Chapel-en-le-Frith

January 21, 2015.

CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, BOWDEN HEAD FARM, SLACK HALL FARM, CHESTNUT CENTRE, THE WANTED INN AT SPARROWPIT, BAGSHAW HALL AND THE ROEBUCK AT CHAPEL

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy but hampered by snow.

Weather: Cloudy with light snow showers.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart and Julian Ross.

Non-walking drinker: Jock Rooney.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (w*^king), George Dearsley (in Turkey), George Fraser, Ken Sparrow (hearing test) and George Whaites (grandchild-minding)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Miry Meadow free car park, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Starting time: 9.45 am. Finishing time: 2.08pm.

Snow which had disappeared from the roads and fields of those of us living in the lower foothills of The Peak District was present in great abundance around Chapel. It provided Christmas card scenery although progress was slowed by its presence on the moors we crossed.

We welcomed the return of Steve after his arduous two months as chief officer on a billionaire’s yacht in the Caribbean. We also toasted the 72nd anniversary of the birth of Jock, who joined us at The Roebuck especially to buy us a birthday drink. Cheers, Jock, and many happy returns.

Although conditions were potentially hazardous, there were no accidents apart from one comical moment when Colin stepped inadvertently off the hidden path and plunged up to his waist in a snowdrift. His chums would undoubtedly have been delighted to pull him out if we had not been laughing so much.

We exited the rear of the car park and turned right along a path which led uphill to the left of our final watering hole, The Roebuck. We turned left by the side of the pub in Market Place and walked to the right of the Thomas Becket Parish Church (3mins)

I need hardly tell you that Thomas Becket (1120-1170) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder by four knights inside Canterbury Cathedral. He was subsequently venerated as a saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.

Becket clashed with King Henry 11 over the rights and privileges of The Church and was charged with contempt of royal authority. Convicted, he stormed out of his trial, fled to France and threatened the king with ex-communication. In 1170 Henry 11 offered a compromise which allowed Becket to return from exile.

But later that year, when three bishops crowned Henry’s young son as heir apparent, Becket ex-communicated them. At this stage the king uttered the famous question “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest ?” – or words to that effect.

Four knights then confronted Becket at his cathedral and hacked him to death. The assassins, instead of being rewarded for their loyalty, were then obliged to flee north to Knaresborough Castle when King Henry said they had misunderstood him. Pope Alexander 111 ex-communicated all four of them and they were only forgiven when they went to Rome and agreed to serve in the Holy Land for 14 years.

(The moral to this story is: always make sure your boss puts his orders in writing)

As we walked to the right of the church, we turned right into a passageway which we followed as it went between houses, along roads, to the right of a stream (7mins) into The Crescent and followed a green public footpath sign which took us across the A6 (15mins) On the far side of the trunk road we followed the footpath sign until we reached a lane and turned left downhill (18mins)

After 20 yards we crossed a stone step stile on our right into a field. Heading diagonally left we crossed another stone step stile into the next field and then turned right towards some barns (25mins) We went to the left of the barns and through two gates, crossed a stone step stile and reached a lane. We turned right for 15 yards then walked up a flight of steps to go through a gate into a field (29mins)

After crossing a wooden stile into the next field, we kept a drystone wall on our left (32mins) We now crossed first a stone step stile and then a wooden stile to reach a lane (40mins) We turned left uphill passing Bowden Head Farm on our left (46mins) We swung right, following the lane and reached Slack Hall Farm on our right.

To our left was a farm building wall, on which was a sign for “M.J.Barrett Constructions of Uttoxeter”. We wondered whether this was another firm in the portfolio of businesses owned by Mogul Mickey, our absent walking colleague.

We passed The Chestnut Centre on our left. This is a 50-acres conservation area providing a sanctuary for otters, 16 species of owls, Scottish wildcats, pine martens, polecats, deer and foxes. It is also the new home of Manoki, a giant otter from South America.

On reaching a road we turned left towards Rushup and Edale (64mins) before pausing for pies and port by a gate leading into woods (75mins) Resuming we continued uphill until reaching a wooden public footpath sign on our right (85mins) We went to the right corner of a field and through a gate (93mins) keeping a drystone wall on our left.

We then crossed a series of wooden and stone step stiles and metal gates to reach a farmhouse (115mins) We turned left down a lane which passed Sparrowpit Methodiest Church on our left before we reached The Wanted Inn (120mins) for pints of Marstons’ Pedigree at £3.

Continuing, we retraced our footsteps past the Methodist Church but kept left where the road forked (118mins) and turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (123mins) This took us through a series of fields which we entered and exited by stone step stiles until we reached a road where we stopped for lunch (137mins)

After this short break we continued downhill, with first cottages and then Bagshaw Hall to our right(143mins) After crossing a wooden footbridge (155mins)  we reached a main road (160mins) and turned left. This took us under the A6 into Chapel-en-le-Frith – “the home of Ferodo.” We turned right into Market Street (163mins) and right again up Church Brow (170mins), soon swinging left along a cobbled street to reach The Roebuck (173mins) Jock treated us to pints of Black Sheep at  £2-95.

Next week’s walk will start from the free car park opposite The Spinners Arms in Bollington at 9.30am. The A walkers are planning to stop for a bracer in The Robin Hood around 12.15pm, finishing at a new finishing point, The Poachers in Bollington, at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering.

