Sutton

September 26, 2018.

SUTTON HALL CAR PARK, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, MACCLESFIELD GOLF COURSE, LANGLEY METHODIST CHURCH, BOTTOMS RESERVOIR, TEGGS NOSE, LOWER CROOKED YARD FARM, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, LEATHERS SMITHY AT LANGLEY, RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, LANGLEY CRICKET CLUB, FOLD FARM COTTAGE, TRINITY LANE ESTATE AND SUTTON HALL

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, warm and becoming sunny.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Cyclist: Colin Davison.

Apologies: Micky Barrett (Turkey yachting hols), Tom Cunliffe (twisted knee), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (awaiting knee op), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Steve Kemp (recovering from op)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of Sutton Hall, Sutton, Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.35am. Finishing time: 2.06pm.

For the second successive week there were six A-teamers for a walk led by Chris. This time Peter and Julian replaced Alastair and Tom in the starting line-up. Julian explained that Tom had sent his apologies after twisting his knee while sitting on a child’s swing that had gone out of control.

I would like to state that nobody laughed when they heard this story. Unfortunately I cannot. But I would like to add that after the hysteria had subsided we all wished Tom a speedy recovery. It could be that this is why children over 12 are banned from playground swings.

After the early summer’s prolonged heat-wave gave way to showers and blustery winds, we were treated to lovely weather and magnificent views as September went out in style. We also enjoyed sun-drenched tables in the beer gardens of two attractive watering holes.

From the car park we headed back to the main road and Bridge 44 of the Macclesfield Canal (3mins). Here we turned left with the waterway on our right.

The Macclesfield Canal, designed by Thomas Telford, opened in 1831 and runs for 26 miles linking the Peak Forest Canal at Marple with the Trent and Mersey Canal via its Hall Green branch to the Hardys Wood section. It has 12 locks at Bosley which alter its levels by 118 feet.

One of its innovatory features are its roving bridges, also called snake bridges, which enabled barge horses to switch towpaths on different sides of the canal without being untethered.

We used one such bridge to switch to the opposite bank at Bridge 43, now walking with the canal on our left and Macclesfield Golf Course on our right. Leaving the canal at Bridge 40 (21mins) we turned right downhill and then left into Black Road (23mins). We soon headed left up Richmond Hill (24mins) and followed a green public footpath sign at the top, heading right (25mins)

When the footpath split two ways we turned left (26mins) and crossed a gravel track to continue along the footpath. We went slightly right when we reached a sign for Macclesfield Golf Club to our left (30mins) and followed the footpath across a stony track (36mins). As we passed through a kissing gate (38mins) we identified the telecom mast on the summit of Croker Hill on our right and the shape of Shutlingsloe immediately ahead of us in the distance.

We turned right downhill at a green public footpath sign (46mins)and crossed a wooden footbridge (51mins) before passing through a metal kissing gate and reaching a road (54mins) where we turned left. At Langley Methodist Church we turned left in the direction of Macclesfield Forest (60mins)

Passing St Dunstan’s Inn on our left we turned left down Holehouse Lane (63mins) and reached the new wall in front of Bottoms Reservoir where we turned left (66mins). We walked through a wooden gate and turned right to start a climb up Teggs Nose (69mins) but soon veered off to the right (71mins) following a less distinct track uphill.

After passing through two wooden gates (72 and 74mins) we reached the Gritstone Trail and turned left (81mins), pausing for pies and port on three conveniently-sited logs overlooking the valley below (85mins)

Resuming we went through a five-barred wooden gate (86mins)and followed the wooden public footpath sign for Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe (87mins). This took us past Lower Crooked Yard Farm on our right (91mins) before we turned left over a stone step stile (99mins). We crossed another stone steps stile and turned left along a gravel track (103mins)

A metal gate led us into Macclesfield Forest (104mins) and we followed a wooden public footpath sign marked Forest Bridleway (109mins) to continue our journey. A metal gate (125mins) marked the end of the forest and we proceeded down a road which brought us to the Leathers Smithy (134mins)

Pints of cask bitter were priced at an eye-watering £3-95 but they were in good form and we enjoyed them in the beer garden in bright sunshine. Within minutes we were joined by a pseudo cyclist as Colin arrived on his hybrid electric bike.

As we bade him farewell and resumed our return route we took a path along the Gritstone Trail opposite the pub and walked with Ridgegate Reservoir on our left and turned right along the Gritstone Trail (139mins). After crossing a wooden footbridge (142mins) we went through a wooden gate (143mins) and turned left at a metal kissing gate just before we reached the Langley Water Treatment Works (147mins)

After some 100 yards along the footpath we stopped for lunch (149mins). Continuing we went through a metal kissing gate (157mins) where we fed Jacko, a Shetland pony, with two apple cores before turning right and right again along a road. We passed Langley Cricket Club (158mins) and Fold Farm Cottage (163mins), both on our right.

