Postscripts from The Peak District (7) - Flash & Three Shire Heads

Tuesday 18th June

Started the day by cutting the lawns & followed this up with coffee & something a little stronger with one of our neighbours! Les did, anyway.... I was driving!

Had thought about tackling The Roaches which had been our aim last week (Walk 4) when we ended up at Tittesworth Reservoir; then we were thwarted by the impending storm, today the views from Axe Edge Moor were lost in the heat-haze of a lovely afternoon so we settled upon a visit to Britain's highest village & the challenge of its neighbouring valleys!

Started out from 'The Traveller's Rest' at Flash Bar, Staffordshire's highest pub.... if not the Peak District's!
Now, this might look like a case of mistaken identity.... as if I can't read the pub sign, which clearly says 'The Knight's Table'. The pub, however, really is 'The Traveller's Rest'; the additional name a nod to the owners' taste in décor (inside & out) & also to Sir Gawain who was well known in these parts - more on this when I finally walk over The Roaches!
If that isn't enough of an identity crisis, the pub should have been the 'Brown Cow' but there was some kind of mix-up when the original signs were painted....!
 

Beer of the Day : 'Deception' from Sheffield's Abbeydale Brewery: the city's 2011 Champion Beer

Pale with a strong citrus flavour, I'd have to admit to not being overkeen - settled for cider at the end of the walk

 

 

Heading down into the Dane Valley with Cut-thorn Hill beyond

 

 

 

 

Axe Edge

 

Both the Dove & the Manifold rise up there, eventually joining forces near Thorpe

 

 

 

 

 

The Manifold Valley Walk begins at 'The Traveller's Rest' & wends its way to Waterhouses, next village to Ipstones on the Ashbourne Road, so I guess I'll be here again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence that one knee, at least, is working adequately!

Pondering upon which county to leap into at Three Shire Heads.... & there's a story behind that - read on!

 

 

River Dane below Three Shire Heads

I'd be hard-pressed to find a better picnic spot.... if you don't mind a stroll to get there

 

 

 

 

 

Three Shire Heads.... or Three Shire's Head.... or Three Shires Head - I get the impression that none of them is wrong!

 

 

I was standing in Staffordshire to take this photo, the far bank is Cheshire whilst beyond the bridge is Derbyshire

The site was once renowned as a venue for cock-fighting & illegal prize-fighting: in the days when police were not allowed to cross county boundaries combatants simply stepped over the bridge to avoid apprehension!

Also quite handy for Flash Company.... read on!



 

 

 

 

 

A stile too far!

Evidence that the other knee is not being quite so co-operative & sometimes needs carrying!

 

 

In fairness to the newer bits of my body the climb back to Flash is appreciatively steeper than the gentle descent to Three Shire Heads.... but correspondingly shorter!

 

 

 

Passed a large field of alpacas who were nosy enough to watch our every move but shy enough to observe us from a photographically safe distance

 

Well-dressing of the Day : in Flash village, opposite 'The New Inn' - a pub that's never, ever been open when I've visited!

Popped into St Paul's Church where their impressive local flower festival coincides with the dressing & an annual 'Teapot Parade' which commemorates the Flash Loyal Union Society, a Benefit Club formed in 1846 to help villagers in need

 

 
 
Song of the Day : 'Flash Company' by June Tabor or, more recently 'Yellow Handkerchief' by Bella Hardy which makes reference to the same historical story

 

 

 

Flash was once home to a notorious gang of counterfeiters who made use of the same legal loophole as prize-fighters to avoid capture

The area was also known as the refuge of 'badgers' or hawkers who squatted on the open moorland  and travelled from fair to fair selling their wares

Hence the origin of the term, 'flash', used to refer to something or someone showing off & trying to appear better than they really are....!

Postscripts from The Peak District (6) - Mayfield, Clifton, Edlaston & Wyaston!

Sunday 16th June

"So, Dad, what would you like to do for Fathers Day?"
"Well, I quite fancy going for a walk...."
Silly question really!

Jamie, Andy & Kirstie suggested a wander around some of the weekend's new well-dressings - a cracking idea: I'd stumbled across a couple of well-dressings on previous walks in previous years but mostly our visits to the Peak District have been at the wrong time of year & I hadn't realised that this revived Pagan tradition has become a summer-long fest!

Started out in Mayfield, Staffordshire, originally a Saxon village which appears in the Domesday Book as Mavreveldt 

Crossing the River Dove took us into Derbyshire but we didn't use the Toad Hole footbridge, that's a little to the south & closer to Snelston - not on today's walk!

 

Mayfield is a fascinating area with its own heritage trail around the different 'bits' of the village; Jamie & Andy explored this & 'discovered' another 2 well-dressings while we set off for Church Mayfield & a more adventurous route to our lunchtime pub rendezvous!