Allgreave

ALLGREAVE, CLOUGH BROOK, HAMMERTON KNOWL FARM, THE WILD BOAR AT LONGGUTTER, HAMMERTON FARM, ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH, WINCLE, LANEHEAD, WINCLE GRANGE, WHITELEE FARM, DANE VALLEY, WINCLE BREWERY, SHIP INN AT WINCLE, CLOUGH BROOK COTTAGE, WHEELWRIGHTS HOLLOW AND THE ROSE AND CROWN AT ALLGREAVE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather:  Early blue skies and sunshine gave way to cloud; chilly.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (Venice), George Dearsley (in Turkey), George Fraser (visiting sick son), Jock Rooney (back injury)

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Rose and Crown at Allgreave.

Starting time: 9.47am. Finishing time: 1.53pm.

Lawrie plotted a new route for this walk and dispelled any notions that he couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery by doing just that. We were also indebted to Tom for an hilarious demonstration of his silky soccer skills. Even the little dog laughed to see such fun – but more of that later.

It was a chilly winter’s morning as we assembled under blue skies, with frequent bursts of bright, if not warm, sunshine. Visibility was good as we admired the frosted peaks of Shutlingsloe and Bosley Cloud in the distance.

From the car park of The Rose and Crown we turned right to pass the pub on our right as we walked along the A54. At a track on our left (3mins) we turned left and started a steady descent towards Clough Brook. Where the track divided (8mins) we took the left fork down to a wooden footbridge over the brook (13mins). Lawrie’s efforts to turn this into a photo opportunity were thwarted by the fact that his all-singing all-dancing mobile would only take black-and-white photos and issued him instructions in Spanish. Que pena !

On the far side of the brook we climbed up to a road and turned left. Then, at a public footpath sign, we turned right (18mins) towards a farmhouse. We took a path to the left of Hammerton Knowl Farm and followed a yellow arrow on a telegraph pole (22mins) to a wooden stile, also marked with a yellow arrow.

After crossing the stile our group went right into a farmyard then turned left to leave it. This brought us back to the A54, where we turned right (34mins) On reaching The Wild Boar on our right (42mins), we turned left opposite the pub and crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow to enter a field. We continued to follow yellow arrows which led us through fields, over a ladder stile and on to a concrete-paved path.

At a junction of paths (55mins) we turned right downhill. We went over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (61mins) and continued downhill with a drystone wall on our right. We reached Hammerton Farm on our right, where a friendly Golden Labrador seemed keen to join us as we stopped for pies and port (68mins)

Continuing along a road, we passed the farm, then Wincle Primary School and St Michael’s Church, Wincle, all on our right before turning left at a T-junction (75mins) After passing Lane House Farm on our right we turned right at a wooden stile at a wooden public footpath sign (78mins) We walked uphill, keeping a hedge on our right, walked through an open gate and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (79mins)

This took us to a double stile (81mins) which we crossed and headed for the right side of a field. When we could go no further, we disconnected a panel provided in an electrified fence on our right (86mins) to reach a lane and turn right.

Just before Wincle Grange was reached, we went through a gate on our left and passed a barn on our left (89mins) to make for the right corner of a field and a yellow arrow indicating the route (96mins). We crossed a wooden stile and followed the yellow arrow which pointed left instead of right (98mins)

After crossing another wooden stile (103mins) we headed diagonally right uphill to another one (104mins) When we reached an open gate with yellow arrows pointing left and right, after a pause for deliberation, we opted to carry straight on along a path leading to a farm.

A sign showed us the route through Whitelee Farm (119mins) and then turned right at a yellow arrow to head downhill along a footpath (128mins) This brought us down to the River Dane, where we turned left (131mins) We passed a house called Pingle on our left (133mins) and Danebridge Trout Farm on our right to reach The Wincle Brewery (138mins)

In bright sunshine under a clear blue sky, we sat at tables outside to enjoy pints of Rambler and Old Oak for £2-60, while a friendly mongrel brought a selection of balls for us to throw for her. It was at this point when Tom attempted to demonstrate his own ball control. Unhappily his attempt to kick the ball over a wall failed dismally. Instead it soared some 20 yards straight up in the air and returned to hit him on the head as he tried to prevent it landing in his pint. Needless to say, his hapless effort was greeted with great merriment and even the dog wagged her tail in appreciation of the unexpected comedy.

Resuming our journey, we reached the main road and turned left uphill, passing The Ship at Wincle on our right. Just beyond the pub car park was a wooden public footpath sign where we turned right (143mins) and followed yellow arrows leading us over stiles and a footbridge until we came to a stone step stile at the side of a cottage on our left (154mins) We crossed this and turned right across the front of the cottage to take a lane leading away from it. Where the lane swung left a yellow arrow on a gate indicated our way ahead (155mins)

After pausing for lunch we continued to follow yellow arrows through fields and moorland until we reached Clough Brook Cottage on our right (175mins)

We reached a road and turned right, passing Wheelwright’s Hollow on our right (180mins) before we emerged on the A54. We turned right, passing a cottage built in 1746 and Allgreave Methodist Chapel, both on our left, before swinging left with the road to reach The Rose and Crown car park on our right (188mins)

After de-booting we entered the former Robinsons’ brewery pub, now a free house owned by former Poyntonian Ian and his Estonian wife Luda. We had a choice of cask beers, including one produced by The Worth Brewery in Poynton, which is, apparently, up for sale.