We turned left at a public footpath sign (164mins) and passed Langley Methodist Church on our right (167mins) as we turned left along Langley Road. We turned left into Trinity Lane (180mins) and entered a modern housing estate where we turned right into Fitzwilliam Avenue (181mins), left into Peter House Road (184mins), right at a T-junction into Gonville Avenue and left into Selwyn Drive (186mins)

At the end of Selwyn Drive we turned right at a major road (187mins) and left at Sutton Hall Farm (189mins). This brought us to a door on our right (190mins) which we entered and arrived in the car park of Sutton Hall to de-boot (191mins) before enjoying pints of Lord Lucan for £3-80.

Sutton Hall was the birthplace of Ralph Holinshed, a 16thCentury scholar, whose tome The Chronicles of England , Scotland and Ireland – whatever happened to Wales  ? – were published in 1577. It is alleged his works were shamelessly plagiarised by a budding playwright called William Shakespeare.

The hall later became part of the family estate of the Earls of Lucan. The 3rd earl, Charles George Bingham, was a field marshal at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War and commanded the cavalry. He and his brother-in-law Lord Cardigan, commander of the Light Brigade, despised each other which may have caused misunderstandings leading to the heroic but foolhardy Charge of the Light Brigade immortalised in literature and film.

The 7th Earl of Lucan, George Charles Patrick Bingham, disappeared in 1974 after the murder of the family nanny at their home in Belgravia. Rumours of his whereabouts in different corners of the globe were never confirmed and he was never seen again. He was officially presumed dead in 2014 and his son, George Bingham, became the 8th Earl of Lucan in 2016.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from outside The Sportsman on Kinder Road, Hayfield, led by Peter. He aims to take us up Williams Clough before reaching The Lantern Pike, Little Hayfield, around 12.30pm. We expect to be back at The Sportsman for a final drink at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering ! 

Manchester

September 19, 2018.

PICCADILLY STATION, MANCHESTER, LONDON ROAD, CANAL STREET, PORTLAND STREET, PRINCESS STREET, ST PETER’S SQUARE, MANCHESTER TOWN HALL, BRIDGEWATER HALL, G-MEX EXHIBITION HALL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE, CASTLEFIELDS, ROMAN FORT, DEANSGATE, THE NORTHERN QUARTER, CABANA CURRY HOUSE

PUBS VISITED: THE APE AND MONKEY, THE CROWN AND ANCHOR, THE MOON UNDER THE WATER, MR THOMAS’S CHOP HOUSE, SAM’S CHOP HOUSE, THE CIRCUS TAVERN AND THE WALDORF

Distance: 4-5 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy and Windy but Dry.

Walkers: Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (preparing for hols the next day), Peter Beal (Greek island-hopping), Colin Davison (rambling round Kinder), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (preparing for knee op), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Steve Kemp (recovering from bone-marrow op) and Julian Ross (w*^king)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Piccadilly Railway Station.

Starting time: 1020am. Finishing time: 5.30pm.

In a break from our normal routine those interested assembled at Manchester’s main station for a hike to coincide with a promotion of sculpted bees which were displayed at sites around the city centre. It was the last chance to see this urban art exhibition which began on July 23 and ends on September 23.

Local schools, assisted by professional and emerging artists, had collaborated to create a swarm of more than 100 giant-sized colourfully-decorated bees on pavements and squares throughout Manchester. It was a joint production by Wild In Art and Manchester City Council designed to stimulate interest in the city. Bees, indicating hard-working creatures, are incorporated in the city’s coat of arms.

Each of the bees was themed to illustrate different aspects of Manchester’s contribution to the world of art, culture, music, sport, television, technology and science. The quality of the exhibits and the imagination and innovation involved was outstanding.

We did not, however, make the most auspicious of starts as your diarist had advertised a rendezvous – Wetherspoons on the station’s first floor – which no longer exists !  It is a tribute to the enterprise of the Wednesday Wanderers that despite the misinformation we all managed to find each other, only to suffer from premature evacuation.

An announcement on the Tannoy system advised all passengers repeatedly to leave the station immediately. Only as we were exiting the front door were we informed that it was in fact a drill and we could return inside. We were left to wonder how many passengers missed their trains as a consequence.

Chris, who had suggested the walk and was leading it, then produced maps in plastic weather-proof folders along with coloured marker pens so we could tick off the bees we encountered en route. If only we had also been issued with clipboards we would have been a match for the parties of schoolchildren enjoying the same adventure.

As we set off from the concourse we emerged on London Road (the station’s  former name as I recall) and turned left towards Whitworth Street, passing the handsome Fire Station, built in 1905, on our right. We turned right and made our way to Canal Street in the city’s gay quarter as Tom took a succession of selfies which showed him gurning for his phone-camera with the individual bees in the background.

Chris led us past the Town Hall and Library Theatre via St Peter’s Square, scene of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819.

This was the site called St Peter’s Fields where an estimated 70,000 people had gathered to hear a radical orator called Henry Hunt demanding reform of parliamentary representation in the era of rotten boroughs and MPs appointed by patronage. Magistrates called for the Manchester And Salford Yeomanry to arrest Hunt. They charged into the crowd, knocking down a woman and killing a child before apprehending the celebrated speaker.