 

 

Mayfield was, for a time, home to Byron's close friend, the Irish poet Thomas Moore - his daughter, Olivia Byron Moore, is buried in St John's churchyard

 

Song of the Day : 'Lalla Rookh' by Fairport Convention - an early 19th century Thomas Moore ballad, probably composed whilst living in Mayfield

 

 Church of St John the Baptist, Church Mayfield

I'd read that bullet holes can still be seen in the west door & surrounding woodwork - a legacy of Bonnie Prince Charlie's bad-tempered retreat from Derby in 1745

 

 

Villagers took refuge here but several, including a local innkeeper, were murdered

 

Crossed the Dove through the site of Mayfield Mill & made our way to Clifton, original site of an 18th century mill possibly built by James Brindley but now more famous as the Down'Ards goal in Ashbourne's Royal Shrovetide Football Match!
 

 

Whilst murder or manslaughter is against the rules, unnecessary violence is only 'frowned upon'!

 

Other than that it's simply a case of getting the ball from Ashbourne to your own goal & tapping it 3 times on your goal-marker

 

Anybody can join in & it became 'Royal' in 1928 when the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) turned up for a game!

On Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday the shop windows of Ashbourne are boarded-up & visitors advised to park their cars well away from the town centre - ironic that the game's 'Turning Up' (start!) is in the middle of the town's biggest car park!

 

 

We looked at a house in Clifton, a converted bakery, & really liked the village.... I think we might be safer in Ipstones!

Beautifully-carved memorial seat to a keen Shrovetide participant for over 20 years - sited close to the Down'Ards goal

 

Beyond Clifton it was a little bit of ambitious route-finding over the fields to Edlaston.... this bit was easy 'cos it was waymarked - other bits were not quite so straightforward & a little nettly to say the least!

While this is a lovely photo of Kirstie I'd have to admit to being just as smitten with the stile! I've come across very few of this design in all my years of walking....

Sorry Kid!

 

 

 

 

After a battle through woodland, undergrowth & streams we finally reached Edlaston & our second well-dressing: Bishop's Well opposite St James Church

The church itself is tucked away behind trees but having caught a glimpse of the unusual tower I couldn't resist a closer look

 

 

 

 

Having exhausted the attractions of Mayfield, Jamie & Andy had arrived at 'The Shire Horse' & were wondering what was keeping us!

 

Excellent pub in a lovely setting: we'll be back & probably to eat - their food looks very good

Full of Fathers today but we had a finer plan in mind!

Beer of the Day : Sharp's 'Doom Bar' - an old favourite!

 

Only a few hundred yards along the lane from 'The Shire Horse' is the village of Wyvaston & another well-dressing

 

 

 

It seems that it's quite usual for villages close to each other to dedicate their wells on similar dates - ideal for visitors & particularly good for walking visitors who can string several villages, & wells, together

 

 

 

 

Despite the Pagan origins, well-dressing & their dedication is now closely associated with the Church & many depict Christian scenes & themes

We may just have identified a theme for some of our walks over the coming weeks!

 

 
 
 

Back at the beginning & one that we'd missed hidden away in Mayfield

 

This commemorates the centenary of Moorcroft Pottery in Stoke

William Moorcroft worked as a designer for MacIntyre & Co but formed his own company in 1913, going on to become Potter to Queen Mary in 1928

Moorcroft current designer, Rachel Bishop, is only their fourth in 100 years

 

 

 

All that remained was to head back to Ipstones for a barbecue & a few glasses of wine

Splendid Fathers Day outing!

Postscripts from The Peak District (5) - Cheddleton

Saturday 15th June

Glorious day &, even though we knew we'd be walking tomorrow (my Fathers Day treat!), we couldn't resist a bit more 'local' exploration!

Weren't exactly sure where we were heading when we set off but had a vague idea of investigating more of the Churnet valley & the Caldon Canal & seeing whether we could find any more pubs within walking distance of Ipstones - we found another three!

 

Started at Deep Hayes Country Park, an area reclaimed from coal mining, clay extraction, iron smelting, brick-making & the usual Pottery-associated activities - poor old Churnet!

 

 

 

Without the information boards you'd struggle to find much evidence until you reach this wonderful industrial relic on the edge of Cheddleton, the next village along the canal from Consall Forge & the 'Black Lion' (Walk 1)

 

Cheddleton Flint Mill ground white calcined flint & shipped it down the canal to the Potteries where Josiah Wedgwood was busily developing his 'creamware' range.... an ideal & very profitable relationship!

 

The Mill & its surrounding buildings are looked after by a team of volunteers &, unfortunately, today was not one of their 'open' days

The site, however, is open & there are enough info boards to guide the visitor around - brilliant! 