Pictures courtesy of Tom Cunliffe

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am from the free car park in Chapel-en-le-Frith behind the Co-op and above The Roebuck. We are planning to reach The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit around 12.20pm, aiming for a 2.15pm finish back at The Roebuck in Chapel’s town centre.

Disley

DISLEY, COCKHEAD, MILLENIUM WOOD, BOLDER HALL FARM, BLACK ROCKS, BYROM HOUSE, PEAR TREE COTTAGE, THE PEAK FOREST CANAL, HAGUE BAR, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES STATION, STRINES HALL, WHITECROFT FARM, SUNNYSIDE COTTAGE, THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy but mainly dry with light showers.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Non-walking drinkers: Peter Beal, Lawrie Fairman and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Steve Courtney (crewing in Caribbean), George Dearsley (in Turkey), George Fraser (visiting sick son)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The White Horse at Disley.

Starting time: 9.30am. Finishing time: 2pm.

Despite dire forecasts of heavy rain in the late morning and early afternoon, we enjoyed moderate weather with none of the teeming rain which had been predicted. Apart from a couple of brief light showers and a howling wind on Black Rocks ridge, we kept mainly dry and the temperatures remained above freezing

Most of the mud was successfully avoided as we negotiated the hills overlooking Disley on both sides of the A6. We also found the beer in The Fox to be outstanding. Tom gave it his highest accolade – “not bad at all.”

In fact Tom revealed he has started an amazing new diet which, if successful, could revolutionise the weight-loss industry. It seems you can drink beer, eat crisps between meals, and then have fish, chips and peas for lunch. The only sacrifice is to give five chips away at the end of your meal. These, apparently, are the ones which put on the pounds. So we look forward to seeing a sylph-like Tom within the next few weeks which will bring new hope for dieters throughout the world. I’ll keep you posted.

From the White Horse car park we turned right uphill along Ring O’ Bells Lane and reached the sign for the former pub which is now a Quaker meeting house. We turned right in front of it, crossed a bridge over a stream and headed uphill with the cemetery of St Mary’s Church, Disley, on either side of the path.

Beyond the graveyard we turned left through a field to cut off a corner and then crossed a stile through another field to take another short-cut, aiming toward Lyme Cage in the distance. After exiting the second field by a wooden stile we took the road ahead up towards a farm. Just before the farmhouse we turned left through a gate marked with a yellow arrow (12mins)

We followed stiles with yellow arrows to take a path alongside a wall with a reservoir on the other side of it. After passing the reservoir we crossed a wooden stile to enter a wood (20mins) We left it by a metal gate and crossed a dirt lane to head towards Duke Carr Cottage (27mins) With the cottage on our right we turned left through a wooden kissing gate(29mins) to enter Millenium Wood.

The path led us to a main road where we turned right (32mins) for 200 yards. After passing Bolder Hall Farm on our left we crossed the road and went over a stile by the side of a holly bush to follow a public footpath sign marked Black Rocks (36mins) We followed the path as it went first diagonally right and then diagonally left to reach the ridge (39mins)

Although this gave us misty views over Lyme Park as we looked backwards and the Kinder ridge straight ahead, a powerful, gusting wind whipped at our faces and clothes so we wasted no time in admiring the scenery before turning left along the ridge. We started our descent via a ladder stile and a metal kissing gate (58mins) before passing The Owls Nest, a bunkhouse owned by Manchester Grammar School for outdoor pursuits.

After crossing a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow we went through two gates to enter and exit a farmyard, reaching a main road which we crossed (65mins) We went through a gate to the left of Byrom House and turned left downhill (66mins) along a path leading to a lane. Here we turned right, passing Pear Tree Cottage on our left (67mins) as we descended a rocky path down to the A6.

The A6 is one of Britain’s longest roads running from Luton, Bedfordshire, to Carlisle, Cumbria. It was made infamous in 1961 for what became known as the A6 Murder. A married man named Michael Gregston had stopped in a layby with his lover, Valerie Storey, 23. They were abducted at gunpoint and forced to drive to Deadman’s Hill, near Clophill, Beds.

Here the kidnapper shot Gregston dead, then raped and shot Storey five times. She was permanently paralysed but survived to give evidence identifying a 24-year-old man named James Hanratty as the gunman. He protested his innocence but was found guilty and executed in April, 1962.

Family and friends continued to seek a pardon for Hanratty long after his death. Eventually, in 2002, his supporters successfully applied for his body to be exhumed to check his DNA against sperm samples taken from Valerie Storey in 1961. The samples matched and the campaign for a posthumous pardon ended.

We crossed the A6 into Lower Greenshall Lane (77mins), walked through a tunnel under the Manchester-Buxton rail line and reached The Peak Forest Canal. We crossed a bridge (Number 26) over it and reached a bench facing the waterway where we paused for pies and port (83mins)

Resuming, we discovered the towpath had been closed for remedial work to the canal bank, so we were obliged to retrace our steps over the bridge and proceed along the path on the opposite bank until we reached the Higgins Clough Swing Bridge (100mins) After crossing the bridge we turned left along the towpath for just five yards before going right through a gap stile.