A magistrate then ordered the 15^th Hussars to disperse the angry crowd. With sabres drawn they charged into the terrified throng, killing an estimated 15 people and wounding 500. Hunt and eight who shared his platform were charged at York Assizes with sedition. Five were found guilty. Hunt was jailed for 30 months and the others for lesser terms.

A civil case brought on behalf of a wounded weaver against four members of the Yeomanry was dismissed. The court ruled their actions had been justified. The site was then renamed Peterloo as an ironic comparison with the Battle of Waterloo which had been fought four years earlier. This happened, lest we forget, less than 200 years ago !

We then headed past the magnificent Midland Hotel towards the GMex exhibition centre and conference hall, which was once Exchange Station. We crossed Deangate and headed for the Castlefield area with its Museum of Science and Industry. Beyond the ruins of a Roman fort and a recently installed replica of its main gateway, we passed Barca Restaurant by the side of the canal.

Returning via Knott Mill Station we walked along Deansgate, passing the imposing John Rylands Library on our left before turning right on to John Dalton Street for the first of the day, Joseph Holts’ cask bitter at £2-75 a pint, at The Ape and Apple (115mins). Suitably refreshed, we turned left on to Cross Street and right along Church Street, where the barrowboys used to have their stalls, before heading for the Kabana Curry House  at the junction of John Street and Thomas Street.

Here we enjoyed an exotic change from Pietime (130mins), although Alastair made the schoolboy error of sitting opposite Tom. As the latter tried unsuccessfully to perform the simple task of filling a glass with water, he released a tsunami all over the table and Alastair suffered from soggy chapattis.

The spicy meal had prepared us for our second drink of the day which we enjoyed, after passing The Printworks on Withy Grove (formerly Thompson House, where your diarist worked for 13 years) and headed past Hanging Ditch, The Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar on our right  to reach the Crown and Anchor at the rear of Manchester Cathedral (145mins) for more pints of Joey Holts. From here we returned to Deansgate for one in The Moon Under The Water (165 mins), a Wetherspoons’ pub dispensing Ruddles for £2-25 a pint.

The pubs now came thick and fast as we had single pints in Mr Thomas’s Chop House (168mins), walked along King Street to turn left at Pall Mall and call at Sam’s Chop House, where there is a statue to its former customer, the artist LS Lowry (180mins). From here we headed to The Circus Tavern on Portland Street for pints of Tetleys in the city’s smallest pub (190mins).

Our final port of call was The Waldorf on Chatham Street (200mins) before returning to Piccadilly for our trains home (210mins).

Next week’s walk will start at 9.35am from the car park of Sutton Hall in Sutton, Macclesfield. Chris will once again lead us on a walk which will take us along the Macclesfield Canal and up Teggs Nose before we descend to The Ryley Arms for a livener around 12.30pm. We expect to retrun to Sutton Hall for a last pint at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

Hathersage

HATHERSAGE SWIMMING POOL, BROOKFIELD MANOR, NORTH LEES, STANAGE EDGE, STANEDGE POLE, LONG CAUSEWAY, REDMIRES RESERVOIR, BROWN EDGE, HIGH LAD RIDGE, HIGH NEB, STANAGE EDGE, HATHERSAGE AND THE OLD HALL AT HOPE

Distance: Ten miles.

Difficulty: Moderate with strenuous climb at start.

Weather: Dry with cloudy start changing to blue skies and sunshine.

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby and Alan Hart.

Apologies: Peter Beal (Greek island hols); Alastair Cairns; Colin Davison and Jock Rooney (attending funeral);George Dearsley (in Turkey); Lawrie Fairman (awaiting knee operation); Hughie Hardiman; Steve Kemp (recovering from bone marrow transplant); Chris Owen (hols) ; Julian Ross; George Whaites (hols) .

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside Hathersage Swimming Pool on Oddfellows Road, Hathersage.

Starting time: 9.59am. Finishing time: 2.48pm.

It has been many years since the Wednesday Wanderers walked from Hathersage, a village in the Hope Valley. Tom, inspired by memories of his youth, volunteered to lead this walk on what for Micky and Mark was new territory.

A steady climb out of the village to Stanage Edge, passing a link with literary history en route, was rewarded with spectacular views from the summit. The panorama looked even better when we made our return journey as the sun came out and the earlier grey clouds were replaced with white fluffy ones.

It would be easy – and huge fun – to find fault with Tom’s leadership. One could mention his bewilderment as he studied the map at one stage unable to spot the landmark right next to him; his wildly optimistic estimate of the time it would take; his failure to plan for a pub visit during the walk; and that there was no licensed establishment at the finish worthy of our custom.

But that would be churlish, and we are not churls. Suffice to say that we are grateful to Tom for reminding us of the beautiful landscape not far from our doorsteps.

From our cars parked free in Oddfellows Road, we walked through the Pay and Display car park and turned right along a passage marked Toilets which brought us to the main road (2mins). We crossed to the right of the public toilets and headed right before turning immediately left up a cobbled street which became Besom Lane.

At the end of the lane we turned left uphill along a lane which petered out and became a stony track. We went through two gates marked with yellow arrows (14 and 22mins). We reached Birley Lane (26mins) and turned right passing Bronte Cottage on our left. The significance of the name of the renowned authoress was to be revealed soon afterwards as we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (29mins) and headed up a steep lane.

