6th- 9th May & 20th July 2025
Introduction
It has been over two years since I last visited this long-distance trail.
I had intended to complete the third and final stage of this walk around the
boundary of the Peak District National Park last year. But it slipped down the
priority list for several reasons. I had much better offers from walking
companions, I was concentrating of the England Coast Path and I was not that
impressed with this rather concocted route on long neglected paths. But it
still hung over me as unfinished business so, with the unexpected continuation
of the dry, sunny spring, I squeezed 4 days into a busy schedule and planned my
return to the 2023 finish point, the Robin Hood Inn near Baslow. Two options
were available, a long and convoluted series of buses from the west or the East
Midlands train that circumnavigates the Peak District round to Chesterfield
where I could bus in from the east. Once again my noble wife offered to take me
down for the early morning train and I found myself searching for the correct
bus stop in Chesterfield with no time for a coffee. All became clear in time
for the short bus ride back to the Robin Hood.
Tuesday 6th May 2025 Robin Hood - Winster
Nine Ladies on Top of the Moor
The sky was clear, the day was
sunny with a cold wind blowing over the moors. The bus dropped my in this
remote spot on the A619 opposite the Robin Hood Inn, the exact point of my
finish of Part II of this trail over two years previously. I soon located the
stile and steps that led down a steep bank to a footbridge over Heathy Lea
Brook. A tricky section up the valley though some marshy and muddy ground, led
up onto the moor and a wide gravel farm track. This ran for two miles or so
over flat upland heath to the ruins of Hob Hurst House. Here the path descended
down Harland Edge to Hell Bank Plantation. I heard my first cuckoo of the year
as I approached the trees. Down through the woods towards Beeley, there was an
opportunity to miss out the village and head back over the ridge to Rowley
where I had my first stop of the day, a quick pint of Hobgoblin Gold (4.2%) in
the Grouse & Claret Hotel.
It was getting really warm now in
the sheltered and shadowless two miles of tarmac up to Stanton Woodhouse. A
long and convoluted route through fields and woodland, quarries and industrial
ruins, eventually emerged onto Stanton Moor and another rest was taken whilst
perched on one of the sacred stones of Nine Ladies Stone Circle. A homemade
flapjack and all my water were quickly consumed before I set out across the
moor on a gradually descending path that led towards Birchover. My route
continued south through Barn Farm and across the fields to Winster, the only
memorable feature being a sharp drop down a wooded escarpment half way along.
What goes down must come back up and I was faced with an uphill finish to the
day which got steeper and steeper as I climbed to the top of the village. A
short deviation to the west brought me to the Miners Standard, my resting place
at the end of day one.
Robin Hood dep. 10.55, Winster arr.
17.20
GPS 11.42 miles in 6hr 46mins 23secs
walking time with a 30-minute break in the pub in Rowsley and 10 minutes at the
stone circle.
Stayed at the Miners Standard
above Winster and a large plate of fish and chips washed down by a couple of
pints of Aldwark Pale IPA (4.8%).
Wednesday 7th May 2025 Winster – Thorpe
I was up and packed early (for me)
as there was no breakfast on offer in the pub but the café next door, owned by the
same people, cooked me a full English. I set off on a bright but chilly morning
to contour around the top of Winster and back onto route for the 3-mile
moorland crossing to Bonsall. A view of the village opened out as the path
entered its dramatic descent down the German steps, built by prisoners of war
in the 1940’s. The road through the village was quiet but the café at the water
fountain monument was doing a good trade. Even though it was early, I popped in
for a scone and coffee. After all this would be the only café I would pass
today. This prepared me for the big pull up the steps and back up to the
limestone moors. The path ran through a series of small fields and endless dry-stone
walls before crossing an area of disused mining, now returning to heath. A
stretch of farmland then bought me to a quiet lane at Ible.
Following the lane towards Grangemill,
I was tempted by the short cut down a steep limestone edge. Here a party of
girls on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition were in a face-off with some highland
cattle. But all was in order as I picked my way down the steep ground through
thorn trees. It would probably have been as quick to go round by road. At the
bottom was a four-way traffic system which did nothing to help the walker get across
the busy road junction at the Hollybush Inn. On the bridleway up south side of
the main road, I met first the teacher overseeing the DOE students, then a
series of small groups of boys from the same school as the girls so far ahead.