The path brought us to a paper factory surrounded by a wire fence. We turned right up a steep flight of steps (108mins) After crossing a wooden stile we went to the left of a fishing pond (112mins) and through a car park to reach a road. We turned left downhill for 20 yards before following a public footpath on our left.

Instead of going down to the River Goyt, we took a footpath on the right which followed its right bank until it emerged on a road with the Goyt still on our left (119mins) We turned left and walked past Hague Brow children’s playground which had been dismantled and was covered in machinery belonging to a gentleman named Murphy.

After crossing a road-bridge over The Hope Valley rail line we crossed a main road to enter Hague Fold Road (125mins) and the start of a steep climb. This brought us to a T junction (137mins) where we turned left to reach The Fox at Brook Bottom (139mins) The Robbies’ cask bitter here has not always been up to standard on recent visits buton this occasion our pints for £2-90 were in exceptional condition.

Resuming, we followed a footpath opposite the pub door going downhill. This took us past Strines Station (153mins) and Strines Hall and Whitecroft Farm on our left with a recently renovated lake complete with freshly-painted dovecote on our right. We crossed the River Goyt and took advantage of a picnic table in a field on our left to stop for lunch (158mins)

Continuing we crossed Strines Road and followed a track uphill which brought us back to The Peak Forest Canal (168mins) We turned left with the canal on our right and crossed to the far side via a lift bridge (177mins) Walking uphill we passed Sunnyside cottage on our right (181mins) and reached the A6 again to the right of The Dandy Cock pub (187mins)

After crossing the main road we turned left at the traffic lights and after 80 yards our final watering hole, The White Horse, was on our right (190mins) The 1892 mild here was £2-80 and quite palatable.

Photos by Tom Cunliffe

Next week’s walk will start from The Rose and Crown on the A54 at Allgreave, south of Macclesfield, at 9.45am. We expect to reach the Wincle Brewery at Dane Bridge around 12.15pm before finishing back at The Rose and Crown at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

Poynton

 December 24, 2014.

POYNTON, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, LADYBRIDGE TRAIL, LYME PARK, PLATTWOOD FARM, HILLTOP FARM, BOAR’S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, DAVENPORT GOLF CLUB, PRINCES INCLINE, BULL’S HEAD AT POYNTON

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry and chilly.

Walkers: Alan Hart, Terry Jowett and George Whaites.

Non-walking drinkers: John Laverick and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney (sailing in West Indies), Tom Cunliffe (w*^king), Colin Davison (visiting Bristol and Wales), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jock Rooney (supervising diving in Persian Gulf)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Diarist’s home at 68, London Road North, Poynton.

Starting time: 10.05am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

The fact that Christmas Eve fell on a Wednesday this year caused severe depletion to our numbers for domestic reasons. It also meant that those who did turn up at your diarist’s home were obliged to drink a larger share of mulled wine and to eat a bigger portion of pizza and mince pies than anticipated.

The absence of any recognised guides also meant that your diarist became the de facto leader – an unwelcome situation which was always likely to end in tears. Those were shed in the first hour when the trio found themselves up to their fetlocks in mud. No doubt a more experienced leader would have plotted a route avoiding such conditions.

We did, however, manage to reach our main goals – The Boar’s Head and The Bull’s Head – only a few minutes behind schedule and were rewarded with excellent pints of Black Sheep bitter in the former and Thwaites’ Original in the latter.

From your diarist’s home we turned right and followed a footpath which brought us out on Towers Road (3mins) We turned right along the road until we reached a wooden public footpath sign (12mins) and turned left over a wooden stile on to duckboards leading into a field. We headed diagonally right and then picked up a path which brought us to a kissing gate (20mins) which took us across a track.

After picking our way daintily through the mud on the churned up path, we came to a stretch of slime which led to a gate. Despite our best efforts there were many traps for the unwary and George had a “vicar of Dibley” moment when he stood on a treacherous tuft which gave way to sink him up to his knees.

Terry, who was at the rear, saw our plight and wisely took a circuitous route round the worst of the slime and over a broken fence to emerge relatively unscathed.  We then went t right over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (39mins) to follow a narrow footpath which emerged in Middlewood Road.

We crossed this (41mins) and passed the former home of our late colleague Ian Price on Prince Road, crossing Hilton Road to go over the Middlewood Way (45mins) After passing Sunny Side Cottage and The Cedars on our left we reached the Macclesfield Canal (50mins) and turned left. At the first bridge (Number 13) we left the canal by turning left and winding round, admiring the gaily-decorated World War 2 pillbox on the far bank, before crossing Bridge 13 and turning left to walk past it on our left.

After 60 yards we turned right at a public footpath sign (58mins) This took us downhill to a pair of wooden footbridges which criss-crossed Lady Brook (65mins) We followed the yellow arrows of the Ladybrook Trail and crossed two ladder stiles to walk over the Manchester-Buxton railway line (75mins)

At a public footpath sign on our right we turned right (84mins) and then entered Lyme Park by a ladder stile (90mins) Our stay in the park was brief as we turned right 50 yards before reaching the entrance hut and swung right again to exit the grounds over a cattle-grid (96mins) Following the route marked for Poynton we turned left and then swung right across another cattle-grid (111mins) to head for Plattwood Farm.