At the top of this lane on the left lies North Lees Hall, designed and built by Robert Smythson in the 16^th Century with a distinctive battlemented facade. It is almost certain this building inspired celebrated authoress Charlotte Bronte as the model for Thornfield Hall, home of Mr Rochester in “Jane Eyre.”

Charlotte, born in Bradford but raised in the Yorkshire village of Haworth, was a clergyman’s daughter and she stayed with her friend Ellen Nussey, daughter of the vicar of Hathersage. They both  visited North Lees Hall, which bears a striking resemblance to fictional Thornfield Hall, where Mr Rochester’s mad wife Bertha lived in a padded cell in the attic. This account is said by  folklore to copy the true story of a local mad woman who died while locked in a blazing attic.

Charlotte Bronte’s life (1816-55) was also marred by tragedy. In eight-months at the end of 1848 and beginning of 1849, her brother Branwell and her novelist sisters Emily and Anne all died from tuberculosis. Charlotte married a clergyman in 1854 and soon became pregnant but died from TB or typhus before the child was born.

We continued along a gravel track and turned right at a standing stone marked with a yellow arrow (38mins). A wooden gate led us into a wood (41mins) where we followed the path to reach a lane and turned left (46mins). Just before reaching the public toilets on the left we turned right (47mins) at a public footpath and headed uphill through bracken.

`Taking a right fork where the paths divided (48mins) we entered another wood and continued with a steep final ascent to reach Stanage Edge (62mins) and stopped for pies and port while we admired the view across the valley below us, marred only by the sight of Hope Cement Works in the mid-distance.

Continuing we turned left along the edge with the cliff on our left. After crossing a wooden stile (72mins) we turned immediately right away from the edge along a stone-flagged path. We reached a lane (73mins) and swung right. This path brought us to Stanedge Pole, marking the border of Derbyshire and Yorkshire. We entered the latter county and continued until we reached a road at what was once Redmires Reservoir (98mins). It appears to have been drained and is now more of a puddle than a lake.

We turned left and went left again (106mins) at a green public footpath sign. Heading uphill we crossed a wooden stile (112mins) and a bridge over a stream before turning left over another wooden stile (126mins). The path brought us to a derelict cottage where we turned left before a large pond (142mins)

After using stepping stones to cross a stream (146mins) we climbed uphill, passing grouse butts until we reached a copse full of evergreens behind a broken square wall (157mins). After much deliberation and persuasion Tom accepted this was the plantation marked on his map and we followed a well-trodden path by the side of a broken drystone wall.

After a long trek across moorland using the wall as our guide we reached a stone building (188mins) on our right known locally as “the bus shelter.” Here we stopped for lunch. When we resumed we were only a few yards from Stanage Edge (189mins) and we turned left with the drop now on our right. At a path leading to a rocky outcrop we turned right (197mins) and dropped down to a lower section of the ridge. This brought us back to the crevice (204mins) which had earlier brought us on to Stanage Edge.

From here we retraced our footstepsdownwards, passing North Lees Hall and then Hathersage Cricket Club on our right (250mins). We reached the main road in Hathersage (252mins) and turned right, reaching the George Hotel (254mins) only to find it was ...an hotel. Tom said we would go to the Little John pub instead but that was closed. So we returned to our cars (262mins to de-boot and drive to The Old Hall at Hope.

Here, in the sunny beer garden, we enjoyed pints of Dizzy Blonde and Wainwrights’ cask bitter for £3-55.


Pictures by Tom

Next week’s walk has been organised by Chris and will start at 10am from Wetherspoons on the 1^st floor of Piccadilly Railway Station, Manchester. It involves calling at some of the city’s historic pubs and what we have been promised is a hidden gem of a curry house. There is much flexibility in the itinerary and individuals might vary the route according to their return train times.

Happy wandering !

Ashford-in-the-Water

ROUTE:   ASHFORD IN THE WATER, PENNYUNK LANE, MONSAL HEAD, LITTLE LONGSTONE, GREAT LONGSTONE, HARDRAKE LANE, LONGSTONE EDGE, BLACK PLANTAION, MOOR LANE, DALE FARM, THE PACKHORSE AT LITTLE LONGSTON,MONSAL TRAIL, THE BULL'S HEAD ASHFORD IN THE WATER.

Date: September 5th 2018

DISTANCE:  8 miles.

DIFFICULTY:  Easy peasy.

WEATHER:  Sunny with fluffy white clouds.

WANDERERS:  TOM, MARK, JULIAN, MICKY, JOCK.

LEADER (From the front.) TOM.

ROUTE  REDIRECTION OFFICER (Shouting loudly from the back) JOCK.

DIARIST:  JOCK.