The indistinct trod up to the High Peak Trail, over cattle-grazed grassland,
seeing to go on for ever and I was most relieved to climb the wall stile onto
the old railway line and into the shade of some overhanging trees. This called
for ten minutes on a bench rehydrating and snacking on flapjacks.
Two miles on the trail were as
much as I could bear and I was glad to reach the turn off to Roystone Grange. A
pleasant grassy descent led to a farm track and a 1½ descent to the quarries at
Ballidon. At its main entrance, a security man guided me onto a hidden path
that climbed a very steep field up to the top end of Monsdale Lane. I was
quickly down into Parwich and a route through the village that seem to avoid
any signs of life and refreshments. Without seeing any pub, I was out the other
side on a track between hedges which gradually led onto an overgrown path to Sitterlow Farm. If
I had not carefully read the route instructions, I would never have found the
unmarked stile or the correct line up the steep fields to the top of the wood.
Somehow, I came out right opposite the entrance to Lea Hall. There was still a
sting in the tail of today’s route. A comfortable track led over the next few
fields but the right of way did not keep to this. To get over to Woodeaves Farm
the correct route dives down a field of cut grass, crosses a small stream and then drops through a
wooded dell before scrambling on unwalked and ungrazed fields to the farm yard.
It was straight forward from here round to Lees Farm where the farmer pointed
out the field path and stile system to Fenny Bentley. The scariest part of the
day was crossing the A515 where quarry lorries crashed through the village at
high speeds. Equilibrium was restored in the church yard before, to my horror,
I realised the short section over to the Tissington Trail was up the steepest
climb of the day. My b&b was only a short distance down the old railway.
Winster dep. 08.47, Thorpe arr. 18.15
GPS 17.93 miles in 8hrs 50mins 41secs
walking with 30 mins in the Fountain Café in Bonsall and 10 mins rest on the
High Peak Trail.
I stayed at the Station House
b&b in Thorpe and walked up the lane to eat at the Old Dog. A magnificent
(if expensive) meal of pork belly, new potatoes and beautifully done carrots.
The beers were Hartington IPA (4.5%) from Whim Ales and Lord Marples (4.0%) from
Thornbridge.
Thursday 8th May 2025 Thorpe
– Upper Hulme
A Mile too Far
A small cooked breakfast prepared me for the big day, the longest day of
the trip. An early start got me quickly through Thorpe village to the parish
church where a descending track led down to the River Dove and Coldwall Bridge.
On the far side the route headed right along the river, initially through
thorn-covered scrub and then into grass meadows to the road bridge at Ilam.
Passing the large monument, the grounds of Ilam Hall were entered. I kept to
the outside path that led to the chapel, where a path through the graveyard
came out facing the magnificent façade of the old hall. Rounding the huge bend
in the river, I ended up travelling north until I reached the footbridge into
the meadows on the other side. I was now face with a brutal climb up a steep
wooded escarpment to a high ridge above the river valley. Continuing more
gently uphill, the path passed the ruins at Upper Musden and then contoured
around Musden Low to Upper Green House and the village of Carlton. The drop into
the Manifold Valley was a delight on a zig-zagging grassy path that led down to
the old railway, now the Manifold Trail. An easy mile into Waterhouses and the
busy main road and, glory be, there was a café in the old station car park. I
sat in the sun and enjoyed a toastie and coffee, a welcome surprise.
The path out of Waterhouse was a devil to find. With careful navigation
across unwalked and uncut fields, I was eventually able to find Rocester Lane
and followed this into Waterfall village. Another tricky section led over to
Back o’ th’ Brook where a woman was watering her lawn. That is a first for
Staffordshire in early May. The track towards Ford started clearly enough but
soon disintegrated into an overgrown path along the outside of a field. A
series of field paths, some stepping stones over a stream and a steep pull up
to the farm at Felthouse was relatively straight forward but then the pointless
thrashing around the overgrown paths and the broken stiles behind the cottage and
the disappearance of all signage really began to annoy me. I was getting fed up
with trying to follow this awful route and my mood did not improve until I
reached the lanes at Ford. A mile of tarmac was a blessed relief but this
eventually led to more overgrown trods into Onecote. It was getting late in the
day so I decided to miss out a stop at the Jervis Arms. This proved a big
mistake which came back to haunt me later in the day.