After going through the farm (115mins) we continued downhill along a path which swung left and headed unpromisingly towards the drive of a house. However we spotted a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow on the far side of the drive. We crossed this (122mins) and soon came to another wooden stile with a yellow arrow which we crossed and turned right.

Another wooden stile marked with a white (or possibly faded yellow) arrow took us to the left of a duckpond and through a kissing gate to the left of Hilltop Farm. The Path emerged at a lane where we turned right, over a cattle-grid and past Victoria Pit Moorings on our right (133mins) A bridge took us over the Macclesfield Canal and we continued downhill, passing the Nelson Pit Museum on our right, crossing the Middlewood Way and reaching the Boar’s Head opposite (137mins)

After pints of Black Sheep cask bitter costing £3 we left the pub’s front door and turned left into Anson Road. Our route was now all downhill as we reached the end of Anson Road and crossed Middlewood Road to head for Davenport Golf Club (152mins) At a public footpath sign we turned left across the fairway, went through a gate to exit the course (155mins) and head up through a copse.

After leaving the trees we followed the path to our right which brought us to Towers Road (162mins) We crossed the road diagonally right to head down Princes Incline and reach the main road (172mins) Here we turned right to reach the Bull’s Head for further refreshment at £3-10 a pint.

There will be no organised walk next Wednesday (New Year’s Eve) but there is a traditional walk the following day (Thursday, January 1) to which wives, family members and friends are welcome. It starts from 10.30am near the nets at Poynton Sports Club car park. In recent years we have walked to The Miners Arms at Adlington but I am advised this has recently closed down. In those circumstances we are changing the venue to the Horseshoe at High Lane, aiming to arrive shortly after noon, and returning to The Bull’s Head at Poynton around 2pm.

In the past picnics have been taken and shared, along with fortifying drinks to keep out the cold.

Happy wandering !

High Lane

HIGH LANE, DISLEY GOLF CLUB, STANLEY HALL, PEAK FOREST CANAL, STRINES, GOYT VALLEY, STRINES HALL, GREEN CLOUGH FARM, WINDYBOTTOM, ROMAN BRIDGE, BARLOW WOODS, RING O’ BELLS AT MARPLE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, DOG AND PARTRIDGE AT HIGH LANE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy but dry during walk.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Jones and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, Gareth Roberts, Ken Sparrow and Mike Walton.

Non-walking drinker: Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Steve Courtney (sailing in West Indies), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Jock Rooney (supervising diving in Persian Gulf)

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, Disley.

Starting time: 9.55am. Finishing time: 1.50pm.

Despite forecasts of light rain throughout the day, the weather gods smiled down upon the Wednesday Wanderers as we worked up our appetites as well as our usual thirsts for the Christmas lunch which followed.

The day started with what has become traditional Yuletide hospitality from “Santa” Colin, this time with his helper Angela, at his grotto in High Lane. Bacon barm cakes, mulled wine and mince pies set us up nicely for a walk which was timed to perfection. 

Not only did we reach both pubs on schedule, but our stay in them coincided with the only rain of the day. Was this a case of the sun shining on the righteous or the Devil looking after his own ? Answers on a postcard please.

From Colin’s house The Magnificent Seven turned left uphill, turning left at a public footpath sign for Stanley Hall Lane (7mins) This brought us to a wooden stile which we crossed to enter Disley Golf Club (10mins) The public footpath led us across a fairway and past a sign for Disley Golf Club on our left (15mins) After passing the sign we turned left across a car park in front of the clubhouse.

This took us to the side of Stanley Hall, a listed building which has been in a state of decay but which is now surrounded by scaffolding and building materials. We turned right along a footpath, crossing a fairway and followed a blue arrow on a yellow circle (20mins) which brought us to the Peak Forest Canal (26mins)

We crossed over it by a bridge and turned right along the towpath with the canal now on our right. We passed Wood End Lift Bridge and just before we reached Higgins Clough Swing Bridge we squeezed through a gap stile on our left (38mins) to follow a muddy path downhill. We crossed a wooden footbridge over a stream (44mins) and climbed steps to reach a fence in front of a paper factory. 

We turned left (45mins), re-crossed the stream by another footbridge and reached a bridleway where we turned left (50mins) This brought us to a road (55mins) where we turned left and entered the village of Strines.

At Station Road we turned right (65mins) and found a field on our right which contained a suitable  wooden table and chairs for Pietime (67mins) It being the season of goodwill, Peter produced a supply of mince pies to complement the port. Continuing back on the road we crossed the Goyt and passed a lake on our left and Strines Hall on our right.

Opposite the hall we turned left along a gravel lane towards Green Clough Farm (70mins) We passed the farm and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign for the Goyt Way (77mins) This took us past the delightfully-named Windybottom Cottage on our left (87mins) before we went under a railway tunnel. This route took us to the right bank of the fast-flowing Goyt (90mins).

We turned left, crossing the Goyt by Roman Bridge into Barlow Woods in the direction of Strines Road (94mins), soon heading right uphill along a flight of steps (95mins) We emerged at a road (101mins), turned right and crossed the road to turn left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (102mins).

This led us back to the Peak Forest Canal (105mins) We walked along the towpath with the waterway on our right. After going under a bridge (114mins) we left the towpath, going to the left of Churchgate Lodge and heading uphill. This took us past All Saints School on our left to reach The Ring o’ Bells at Marple across a main road (119mins).