START TIME: 10:00

FINISH TIME: 14:30

Having extracted Tom, Mark & Julian from the Ashford Tea Room we set off up Vicarage lane turning left up the short steep footpath leading up to then over the fields to Pennycunk Lane which brought us eventually to Monsal Head (11:30). Following the minor road to Little Longston we passed the Packhorse (11:35) and on reaching the gate after the last dwelling on the right we took the left of the two footpaths leading from the stiles on either side pausing at the concrete water trough for pie time. No one had any port on offer and it is fair to say that until this point no one had missed Harty. The path led us to the metropolis of Great Longston  leading us through the kid's playground and on to the Church where we followed the road sharp right to a walled lane on the left which zig zagged over the fields to join Hardrake Lane leading up to a multi pointing signpost where we turned left and up onto Longston edge. From thence it was an easy downhill stroll down Moor Lane turning sharp left at Black Plantation and eventually right for Dale Farm and over the fields back to Little Longston  reaching a very busy Packhorse at 12:45. Cannot comment on the form or price of the beer as I was drinking Carling Black Label which was in excellent form.

On leaving the pub we returned to the gate with the two stiles and took the right hand Monsal Trail path to where it turned left onto the disused railway and crossing this descended the steps to the field below stopping for pie time number two. From then on it was an easy stroll over the fields crossing Longston Lane and Ashford Lane to emerge onto Vicarage Lane back down to the cars to de-boot and head for the Bull's Head (14:30) where the beer was off and had to be changed (I should have stuck to the Carling !)

Next week's walk will start from Hathersage at 09:50 (meet in Oddfellows Lane, Hathersage, next to the swimming pool) with Tom leading for Stanage Edge and beyond (see him for details). Halfway pub usually not available so make provisions ! Wish I could be there but Kieran, Colin and I attending an old caving club friend's funeral.

HAPPY WANDERING.

Hayfield

HAYFIELD, SETT VALLEY TRAIL, BIRCH VALE, OLLERSETT MOOR, BIG STONE, CRACKEN EDGE, CLAPPERSGATE, NEWSTEAD, THE LAMB INN AT CHINLEY HEAD, VORPOSTEN, MOUNT FAMINE RIDGE, ELLE BANK AND THE SPORTSMAN AT HAYFIELD

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Light drizzle and poor visibility early on: brightening later.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen and Jock Rooney with Tip.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Tony Job, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Starting Point: Outside The Sportsman, Hayfield.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2.39pm.

The start of this walk was tinged with sadness because George was absent due to the loss of his daughter Tracey two days earlier. Although her passing was not unexpected following a long illness, our sympathies lay with George and his family. George has borne this burden with commendable courage and we look forward to seeing him again in the not-too-distant future.

A damp, misty morning matched our mood as we set off, but by the time we finished the sun was shining, the scenery was magnificent and the world seemed a better place.

A visit to The Lamb Inn at Chinley Head, where we joined forces briefly with Colin and Lawrie, helped to raise our spirits and the excellent pints of Wainwrights’ cask bitter in The Sportsman at Hayfield ensured we ended the day in good form.

We crossed the road opposite The Sportsman to follow a wooden public footpath sign which led us down a flight of steps and a bridge across the River Sett. We turned right (2mins) with the river on our right and reached the main road in Hayfield (11mins) where we turned right downhill, then left into The George Hotel car park.

Here we waited for Chris while he bought provisions for the journey, having carefully loaded his rucksack and left it in his kitchen. On previous occasions Chris, who is clearly in need of a full-time carer, has forgotten his boots and lost his poles.

Our group re-formed and went through an underpass to the far side of the A624 linking Glossop with Chapel-en-le-Frith. Beyond the bus station we followed the Sett Valley Trail (19mins)

This 2.5 mile bridleway links Hayfield with New Mills via Birch Vale and Ollersett along the lower valley of the River Sett. It follows the track-bed of the former branch line from New Mills Central Station to Hayfield. The line, which opened in 1868, closed in 1970.

We left the trail at a wooden public footpath sign indicating Chinley (33mins) and emerged on the main road linking New Mills and Hayfield opposite The Grouse at Birch Vale. Crossing the road we entered Morland Road to the left of the pub (34mins) and began a steady climb up to Ollersett Moor.

Our route took us through one wooden gate (51mins) and another led us on to a public bridleway (69mins). Instead of following the bridleway we turned immediately left to cross a field. We went left at a wooden public footpath sign (79mins), crossed a wooden stile (84mins) and turned left uphill to reach Big Stone (87mins)

On a clear day this rocky outcrop commands splendid views of the Kinder Range but on this occasion we were shrouded in mist and could barely see each other. Thus no time was lost as we turned right along the ridge and as we approached a stone step stile Peter swung left downhill to lead us to what is often described as a rude dwelling.

At this modest shelter we paused for pies and port (92mins) before going back up to the stone step stile and crossing it to reach Cracken Edge. We crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (98mins), went through a wooden gate (119mins) and turned left after 25 yards to descend a flight of steps.

This brought us to a country lane where we turned left (121mins). We passed Clappersgate on our right (124mins) and after passing Newstead on our right (133mins) we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign. This took us through two wooden gates marked with yellow arrows to enter a field (138mins). We kept next to the wall on our left, went through a wooden kissing gate and turned right (141mins)

At a lane leading to the farmhouse on our right we turned left up a steep hill to reach and cross the A624 (145mins).  We turned left and reached The Lamb Inn on our right (147mins) with Colin and Lawrie hot on our heels.

