Rowarth

 

Rowarth

September 16th 2026

 

LITTLE MILL INN AT ROWARTH, KNARRS FARM, THE MONKS ROAD, HOLLINGWORTH BROOK AT CARR MEADOW, MIDDLE MOOR, TWENTY TREES, THE KINDER LODGE AT HAYFIELD, SETT VALLEY TRAIL, BIRCH VALE RESERVOIR, THORNSETT, HIGH WALLS FARM, ASPENSHAW HALL, ROWARTH

 

Distance: 9.5 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately easy, some climbs

 

Weather: Mostly wet, showers very occasional sunny spells

Walkers:  Andy Blease, Steve Brearley, Mike Cassini, Stuart Kitchen, Greg Owen

Leader: Cassini. Diarist: Cassini

Starting point: Rowarth Car Park

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2pm.

 

The start of this week’s walk was delayed exactly as it was when we left Chelford a couple of weeks ago ….by a torrential downpour. But as we are stout northern men (mostly, perhaps not that stout), we decided to brave the conditions and set off in a light drizzle, that improved but stayed with us for a large part of the walk.

This walk is diarised on at least two instances, though this time we took the easier option of the Sett Valley Way rather than the more exposed, and arduous, route up the Giggle Gaggle path. As a result we had one of the two more interesting experiences of the walk, as we enjoyed a late pie time in the car park/bus station in Hayfield we heard the sound of what turned out to be the crashing of a not insubstantial tree narrowly touching the front of a car a good 20 feet away. This led to  discussions about what constituted ‘parking at your own risk’ and did parking 20 feet away from a falling diseased tree constitute an acceptable risk.

The second experience was as a result of someone not following the countryside code and leaving a gate open allowing a number of young cows to wander free onto a wide footpath towards the start of our climb up from Rowarth. Fortunately, Andy and Stuart were well versed in cattle herding and managed to guide half of the number through the gate, which they later closed securely.

The poor weather followed us throughout the wander, although it was dry enough to briefly sit outside in the Little Mill beer garden enjoying a beer, to celebrate my 70th birthday the day before.

Next week’s wander is from Curbar Edge layby meeting at 9:50. The postcode is S32 3YR.

From the archives (by George Dearsley) December 5th 2012

Mr Hart, spurred on by the thought of ale, duly set a cracking pace.

Your diarist opined: “He’s like Mo Farrah”.

To which Mr Barrett retorted: “I’m more like Mo Mowlem”.

At 12.17pm leader Fairman became a faller on the boggy heather.

As to the derivation of the phrase Harry Hut little could be found.

I can exclusively reveal that in 1980 no fewer than 1083 pieces of artefacts and tools from the Mesolithic Period were discovered here. Anyone operating a market stall selling gloves and woollen hats in this period would have been onto a “good earner”. But beyond the archaeology, zilch.

We plodded on like Napoleon’s infantry retreating from Moscow but at last reached the road again where Tom’s wife Stella arrived to end the cruelty and take him to a Nativity play.

(No, he wasn't playing the Donkey!).

Happy Wandering!