Although the pub had only been open for four minutes, three enterprising members of the B team were already inside. The fourth member of their team, Wally, had retired hurt with a knee injury and retreated to our ultimate watering hole, The Dog and Partridge at High Lane. At the “Ringo” the Robbies’ bitter (£3) and mild (£2-80) were both in good form.

The heavens opened while we were safely ensconced inside the pub. Magically, the rain stopped just as we were leaving. From the pub we turned left to join the right bank of the Macclesfield Canal for our homeward journey. We left the canal when we reached the A6 opposite the Bull’s Head at High Lane (165mins)

A left turn soon brought us to The Dog and Partridge on the far side of the road (169mins) for  Christmas lunch at the bargain price of £4-39 and IPA cask bitter at £2-25. The B team, including our once-a-year Wanderer Gaz, joined us as we raised a festive glass to absent friends. Jock will be pleased to learn that his world height record for the amount of food piled on a plate remains intact.

Next week’s walk (Christmas Eve) will start from your diarist’s house, 68, London Road North, Poynton (SK12 1BY) with a 9am breakfast of pizza and a stirrup cup or two. We will then set off around 10am on a meandering route aimed at reaching the Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton around 12 noon, before returning to The Bull’s Head, Poynton, at about 1.40pm.

Please note there will be no Wednesday walk on Dec 31 (New Year’s Eve) because the following day, January 1 (New Year’s Day) we will be having our traditional walk with wives and girlfriends (but not both) setting out from Poynton Sports Club car park at 10.30am to head for The Miners’ Arms at Wood Lane Ends, Adlington.  

Little Hayfield

LITTLE HAYFIELD, PARK HALL WOODS, MIDDLE MOOR, SHOOTING LODGE, KINDER RESERVOIR, COLDWELL CLOUGH, HILL HOUSE BOOTH, ASHES FARM, THE WHITE LADY, MOUNT FAMINE, THE LAMB INN AT CHINLEY, VALLEY VIEW FARM, ASHEN CLOUGH, PEEP-O’-DAY, PHOSIDE, HAYFIELD, CALICO TRAIL, OLD SCHOOL FIELD, SWALLOW BANK FARM AND THE LANTERN PIKE AT LITTLE HAYFIELD

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Crisp, dry and windy.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Alan Hart.

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

B walkers: George Fraser and Tony Job.

Apologies:  Tom Cunliffe (injured left knee), George Dearsley (Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cataract operation),Jock Rooney (Persian Gulf), Geoff Spurrell (trapped nerve), George Whaites (w*^king)

Starting point: Car Park of Lantern Pike Inn, Little Hayfield.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.

It might be just a coincidence that on the day Tom marked his 62^nd birthday with a generous display of largesse, the majority of Wednesday Wanderers taking advantage of his hospitality were from Yorkshire. The Tyke contingent of Peter, Colin and Tony were there to outnumber your diarist (from Cheshire) and “Geordie” George.

We were treated to pints of Britain’s most expensive beer along with what can only be described as an orgasmic dish of Lancashire hotpot provided by the Lantern Pike’s resident chef, Chris Caldwell. Many happy returns Tom. We hope a scan on his knee will provide a solution to his long-term problem and put him back in the walking team.

From the pub we turned right towards Hayfield, crossed the main road and turned into Park Hall Woods (3mins). This brought us through a gate to Middle Moor (9mins), where we carried straight on uphill along a path through the gorse. When the route levelled out we turned left toward the distinctive white-painted shooting lodge.

Just before we reached the lodge on our left (29mins) we turned right downhill, taking the right fork along a bridleway shortly afterwards (30mins) This took us down to Kinder Reservoir, where we turned right with the wall on our left (36mins) At the entrance to the treatment works we turned left along a footpath which crossed the Kinder River by a footbridge (42mins)

We followed the path with the Kinder on our right until we reached a lane where we swung left uphill(46mins) We forked right towards Tunstall and Coldwell Clough (48mins) and when we reached a stony track we bore right (53mins) We passed Hill Houses, built in 1723.

This was during the reign of George 1, who spoke no English and was born in Hanover. He ascended the throne earlier that century on the death of his distant cousin, Queen Anne. The Act of Settlement of 1701 prohibited Catholics from becoming British monarchs and George, ruler of the Duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg, was her closest Protestant relative.

From Hill House Booth we took the path towards Famine Ridge and South Head, crossing the River Sett as we headed up a lane (64mins). When we reached a pair of benches with views across the valley, we paused for pies and port (66mins) Resuming, we entered Ashes Farm on a lane to the right of a cattle-grid and passed a standing stone known as The White Lady on our left (72mins)

We followed a wooden public footpath sign for South Head (73mins) and at a gate with a white acorn depicted inside a blue arrow we turned left (88mins) This brought us to the summit of Mount Famine (103mins)Descending again we crossed a wooden stile and turned right at a pebbled path (109mins)

We went through a gate and over a stone step stile immediately on our left (112mins) After crossing a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow we took the left fork (116mins) and then turned right before a broken wall (119mins) After going through a wooden kissing gate marked with a yellow arrow (124mins) we went through another gate and over a wooden stile to reach a main road (130mins)

At the road we turned right and before us on our right was The Lamb Inn which we entered (131mins) to drink excellent pints of Betty Stoggs, a Cornish cask bitter, costing £2-80. After one more round for good luck we departed, crossed the main road and turned left for a few yards until we reached a wooden public footpath sign (132mins). We followed it down a steep bank and headed towards Valley View Farm.

