June 8, 2022
THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, WHALEY MOOR, LYME PARK, LANTERN WOOD, LYME CAGE, RED LANE, THE DANDY COCKAT DISLEY, PEAK FOREST CANAL, NEW MILLS, FURNESS VALE MARINA
Distance: 9 miles.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Weather: Mainly dry with cloud and sunshine
Walkers: Alan Hart, Jonathan Hart, Chris Owen..
Non-walking Drinkers: Tom Cunliffe with Daisy; Jock and Keiran Rooney with Milly.
Apologies: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, George Dearsley, Mark Enright, Martin Evans, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor, Cliff Worthington, Dave Willetts.
Leader and Diarist: Alan Hart.
Starting point: Outside The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale.
Starting time: 9.33am. Finishing time: 2.20 pm.
For a variety of reasons from holidays to racing at Haydock Park our numbers were severely depleted for this popular walk known as The Phallic Trail. Starting at The Soldier Dick and calling at The Dandy Cock it is not hard to imagine how the route came by its title.
Weather forecasts warned us that showers could be expected throughout the morning but we managed to avoid the only significant rainfall by diverting to the folly which gives Lantern Wood its name and sheltering there for 15 minutes at Pietime. By the time we finished the rain had cleared away for the day.
When we arrived at our chosen watering hole for a livener we were delighted to welcome our wounded comrade Tom, who is looking forward to walking with us again after a successful prostate operation.
An added bonus came with the arrival of Jock and Keiran Rooney and our newest recruit Milly. This adorable border collie puppy has just finished her home isolation period and joined us from a trial walk along the nearby Peak Forest Canal.
From our assembly point outside The Soldier Dick we walked alongside the A6 towards Buxton for 80 yards before turning right into Yeardsley Lane. At its end we turned right just before the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park (7mins) and followed a track which later swung left towards a farm.
Proceeding through a metal gate with the farmhouse on our left and stables on our right (13mins) we followed the track to another metal gate which we went through and turned right, walking through a field with a drystone wall on our right. We crossed a wooden stile (22mins) and then a second stile brought us to a road (26mins)
Turning left we walked along the road for 100 yards before turning right to follow a green footpath sign for Bowstonegate. The path brought us to a wooden stile which we crossed (35mins) and followed the path across Whaley Moor.
The The view across Whaley Moor
After climbing a ladder stile (46mins) we reached a lane and walked left for a few yards before turning right just before a cattlegrid (50mins). A path to the left of a drystone wall led us down to a footbridge which we crossed (55mins) and reached a minor road. Diagonally left across the road were a flight of steps leading into a field.
A well trodden path across the field emerged to the left of a house by a stile which we crossed and then proceeded over another minor road to follow a public footpath sign directly ahead of us (62mins)
The footpath led us over two wooden stiles to a stone step stile (70mins). We crossed this and immediately on our right crossed a ladder stile which took us into Lantern Wood in Lyme Park. In the past we have often stopped here for Pietime but the brisk pace set by Chris had brought us here prematurely. A glowering collection of rainclouds was also approaching from the west so we made an inspired decision to divert to The Lantern for Pietime.
This is a belvedere (structure built to take in a view) comprising three storeys, the top of which is a spire which dates from 1580. The folly resembled a lantern in shape and is a Grade 11 listed building.
To reach it we turned immediately left along a path and then headed right when we saw a ladder stile exiting the park on our left. En route to the shelter afforded by The Lantern we spotted a deer in the woods.
A deer in Lantern Woods
Rain had just begun to fall as we reached The Lantern and went inside for Pietime (79mins). It was a classic example of following the Wednesday Wanderers' motto – Firm of Purpose but Flexible in Design. While we enjoyed refreshments two more deer ran across our view of Lyme Hall below us.
When we emerged the rain had stopped and we were soon able to exit the wood by a ladder stile, although a horned Highland calf was standing directly under it on the far side. The docile animal was one of a herd nearby.
From the ladder stile we turned left downhill along a path leading to a wooden stile which we crossed. At a lane we turned left for a few yards before heading right towards the distinctive Lyme Cage. This involved going downhill to a stream, crossing it by striding across its narrow point and climbing uphill on the far side. On reaching the building (100mins), which started its life as a hunting lodge, Chris produced a set of binoculars and searched in vain for the Ethihad Stadium, home of Premiership champions Manchester City.
We continued now heading downhill towards the park's entrance hut (122mins) and turning right to exit the park (124mins) and start climbing Red Lane.
The lane levelled off and then descended into the centre of Disley with The Ram's Head on our left. Here we turned right, crossed the A6 and arrived at The Dandy Cock on our left for pints of excellent Robinsons' cask bitter (144mins). We were joined in the pub simultaneously by Tom, Jock, Keiran and their dogs.
Milly gave everyone a warm welcoming lick and seemed intrigued by the fully-grown but smaller figure of toy poodle Daisy. For her part Daisy, as befits her French ancestry, adopted a somewhat haughty pose and gave a warning bark if Milly ventured too close. The latter took the hint but they both gave the impression they would soon become firm friends as walking companions.
Resuming we turned right out of the pub and then sharp right downhill along a road which took us under a railway line before we turned left into Sherbrooke Road (149mins). At the end of this we reached The Peak Forest Canal where we turned right along a path between the waterway and the gardens of houses (150mins)
On reaching steps we climbed up to a bridge over the canal which we crossed and turned left to reach the far bank. We turned left again to go under the bridge with the canal now on our right. Beyond it was a form where we stopped for lunch (156mins)
When we continued our route was a direct one, keeping the canal on our right as we passed the aromatic Swizzels' sweet factory in New Mills on our left and reached Furness Vale Marina. Here we exited at Bridge 31 (198mins) before turning right to cross the bridge.
On the far side we turned right for a few yards before following a footpath on our left which went through a tunnel underneath the railway line and emerged at the end of a cul-de-sac which we ascended to emerge opposite The Soldier Dick (200mins). We were alarmed to hear that this popular pub has closed and its future is in doubt.