A view back up the Caldon Canal - we'd just strolled along here...

Now, this is something I hadn't seen before. The canal runs to the south, the river flows around the site to the north while the mill-stream has been split to run 2 water-wheels & 2 mills side-by-side!

 

 

 

The South Mill (centre) was originally built to grind corn (it's recorded that a mill has stood here since the 13th century). It was converted to flint-grinding in the early 19th century after the purpose-built North Mill (right) had proved its economic worth.... more money in industry than farming!

 

 

 Could have stopped at 'The Red Lion', close to the Flint Mill, but pressed on (another half mile, at least!) as we were keen to visit 'The Boat Inn' which we'd had recommended by several people

Just across the canal from the railway & another restored station on the heritage line, this is an excellent spot! Far too warm sitting in the sunshine for a 'Beer of the Day' - settled for ciders!

 

I suppose this is about 3 miles or so from our house: perfect for a gentle round trip!

Retraced our steps beyond Deep Hayes to another canal-side pub at Denford, 'The Hollybush Inn', at the point where the Leek branch leaves the Caldon canal.... guess I'll be doing some more exploring here!


Sat & chatted to a couple from Wells; he works for the Cathedral School & is responsible for the upkeep of all those wonderful buildings in Vicars Close (if you haven't a clue what I'm writing about you might need to do a cross-reference to LeJog!)
He told us that 14th century Listed Buildings & 21st century teenagers with music cases (violin, cello, guitar etc) don't really go together! I can imagine they don't.....!

After last week's fascinating toe-wrestling information, here's another indispensable piece of pub trivia: 'The Hollybush Inn' team has been European tug-o'-war champions for the last 10 years!

 

About 4.5 miles from our house: perfect for an extended gentle circular!

Back at the Country Park & this is the reservoir built in 1848 by the same Staffordshire Potteries Water Board responsible for Tittesworth (Walk 4)

Aware of the industrial demands being made on the Churnet they constructed Deep Hayes to top up the water levels.... & to thoughtfully facilitate additional expansion further downstream!

 

Song of the Day: 'Good Day Sunshine' - don't remember having a Beatles' song before

 

Julia: reckon this would be a walk for you - lovely views, no steep hills, no rock-climbing, no hard work at all.... except, perhaps, keeping up with all the historical information!

 

Postscripts from The Peak District (4) - Tittesworth Reservoir

Thursday 13th June

Well, not quite a fortnight behind. Wish I could blog as fast as I can walk!

Cloudy, cool & breezy when we set out, we ended up walking in shirtsleeves for much of our wander until the promised heavy rain sent us scurrying to the pub!

'Water Man' sculpture

 

Outside the Visitor Centre at Tittesworth Reservoir & just next to the Water-Saving Garden

 

I hope they managed to save some of the water that fell today - when we got home our water butts runneth over!

Another unusual sculpture.... but a bit early for a lie-down just yet - this is right next to the car-park!

.... Les tried out both but looked more comfortable in the giant armchair!

Tittesworth is Staffordshire's second-biggest reservoir & is fed by the same River Churnet that flows below our village

The first reservoir here was created by the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board in 1858 to provide water & power for the dyeing industry in Leek & all those other industries which cheerfully polluted the Churnet for a century or so

 



This, more modern, Severn Trent version was opened in 1963, is three times bigger than the original & supplies water to most of the Staffordshire Moorlands.... including us!
 

 

The source of the Churnet is up there somewhere, close to the gritstone ridge of The Roaches, which I'd intended to be our first walk when we moved here!

 

 

Didn't have the time last week & decided we wouldn't have the weather today - good decision!

 

 

Watched the rain from this excellent pub in the nearby village of Meerbrook, part of which disappeared when the valley was flooded to accommodate the newly-enlarged Tittesworth

 

Beer of the Day: 'Undertaker' - another from the very impressive local brewery at Wincle

A dark, strong, smooth bitter - excellent beer!

 

Song of the Day: bit of an easy one, really - Crowded House's 'Four Seasons in One Day'!

Postscripts from The Peak District (3) - Froghall

Tuesday 11th June

Lots to do today & the weather wasn't particularly promising so we just made up this short lunchtime jaunt around local villages

Interestingly, there was only cloud hanging over Ipstones but it was raining down in the valley at Froghall. Climbing to Kingsley & Kingsley Holt we walked above it again!

Glorious, sunny end to the day, naturally....!