In the heat of an oppressive afternoon, I set off up a quiet lane and
into the yard of Onecote Grange. Here the route rose up several pathless fields
before joining a farm track that continued to climb gently up a ridge. At one
point I found myself on the wrong side of a wall and had to climb back onto
route to pick up the path to Mixon Grange. A track out of the top end of the
farm was fenced off from the hill above but a water or communications facility
had an access road that dropped steeply down to Old Mixon Hay and the road
beyond. It was whilst walking the two-mile road section that things started to
go wrong. I began to develop a lean, indicating excessive tiredness or
dehydration. Maybe I should have popped in for a pint in Onecote. By the time I
reached the Mermaid and the turn off the road, I was definitely wobbly on my
legs and by the time I slipped and fell down the hillside to Hurdlow Farm, I
wondered how I was going to manage the last mile down the road to my hotel. The
farmer was feeding her cattle as I explained that I had walked myself to a
stand-still. She kindly offered to run me down to the hotel and I climbed into
her vehicle, grateful for the kindness of this lady and all mankind. She pulled
into the car park and dropped me at Reception so I only had yards to stagger up
to my room and collapse on the bed. Copious amounts of water and a shower
started my recovery but I was dubious about being able to continue tomorrow.
Thorpe dep. 08.37, Upper Hulme arr.19.25
GPS 19.00 miles in 10hrs 03mins 36secs
walking time plus 20 mins on a bench at the café in Waterhouse old station.
I stayed in the Three Horseshoes
Inn, near Leek. The meal was chicken coconut curry and lemon sponge and
custard. The beer was Heart and Soul (4.4%) from Vocation Brewery. This played
a vital role in my rehydration programme.
Friday 9th May 2025 Three
Horseshoes – Rushden Spencer
Gun Ends It All
So near to total exhaustion had I been last night that I was all for
pulling out of my plan to walk on for a fourth day. I had the choice of walking
3 miles down the main road into Leek to catch the bus home or I could stagger
on for a few more miles on route and aim to catch the bus from Rushden Spencer.
The latter gave me the opportunity of finishing the walk in one go later in the
month so I strolled into the beautiful morning light and enjoyed views of the
Roaches and Tittesworth Reservoir. Keeping off the pace I was fine walking
through Meerbrook village and out onto the field paths beyond. A broken and
overgrown stile at Lower Wetwood Farm gave me more problems, scratches and
cuts. The ascent of Gun Hill started in earnest as I slowly plodded up grassy
pathless fields passed Oldhay Top and on up the farm track to the crest of the
ridge. A section of tarmac led to a lovely grassy descending track to Gun End.
At Hawksley Farm, I said my goodbyes to the boundary path for the time being.
It was a struggle to find the side path to Heaton as a rickety old farm truck
had been parked across the access point. The normally muddy walled path was
bone dry and very overgrown but I took my time pushing my way through and
eventually emerged onto the road towards Heaton. Approaching the hamlet a
Chelsea tractor pulled up beside me and a kind gentleman offered me a lift down
to the pub in Rushden. He was most insistent that I chose the Royal Oak as it
seems that he owned it as part of the community scheme to buy and ensure the
future of their pub. I was soon ensconced on a luxurious sofa drinking Wincle
Waller from the local brewery. I had time for a large piece of chocolate cake
before catching the bus from outside the pub into Macclesfield bus station. We
missed the connection with my local bus up the hill and, as I was too tired to
the walk the 1½ miles home, I waited half an hour for the next bus. Home at
last after some of the roughest and hottest walking I have done for a very long
time.
Three Horseshoes dep. 09.44, Heaton arr.13.00
GPS 5. 64 miles in 3hrs 08mins 27secs
Had refreshments (Wincle Waller
3.8%) at the Royal Oak, Rushden Spencer whilst waiting for the bus home..