Suitably refreshed we turned left out of the pub car park along the A624 in the direction of Chapel and went left over a wooden stile (148mins) and through a wooden gate with a yellow arrow to begin a long climb up Vorposten. We swung left on reaching level ground (162mins) and stopped for lunch by a drystone wall.

Continuing we went through a wooden gate (165mins) and passed a memorial to Peter “Ped” Nelson on our right (174mins). We turned right at a public bridleway (176mins) towards Kinder Valley. This brought us through a wooden gate (179mins) where we turned left with a drystone wall on our left.

By now the sun which had burned off the mist was shining brightly and we had splendid views of Mount Famine and South Head in the distance. We crossed a ladder stile (197mins) and carried straight on to reach a wooden gate (198mins). Beyond it was a public bridleway and a memorial bench for Ruth Catherine Lee (nee Hallam) who “was raised, walked and ran on these glorious hills.”

However we turned right before the gate and forked right to go downhill (208mins). A steep descent took us to a T-junction of paths at Elle Bank where we turned left (212mins) and went through a wooden gate (214mins).

When we reached a stone pillar the quicker route back would have been to turn left and cross the bridge on our right which we had crossed earlier opposite The Sportsman. Two minues of valuable drinking time were lost when some of us – and we know who we are – turned right, passing the campsite on our right, and then crossed a bridge on our left to reach Kinder Road (219mins)

Turning left we walked back with the River Sett now on our left and reached The Sportsman (221mins) just as the B team were leaving it.

Next week’s walk will start at 10am outside The Bull’s Head at Ashford-in-the-Water, south-east of Buxton. We will be heading for Longstone Edge and aiming to reach the Pack Horse at Little Longstone around 12.30pm. After eight miles we will return at about 2.30pm to The Bull’s Head at Ashford for a final drink.

Happy wandering !

Dean Row

THE UNICORN AT DEAN ROW, HANDFORTH, BOLLIN VALLEY WAY, MOTTRAM HALL GOLF COURSE, PRIEST LANE, LEGH OLD HALL, WOODEND FARM, LOWER GADHOLE FARM, BOLLIN VALLEY, THE ADMIRAL RODNEY AT PRESTBURY, PRESTBURY SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS, MOTTRAM HALL GOLF COURSE, BOLLIN VALLEY WAY AND THE UNICORN AT DEAN ROW

Distance: 10-11 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry, mostly cloudy.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Steve Courtney with Luna, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart and Chris Owen.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, George Fraser and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies:  Micky Barrett (attending funeral), Alastair Cairns (business meeting), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (monitoring York Ebor meeting on TV), Hughie Hardiman (Holland hols), Tony Job (Poynton Show duties), Steve Kemp (illness), Jock Rooney (in Isle of Man), Julian Ross (Vietnam hols), George Whaites (domestic duties)

Leaders: Various. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, Handforth.

Starting time: 9.33am. Finishing time: 2.33pm.

This route was chosen by us as part of Lawrie’s recovery route while he awaits a knee operation. So we were left rather rudderless and unprepared when he elected for a stroll around Prestbury with Colin instead of joining us for the start at Dean Row.

Our lack of leadership might also explain why a walk of eight miles went on for nearly 11 as we wandered uncertainly along the Bollin Valley.

By journey’s end we would have given anything for a pint – although we hardly expected to be charged £4-03 for Timothy Taylor Landlord. This topped last week’s record price of £3-85 and went some way to explain the lack of customers in a once-busy pub.

From the car park we turned right on to the main road and right again at the roundabout to enter Lees Lane. We made another right turn at a wooden public footpath sign (5mins) which led us into a farmyard.

Daisy, Tom’s miniature poodle, was off the leash and decided to chase the free-range poultry, but soon fled when a group of ducks retaliated.

We exited the farmyard and crossed two wooden stiles, the latter of which was marked Bollin Way. A metal kissing gate brought us to the right of a refurbished farmhouse (17mins) where we turned right into a field following a yellow arrow.

Reaching a road (27mins) we turned right and crossed a bridge before turning immediately left downhill through a gap stile to reach the right bank of the River Bollin. We soon climbed a flight of steps and turned right away from the river to follow a sign for the Bollin Way marked with a yellow arrow. This took us to the left of a renovated house and landscaped garden where we were once ordered off his property by a lawyer who claimed there was no right of way.

We went through two metal gates to enter the golf course in the grounds of Mottram Hall. After passing an immaculate soccer training pitch, we turned left at a metal gate with a yellow arrow (47mins) to enter a wood which ran along the side of the boundary. After ignoring the first wooden stile on our right (52mins) we crossed a second one (56mins) and walked past a tee to head for some trees to the right of the fairway.

As we reached the trees we forked left and turned right along a path (62mins) which led out of the course (65mins) near a farmhouse. A long drive on our right then brought us to the main road (72mins) opposite The Bulls Head at Mottram St Andrew (There was no apostrophe on the name on the pub wall: did the writer not realise that one head indicated one bull ?)

