.
B TEAM REPORT – BY TOM C
Start/finish point -
south end of Fernilee Res @ 11:45 - 13:45.
A wonderful WHB wander in figure of eight route around Fernilee reservoir and part of River Goyt; crossing bridges and dam heads See OS map.
On completion we drove to Whaley B to meet up with our A Team chums at the Shepherds Inn.
Ps beer was cock-on
Next Week’s wander for the B Team
Meet @ New Mills Leisure Centre 11:30 for a 4.8 mile loop around New Mills environs returning around 13:30 for light refreshments in a local hostelry yet TBA.
Anyone who can’t make A Team for any reason will naturally be welcome to join the B Team for a flatish WHB wander.
IMPORTANT – It was decided on the walk that the Wednesday Wanderers Christmas Walk around Manchester will be on 3rd December 2025. Start time and meeting point to be arranged at a later
date once itinerary has been decided.
Next week’s walk will be led by Mike C, starting at New Mills Leisure Centre, SK22 4PU, 9.40am, returning to the Masons Arms for approximately 1.30pm
Happy Wandering!
See below for “from the archives”
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