Sunday 20th July 2025 Gun
End – Bollington
Gun End Revisited
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With 15 miles of the route still remaining, my great walking friends Viv
and Tony made me a very find offer. If I would consider finishing the project
on a Sunday, we could add this to our regular Sunday jaunts, albeit a very long
one, and they would accompany me to the finish and help celebrate the
achievement. With all of us having a comprehensive programme of summer walks,
it was not until July that we could find a mutually convenient date for the
undertaking. With Jill’s assistance, I was able to park my car on the Saturday
in Bollington close to the finish and then await a pickup from Tony on Sunday
morning for the drive out to Gun End near Swythamley. The forecast was for
heavy showers but it was dry and overcast as we secured Tony’s car near Hawksley
Farm and began our descent to Gig Hall and the River Dane. The route was
familiar to us as far as Nettlebeds Farm but here it took one of its
characteristic loops into the wilderness of seldom-walked paths. A section of
temperate rain forest up to Lower Greasley farm took an age to battle through
before Barlow Hill was crossed and the Wild Boar Inn was reached. Grassy fields
now took us down into Wildboarclough and a long road section along to the Crag
Inn. This is no longer a licenced pub but is now the headquarters of Crag
Spring Water, a bottling an canning plant that sends water fron a local spring
to restaurants and clients around the country. As it is only open at Sunday
lunchtime, we went in and tested the waters, and of course the coffee.
Re-energised by a nibble of our sandwiches, we set ou on the most
challenging part of the day. As we began the climb of Shutlinsloe the rain
started and by the time we were at our highest point of the walk, as often
happens, it was bucketing down. To avoid getting cold we contoured round the
summit and headed down into Macclesfield Forest. We were out of the wind in the
trees and had warmed up considerably by the time we reached the visitors’
centre and the Forest Snug mobile café in the car park. Time for another coffee
and some cake all purchased from a grumpy owner to whom customer care was not a
priority. I could have any type of coffee I wanted as long as it was coffee and
milk. So, I had mine black and then moved on. It had stopped raining as we
reached Ridgegate Reservoir and we were just embarking on the round the lake
path, the official route, when a passerby pointed out the 'footpath closed’
signs. We retreated and took the direct route to the Leathers Smithy and on to
Bottom Reservoir. Across the wall of the dam, the next big climb awaited us. Steep
steps led out of the woods onto bare slopes with great views opening out. The
green disc signs took us round the ‘nose’ and back through the old quarry
workings. On home ground now, we lengthened our strides passed Tegg’s Nose Country
Park café (now closed) and along the Gritstone Trail to Rainow. Five o’clock
was striking on the church clock as we crossed the main road and set off up our
last climb of the day. A music festival could be heard to our right as we
slowly ascended Kerridge Hill. Once again we contoured under the summit and
picked up the signed route again on its steep drop into Bollington. A last
section of road down High Street took us directly to Pool End car park and the point
at which I had begun this trail three years previously. An awful lot of water
has gone under an awful lot of bridges since then.
Gun End dep. 09.21, Bollington arr.17.50
GPS 15.09
miles in 7 hrs 42 mins 53 secs walking time with 30 mins in the Crag Inn eating
our butties and 30 mins at the Forest Snug sampling their cafes and coffee.
After collecting Tony’s Car from Gun End, we
all retired to our house where Jill had prepared us a beautiful salad meal giving
the day a perfect end.
Conclusion
What began as a 50-mile walk to celebrate the LDWA anniversary in 2022, over three years ago, grew into a bit of an epic. I had decided that I might as well continue ticking off sections of the Peak District Boundary Walk as part of my 5-day trail walking programme. As my clockwise journey ventured into pastures new, I became increasing frustrated with the route choice, based on the nearest right of way to the national park boundary. The gratuitous excursions onto overgrown and seldom-walked footpaths were annoying and reduced the average walking pace significantly. 15-miles days were taking far longer than expected and arrival times had to be stretched. 18-mile days were getting beyond my aging legs. And the Staffordshire part of the route was particularly taxing and difficult to navigate. I therefore was not unhappy to put this trail behind me. The only compensation was that I have learnt a lot about the region I live in, having visited places near home that I never knew existed. But I shall now move on the tackle trails that have more definite lines through the landscape and that have more purpose to them.
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