We crossed into Priest Lane and turned left (73mins) at Rose Cottage, going left again at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (74mins). This took us over several wooden stiles, passing a pink thatched cottage on our right (82mins) before we reached a flight of steps where we traditionally hold Pietime (84mins), accompanied by port.

Resuming we turned left at a green public footpath sign and then went diagonally left across the main road to head towards Legh Old Hall (85mins). After passing this building on our left, we also passed Legh Hall and then turned left at Legh Coach House (90mins)

While Steve mourned the loss of his hat, which he had left behind at our pie stop, and while we offered to wait while he retrieved it, Chris and Tom strode purposefully ahead. Steve opted to collect it later, by which time we discovered we had been heading in the wrong direction. After some fruitless searching, Peter produced a map and Tom got his gadget out.

Together they directed us to a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow which had earlier been missed (116mins), We crossed this and three more to reach a lane outside Woodend Farm (124mins) where we turned right to reach the front of Lower Gadhole Farm (126mins). We turned right and followed the path round two paddocks to a wooden footbridge (132mins)

We went left at a wooden kissing gate and left again over a wooden stile before turning right down a lane (134mins). This took us to a bridge over the River Bollin (136mins) which we crossed and turned immediately right. We were on the outskirts of Prestbury, passing a football pitch on our right and turning left at The Village Club (143mins) to reach the car park at the rear of The Admiral Rodney (144mins)

Picture of fungi by that Fun Guy Tom

At 12.10pm the B team, including Colin and Lawrie, were firmly ensconced, enjoying excellent pints of Robbies’ cask bitter for £3-40. They showed no signs of an imminent departure when we left 50 minutes later to return to Dean Row. We paused for lunch (152mins) on benches at the side of the football pitch we had passed earlier and where Chris had once played for the local team.

Continuing, we went straight ahead at the bridge we had crossed earlier (157mins), keeping the Bollin our left as we passed Prestbury Sewage Treatment Works on our right. Beyond it, instead of continuing on the right of the river, we crossed a footbridge on our left (181mins) and followed a path which brought us back to Mottram Hall golf course.

The Par 72 championship course, in the grounds of an 18^th Century Georgian House which has been converted into a luxury hotel, is 7006 yards long. It has been visited by top golfers from all over the world and has also hosted soccer teams prior to Premiership and international matches.

From here we retraced our earlier footsteps back to the banks of the Bollin, crossing the the river by the road bridge (206mins), turning left at the renovated farmhouse  (210mins), going through the farmyard with various species of free-range poultry (224mins) and returning to The Unicorn (230mins)

Next week’s walk will start from The Sportsman at Hayfield at 9.40am, going along The Sett Valley Trail to Birch Vale, then heading up Moorlands Road on to Ollersett Moor, Big Stone and Cracken Edge before reaching The Lamb Inn at Chinley around 12.30pm. Returning via Mount Famine Ridge we hope to be back at The Sportsman for 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !

Castleton

CASTLETON, PEAK CAVERN, SPEEDWELL CAVERN, TREAK CLIFF CAVERN, BLUE JOHN CAVERN, MAM TOR, BARKER BROW, LOSE HILL, HIGH PARK HALL, MEAD FARM, THE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT HOPE, WOODROFFE ARMS, HOPE PINFOLD, PEAKSHOLE WATER, THE CHESHIRE CHEESE AT CASTLETON

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous.

Weather: Warm with cool breeze, sunshine and cloud.

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen and George Whaites.

Separate walker and cyclist: Colin Davison.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (in Anglesey), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman ( awaiting knee operation), Hughie Hardiman (domestic duties), Steve Kemp (awaiting op), Jock Rooney (Isle of Man), Julian Ross (Vietnam hols)

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Main road through Castleton near Peak Cavern.

Starting time: 9.53am. Finishing time: 2.21pm.

First of all may I apologise to those Wednesday Wanderers who misheard last week’s plans and thought we were going to begin this walk with four taverns in the first hour. This would have been a splendid and highly popular idea, but we actually passed the entrances to four caverns.

Although short in length this was one of our most strenuous routes and fortunately came with options for the less ambitious to skirt the shoulders of the summits of Mam Tor, Barker Brow  and Lose Hill. After the summer heatwave, a cooling breeze was most welcome as we enjoyed the spectacular views from the hilltops across Hope Valley.

The walk was also memorable because I believe we might have broken the record paid for a pint of cask bitter, being charged £3-85 for Swift Nick at the Cheshire Cheese in Hope. This was soon followed by the second highest-priced pint at the next pub, the Cheshire Cheese in Castleton, where we paid £3-70 for pints of Peter Rabbit. It is some comfort to know we are doing our bit in keeping Britain’s country pubs in business.

The location of two pubs called The Cheshire Cheese in Derbyshire has an interesting background. In bygone days farmers from Cheshire used to bring their dairy produce through the Hope Valley to sell in Sheffield. Landlords wishing to give them a welcome overnight stop called their inns The Cheshire Cheese to also indicate they would accept cheese in payment for accommodation. In the 20th Century there was another pub called The Cheshire Cheese in Bamford, four miles out of Hope on the way to Sheffield.