We turned right just in front of the farm, following public footpath signs round its perimeter until we emerged at a road opposite Ashen Clough (143mins) We turned right uphill and then dropped down to Peep-o’-Day, where we stopped for lunch (153mins) Continuing we followed the footpaths sign for Hayfield via Phoside, passing the derelict Phoside Mill (173mins) This had been a cotton mill, built in the 1780s.

After passing a house, built in 1784, on our left we went through a gap stile (184mins) and descended a steep bank to a lane which continued downhill. After passing Ridgetop Cottage on our left (186mins) we walked from Meadows Road into Chapel Street and followed signs for the Sett Valley Trail.

These led us to the right of the bus terminus where we picked up signs for the Calico Trail (191mins) taking us across a bridge over the River Sett. This led us into the Old School Field, known locally as May Queen Field, which we exited and passed to the right of a house called Oaklands (199mins) After we had passed Swallow Bank Farm on our right (202mins) we turned right at a green public footpath sign for Little Hayfield (203mins)

This brought us back to The Lantern Pike (214mins) where the B team duo of Tony and George were already enjoying pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord cask bitter provided by birthday boy Tom. The freshly-made hotpot was the icing on the cake, if you will forgive such a metaphor.

Next week’s walk ends with the traditional Wednesday Wanderers’ Christmas lunch at the Dog and Partridge, High Lane, at 2.15pm. It starts, as has become the custom with bacon sandwiches, mince pies and mulled wine at Colin’s house, 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, at 9am.

Happy wandering !

B Walkers' Diary

Wanderers:  Tony, George Fraser.

Apologies: Geoff (still injured but intending to meet us on 17th for lunch), Wally (catching up on work after holiday),  Ken (awaiting a plumber to repair leak above bathroom).

Route: Newtown - New Mills - Sett Valley Trail - Hayfield - Little Hayfield.

We tried a new route from Newtown - down a path in front of a row of houses which led to a path at the back of the same row of houses - as a consequence of which we missed the 10.31 to Hayfield, and had to walk.  The Timothy Taylors bitter at the Kinder Lodge (£2.90 a pint) went down exceptionally well.  A couple of pints there were followed by lunch in the park, en route for the Lantern Pike.  We were joined there by a depleted A team. Tom had arranged a splendid hot-pot, which was thoroughly appreciated, especially by Colin. Alan provided transport back to Hazel Grove.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (AKA Colin’s) next week.

Whaley Bridge

WHALEY BRIDGE, CROMFORD AND HIGH PEAK RAILWAY (DISUSED), SHALLCROSS INCLINE GREENWAY, COMBS RESERVOIR, TUNSTEAD MILTON, CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH GOLF COURSE, BRADSHAW HALL, ECCLES PIKE, THE OLD HALL AT WHITEHOUGH, BUGSWORTH BASIN AND THE GOYT INN AT WHALEY BRIDGE

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Crisp and sunny.

Walkers: Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Jones, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Spain), Peter Beal (Lanzarote), Tom Cunliffe (sore knee), Jock Rooney (diving in Abu Dhabi)

Leader: Fairman/Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Tom Brad’s Croft car park next to Whaley Bridge Marina.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 1.44pm.

As the admiral of the fleet at Pearl Harbour once said, there was a nasty nip in the air as we assembled for this walk. Blue skies and sunshine soon appeared to literally brighten our day and provide perfect visibility from the hills above Whaley Bridge.

High on a hill we had a chat with a lonely goat-herder, passed a site associated with 17^th Century regicide, and thanks to Colin’s recommendation we added another pub to our list of top hostelries.

Lawrie was notionally the leader of this walk, although there was some confusion as the usual usurper was often seen striding away in the vanguard. Despite being shorn of his curls, he has lost none of his strength of purpose. He has, however, lost some of his memory because we set off without waiting for his mate John, whom he should have been expecting. John caught a glimpse of our quintet after we departed the car park and was able to join us. Another ten seconds and we would have passed out of sight.

From the car park we headed away from the marina across a cobbled bridge which was once the route of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, which reached Whaley Bridge in 1831 to link the Peak Forest Canal, opened in 1800, and the Cromford Canal.

Coal and limestone were exported through the basin whilst cotton for the mills was imported. Commercial traffic ceased in the 1920s, but the railway to the gas works next to Shallcross sidings worked on until the 1950s. We passed the retirement flats at Cromford Court on our left which had been marshalling yards shifting coal for the gasworks which closed in the 1980s.

We entered Shallcross Incline Greenway (16mins) and turned left at the end of it to reach Elnor Lane. Here we turned right (25mins) and soon reached Shall Cross (28mins), where we turned left and passed Elnor Lane Farm (30mins) We turned left up a track (34mins) and reached a wooden public footpath sign (48mins) where we stopped to admire the views across the valley before crossing a stone step stile.

These were our first downward steps as we headed towards Combs Reservoir below. We crossed a ladder stile marked with a yellow arrow (58mins), turned left at Tunstead House Farm and right over a stone step stile (60mins) This took us into a field occupied by Houdini goats, so-called because of their ingenuity in escaping their boundaries.

