The walk will be a 9 miler around Lyme Park. Starting at Disley train station, we will walk along part of the North Cheshire Way up to Dale Top, then loop around and enter Lyme Park via Bowstone Gate. The Gritstone Trail leads us back down to the mansion house, and we’ll make our way via Cage Hill to The Ram’s Head for our pub lunch. Meet at Manchester PICCADILLY at 9:30 near the central information booth to catch the 9:50 train.
Our February walk is on 19th of February. It will be a circular walk starting from Glossop train station and will be lead by local Kirsten. As is our tradition when we are are in Glossop we will end in the Globe for their ridiculously cheap and very fine veggie food and cask ales.
Meet at Manchester PICCADILLY at 10:00 near the central information booth to catch the 10:18 train. There are return trains every half an hour and we expect to return to Manchester no later than around five forty. These timing will allow time for a tea break or two, so please bring enough food and drink to last until the pub.
Our walk this Sunday (March 19th) will take us from Darwen to Entwistle. A 9-mile walk through nice woodland (Sunnyhurst wood and Tockholes plantation) will take us via the Turton & Enwistle Reservoir to one of our favourite pubs, the Strawbury Duck (http://www.thestrawburyduck.co.uk/) which is right next to the Entwistle train station. In poor weather we could also choose a shorter route via Jubilee Tower and the Eastern branch of the Witton Weavers Way.
We will get to Darwen by train – meet at Manchester VICTORIA at 9:45 to catch the 10:03 train to Darwen. Meet near the ticket office. Northern Duo tickets are apparently no longer available from Victoria. L
We expect to return to Manchester for 17:57 on the 17:22 from Entwistle. (Buy return tickets to Darwen as Entwistle is closer to Manchester on the same line.)
Fingers crossed for good weather on Sunday May 14th when we’re off to the Peaks again! Last year’s May walk from Bamford saw brilliant sunshine from beginning to end, while our “founding walk” ten years ago (!) around Edale was a washout…
This year we’ll do a 7.5 mile (12 km) circular walk from Edale. The plan is to go West via Upper Booth, hike up to Kinder Scout via Jacob’s ladder and back down again via Grindsbrook Clough. That makes this a shorter walk than we typically do, but there’s a lot more altitude involved.
Staying with the 10-year anniversary theme, we should have our pub lunch again in The Old Nags Head. We will be getting to Edale by train. Meet at Manchester Piccadilly near the information board on Sunday, May 14th at 9:10am to catch the 9:22 train to Edale (Northern service to Sheffield).
We should be returning to Manchester on the 16:48 train from Edale, which arrives back in Manchester at 17:34. This timing will allow for one or two short stops for snacks, and then a pub lunch before catching the train.
Our June walk this Sunday, 18th June will be a 8 ½ mile (13.5 km) walk from Whaley Bridge to Buxton. We will follow the Midshires way for the whole route: past Fernilee reservoir and through lovely woodland before crossing over to the other side of the water. The second half of the route then takes us up to Buxton, in part via a Roman road. Alternatively, if energy levels and the weather are good we can take a slightly longer and more exciting route from the Errwood reservoir past the Wild Moor, similar to the one described here, only in reverse. We’ve got plenty of food options in Buxton, such as the Tap House not far from the train station.
We will be getting to Whaley Bridge by train; meet at Manchester Piccadilly this Sunday at 9:30 am to catch the 9:50 train to Whaley Bridge (Northern Service to Buxton, platform 12). Please buy a return ticket to Buxton as that is whence we return.
Meet near the information board. We should be returning on the 16:27 train from Buxton, which arrives back in Manchester at 17:27. This timing will allow for one or two short stops for snacks, and then a pub lunch before catching the train.
This Sunday we’ll take the bus because the train options are limited, what with Industrial Action by Northern Rail. This will be an 8.5 mile (13.7km) circular walk from Haslingden, of which about half follows the Rossendale Way around the three reservoirs and through the beautiful Haslingden Grane with its ghost villages. There will be time for a tea break or two, so please bring enough food and drink to last until the pub. The options are a bit limited out there, but the Duke of Wellington Inn does a pub lunch with veggie options.
Meet 9:30 outside Chorlton Street Coach station (Stop EZ) to catch the 9:45 X41 bus to Haslingden (direction Blackburn). Join us along the route if that suits you better, eg from Prestwich around 10:10. Return buses leave from Haslingden every hour, and we should be able to catch the 16:45 which arrives back in Manchester city centre by 17:38.
Our walk this Sunday will be a gentle 7 ½ mile (11.7 km) circular walk from Hathersage. This time round there is added excitement because I’ve not walked the route previously, so there’s opportunity for getting lost J. We will cross the Derwent to Leadmill and follow the road for a little bit to get onto the top of Eyam Moor. If the “Sir William Hill Road” is a little too straight and civilised, the second half of the walk with the descent into Bretton Clough should be a lot more interesting and varied with some lovely woodland. Pub options include the Plough Inn (about 1km before the station) and the Hathersage Social Club (“in town”, adding a ca. 0.4 mi round trip to the route).
We will be getting there by train; meet at Manchester Piccadilly this Sunday at 9:10 am to catch the 9:22 train to Hathersage (Northern Service to Sheffield, platform 1). Please buy a return ticket to Hathersage (ca. £11.40).
Let’s meet near the information board. We should be returning with the 16:33 train from Hathersage, which arrives back in Manchester at 17:34. This timing will allow for one or two short stops for snacks, and then a gourmet pub lunch before catching the train. (If you need to be back earlier and don’t mind missing out on the pub lunch, there’s every chance you can catch the same train at 15:33.)
Our next walk (Sunday September 10th) will be a slightly longer and hillier walk to make the most of the long days we’ve got left. This is a 9 mile circular walk from Todmorden that explores both sides of the Calder valley. From the town centre, we will cross the Rochdale Canal and hike up to and around Dobroyd castle. Following the Calderdale Way until Todmorden Edge, we will then continue in a northwest direction before returning to the valley. On the other side, our steep path will lead through beautiful gnarled oaks towards another stretch of the Calderdale way with great views. Depending on the weather there are many options for scenic or more direct routes back into town. No pub lunch suggestions this time- there are countless options in town, so you’ve got some homework to check those out.
Meet at Manchester VICTORIA at 9:30 near the ticket booth to catch the 9:40 Northern service to Blackburn. Buy a return ticket to Todmorden (ca £8.70). We expect to return to Manchester by 6:20pm (17:50 from Todmorden), or for those in a rush, an hour earlier. (There are two trains an hour but they run at 50 and 56 past the hour, so not really much help.)
This walk will be a 9 mile circular walk from Macclesfield via the Gritstone trail and Tegg’s Nose, with a suggested pub lunch at the Puss in Boots. If we’re feeling fit and the weather is friendly we can make the loop a bit bigger and include the White Nancy before getting to Tegg’s Nose.
Meet at Manchester Piccadilly at 9:15am near the ticket booth to catch the 9:27 CrossCountry service to Bournemouth. Buy a return ticket to Macclesfield (ca £9.60). We have many options for returning to Manchester- there are two trains an hour at 05 and 42 past the hour, so anything goes.
The timing above will allow time for a tea break or two, so please bring enough food and drink to last until the pub.