From the road we entered The Peak Cavern car park on our right with its charming sign “This Way To The Devil’s Arse.” Beyond the cavern entrance we turned right up Goose Hill (2mins) and followed the lane as it became a footpath. Where it crossed the road at The Speedwell Cavern (18mins) we followed a public footpath sign on the right and continued to climb until we reached the entrance to Treak Cliff Tavern (27mins)

Incidentally, for those of a curious disposition, the nickname Devil’s Arse was first published in 1586 by Gervaise of Tilbury, and mentioned two centuries later by Daniel Defoe in his travel guide. The name is believed to come from the flatulent noises emanating from below when flood water drains.

Peak Cavern was once reputed to be a haven for bandits when Cock Laurel, leader of the Rogues, joined forces with Giles Hather, king of the gipsies. It was also one of the last homes in Britain for troglodytes, who lived in the cave entrance making rope in the early 20th Century.

In 1959 the cavern was the scene of a tragedy when Neil Moss, a 20-year-old university student, became jammed in a passage 1,000 feet from the entrance. Many rescue attempts failed and when he died his father ordered that the passage be sealed with concrete so no others lost their lives trying to retrieve the body.

On a happier note, the cavern now hosts underground musical concerts, featuring modern bands which have included such luminaries as Jarvis Cocker.

Ouside Treak Cliff Cavern we read a plaque  informing us that 330 million years ago this was a warm tropical sea whose dead inhabitants had piled up to form the hill on which we stood.

We walked behind the cavern entrance and continued through a wooden gate (38mins). We forked left uphill and walked through another wooden gate towards The Blue John Mine.

This was named after the semi-precious mineral, a form of fluorite, which was mined throughout the 19th Century for its ornamental value and is sold in the gift shops of Castleton to this day. Blue John is purplish blue and yellow in colour so its name could have come from the French bleu jaune. As Cornish miners worked in Derbyshire’s lead mines in the 1740s, it could also have emanated from the Cornish word bleujenn.

Beyond the mine entrance we turned right (42mins) and reached a road where we turned left uphill (43mins). At a wooden public footpath sign we turned right towards Mam Tor Summit (47mins). When we reached a wooden public footpath sign and a wooden gate (57mins) the main party headed up towards the Trig Point while George and your diarist headed left to skirt the summit.

We walked along a road before turning right up a track by the side of a bus stop (59mins). We reached the far side of Mam Tor just as our five comrades descended and joined us at a broken wall where the paths met for Pietime (71mins) accompanied by port and damson gin, supplied and lovingly created by Chris.

Continuing our journey we went through a wooden gate (80mins) and proceeded to Hollins Cross (85mins) and its memorial stone. From here the path ascended again towards Barker Brow. While four of us chose the right shoulder of Barker Brow and Lose Hill beyond it (99mins), the three youngsters, Micky, Alastair and Mark took the high road to glory.

The following describes we lesser mortals’ journey as we entered a wood on the way down to Hope through a broken wooden stile (103mins). We exited via another wooden stile (112mins) and observed a pair of kestrel hunting for prey below us. It was a rare opportunity to see the attractive ruddy feathers and black wingtips on their backs.

We crossed three more wooden stiles  (121, 123 and 124 mins) before turning right at a cairn and heading steadily downhill. We went through a wooden gate (139mins) and crossed a wooden stile (144mins) before swinging left downhill. This brought us to a road where we turned right (149mins) passing High Park Hall and Mead Farm on our right before reaching The Cheshire Cheese at Hope (155mins)

Colin, who had roared up in his car to meet us before our start in Castleton, was awaiting our arrival. We enjoyed pints of Swift Nick in the beer garden despite its eye-watering price of £3-85 a pint. We bade farewell to our comrade as he drove away with his bike on the back of his car, and turned right out of the pub.

The road became Bowden Lane (158mins) and as we reached the main road it had become Edale Road (162mins). We turned right and immediately left at The Woodroffe Arms into Pindale Road (163mins). This soon brought us to Hope Pinfold for lunch (165mins). A sign giving the terms for which lost cattle were impounded here and the price for redeeming them appeared to be centuries old but in fact applied until 1947.

Resuming we continued up the road passing a St John Ambulance station before turning right at a public footpath sign on our right with Eccles Lane on our left (165mins). We went through two wooden gates (170 and 172mins) before crossing a quarry railway (175mins). A stone step stile (179mins), a kissing gate (180mins), a stone step stile (181mins) and a wooden stile with a yellow arrow (182mins) brought us to the left bank of Peakshole Water.

A wooden gate (188mins) led us to a main road where we turned left towards Castleton (193mins), reaching The Cheshire Cheese on our left (196mins). Pints of Peter Rabbit cask bitter cost £3-70. Suitably refreshed, we turned left out of the pub and walked through the centre of Castleton to return to our cars for the homeward journey (204mins)

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the rear car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, Handforth, where we hope to see our wounded comrade Lawrie. We expect to rach The Admiral Rodney in Prestbury for a livener around noon before returning to The Unicorn at 2pm.

Happy wandering !