They take their name from Harry Houdini, the renowned escapologist, who was born Erik Weisz in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, and died in 1926 in Detroit, Michegan. Weisz, the son of a rabbi, changed his name in honour of his hero, a French magician called Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.

After a mediocre career as a trapeze artist, cross-country runner and magician, his big break came in 1899 when he met manager Martin Beck in Woodstock, Illinois. Beck advised Houdini to concentrate on escapology and he subsequently toured Europe as “The Handcuff King.”

As we crossed the goat field, the lady who owned them told us how she inherited one of the breed when a friend died, and subsequently she had been persuaded to take on more.

We departed through a stone step stile (65mins) and continued downhill to a tunnel underneath the Manchester-Buxton railway line before heading diagonally left through a field (70mins) We exited by a wooden stile by the side of a large tree (71mins) and crossed two wooden footbridges and a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow to reach a main road at Tunstead Milton (73mins)

After crossing the road and turning right past Postbox Cottage, we stopped for Pietime at the side of a phone box near a stile (75mins) Resuming, we crossed the stone step stile marked by a green public footpath sign with a yellow arrow, crossing further stiles until we reached one with alternative yellow arrows pointing straight ahead or left (78mins)

Choosing to go straight on, we passed Spark Farm on our left (83mins) and crossed a wooden stile marked with a white arrow. Another wooden stile led us into Chapel-en-le-Frith golf course (85mins), which we traversed by following the directions of the public right of way. We followed a wooden public footpath sign where we crossed a road and turned left downhill (91mins) The route took us past Bradshaw Hall on our right (96mins)

The hall, built in 1620, was the home of John Bradshaw, president of the council who tried Charles 1 and signed his death warrant in 1649. Bradshaw’s was the first of 59 names on the document. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, six commissioners and four others were found guilty of regicide and executed. One was hanged, and nine were hanged, drawn and quartered.

Three who had died in the intervening years, including John Bradshaw and Oliver Cromwell, were exhumed so their bodies could be hanged drawn and quartered at Tyburn. What might they have done, one wonders, to Jimmy Savile ?

After passing the hall we crossed a wooden stile and went diagonally right through a field (102mins). We then crossed a stone step stile and turned left with a drystone wall on our left (105mins) We exited through a gate, passing Croft Barn on our right (107mins) before turning right at a green public footpath sign on the shoulder of Eccles Pike (108mins)

Instead of aiming for the summit on our left we plunged right to a gate (109mins) which led away from it and headed diagonally left through a field. A wooden stile led us into another field (118mins) from which we reached a lane. We turned left and then right over a stone step stile (122mins). This brought us to a stile and a steep descent to a road, where we turned right and immediately left.

We passed Eccles Terrace on our left and went over the road-bridge across the A6 (126mins) This brought us to The Papermill Inn on our right and a little further The Old Hall (131mins) For the second successive week we had reached our first watering hole before noon and for the second successive week we found the premises open for business.

Pints of Marstons’ and other cask bitters costing £2-80 were despatched before we resumed our journey with a departure from our normal route. Instead of walking down to the Peak Forest Tramway, we left the pub and crossed the road to follow a green public footpath sign. This took us across a stream (134mins)

The path brought us to a car park (143mins) where we turned left. We were now on the Peak Forest Tramway and we stopped for lunch by the side of a wooden footbridge across Black Brook (149mins)

Continuing along the tramway, we passed The Navigation Inn at Bugsworth Basin (155mins), turned left over a bridge and headed uphill, re-crossing the A6 by a different road-bridge and turning right a Silk Hill (159mins) At the top of the hill we passed Silk Hill Farm on our right (164mins).

As we reached The Croft on our left (168mins), we split into two groups with Colin leading  John and Julian to head up a hill on our left, while Lawrie led the remaining duo down towards Whaley Bridge.

We turned right after a red phone box (172mins) and then turned right at the cobbled bridge (174mins) to return to the car park (175mins) 

After de-booting we filled in time at the White Lion before joining our comrades at The Goyt Inn at the appointed hour of 2.30pm. Three different cask ales were on offer, including an excellent dark beer called Old Bob which was recommended by the genial landlord.

B Walkers' Diary:

Wanderers: Ken, Tony, George Fraser.

Apologies: Geoff (possible trapped sciatic nerve), Wally (in Sri Lanka for cricket).

Route:  Brabyns - Compstall - Romiley - Chadkirk - Otterspool - Marple - Brabyns.

An opening time of 2.30 at the Goyt Inn deterred us from that venue, so we decided on this well-tried walk of the right length. The length was extended before we set off by the news that the Marple acqueduct and towpath were closed for repairs for 12 weeks, so we included Compstall and Romiley. We made the first stop - The Hare and Hounds at Otterspool (< £3 a pint) - by 12.15, and without the guidance of Geoff. Eventually made it back to Brabyns car park and the Norfolk Arms (£3 a pint).

Next week’s walk will start at 9.40am from the Lantern Pike at Little Hayfield, where we intend to belatedly celebrate Tom’s birthday. The first stop will be The Lamb at Chinley around 12.30pm, ending at the Lantern Pike around 2.15pm. Don’t be surprised if Tom produces a cake.

Happy wandering.