Set off from Froghall along the Caldon Canal towards the 'Black Lion' (last Monday's pub) but, about half-way along, we dropped down to the River Churnet, ducked under the heritage railway & picked up the Staffordshire Way 

 

 

The Churnet's source is up on the Staffordshire Moorlands, not far from the Roaches (more about them in walks to come!) & its waters flow into the Dove before heading off for the North Sea

It's believed that the river was once one of the most polluted in Europe because of the industry it supported as it flowed through its gorge-like valley. A typical example was the manufacture of copper wire at the Thomas Bolton Copper Works here at Froghall for use in the first transatlantic telegraph cables - more on the industrial heritage later....!

 

Les was intrigued by the fact that the canal & the river flow in opposite directions!

Clever stuff!

 

One of the purposes of today's outing was to investigate how all these footpaths link together around Ipstones & we already seemed to be following 2 at the same time!

And here's another couple after we'd mountaineered out of the valley on its southern side & stumbled back down to the river from Kingsley Holt

Very steep up to Kingsley & decidedly slippery after the morning rain. It wasn't just us: a couple of young men, part of a large group walking the Staffordshire Way, caught us up & then stopped for a very long breather while they waited for the rest of their party to catch up

We didn't see them again & that made me feel quite fit & healthy!

 

Passed a Falconry Centre just below Kingsley & that looks worth a visit - after LeJog, Les is an expert!

We'll have to come again in any case.... for the views lost in the clouds today!

 

Ended up here, at 'The Railway' in Froghall, & as you can see it was fine enough to sit outside by this time!

Popped in for a 'Speckled Hen' after yesterday's shopping expedition but enjoyed a more relaxed cider today

Message to Kirstie & Di: this is the 5th pub I've visited so far within comfortable walking distance & I understand there's a few more that I still have to discover! 

Bit more heritage: the railway opened in 1849 & was an important passenger link with Leek as well as an outlet for Thomas Bolton's copper products, raw materials for which had been transported down the Manifold from the mines at Ecton (see walk 2!)

Closed to such traffic in the 1960s, the line continued to carry sand from the Oakamoor quarries, which will no doubt figure in a later walk, to Pilkington's glass factories on Merseyside until 1988

 

Now the line is home to 'the longest beer festival in the country', the Rail Ale Trail offers more than 50 real ales and 20 ciders served from bars at three stations, two trains and four pubs! This year's 'event' is on the 13th & 14th July if any of you happen to be here!

 

Song of the Day: 'Burn On' by Randy Newman.... thinking about the River Churnet in its former days!

 

Postscripts from The Peak District (2) - Thor's Cave

Sunday 9th June

Not really good enough: we'd been here a week & this was only our second walk. Whatever happened to our aim to walk every other day? Time for a serious summit conference with the former manager...

All's well! Apparently we'd been waiting for the weather to improve.... & for a break in the cricket!

Just a little clarification at this point, having already suffered severe geographical criticism from the ex-manager. I'm taking The Peak District to mean the whole of The Peak District & not just those bits allowed into the National Park.... I suspect that, in time, I'll also 'adopt' outlying areas of Staffordshire & Cheshire. That's the beauty of being unplugged!

Drove out to Wetton village, about 8 miles north-east of Ipstones, for today's jaunt

Had been here last year with Jamie, Andy & Kirstie but in slightly damper weather....

A view up the Manifold valley from just below Wetton - now that is a walk we'll be tackling soon!

I

I'd love Thor's Cave to have something to do with Norse gods but, sadly, the name is probably just a local corruption of 'tors'.... maybe introduced by some wandering west-country Druid on his way to the islands....



Last time I was here I had one new knee & the other one in a sling - I'd struggled to even reach the ledge below the cave!
Quite proud to be able to climb inside today!

 

And this is just how far inside I managed to climb

 

If you look closely you can see a loop of chain hanging in a very sinister fashion from above the mouth....

 

 

 

 

A near-painless descent down what seemed like thousands of steps & we were in the valley

A year ago that would have written me off for the rest of the day!

 

 

There was once a narrow gauge light railway running along the Manifold valley which, according to one of the railway workers, was a line that started in the middle of nowhere & ended up in the same place!

Built with the alleged intent of moving milk & dairy produce out of the area more quickly & shifting copper from the mine at Ecton to The Potteries, it's also worth noting the late-Victorian enthusiasm for tourism in the area!

Needless to say, the line closed in 1937 & has been a surfaced footpath & cycleway ever since.... inspiration for Sustrans?!

 

 

 

 

Les asked me about the river & why there was just a dry, stony bed. I guessed that it had disappeared underground, a characteristic of limestone country

 

 

 

 

Barely 5 minutes later a cyclist stopped & asked me the same question. I repeated my story, as a fact now rather than a guess, & was relieved to discover later that it really does flow down a swallow hole only to reappear at Ilam!   

 

Song of the Day: 'Bottomless Hole' by The Handsome Family!

 

 

 Here we are again! What goes down must come back up.... & it would help if there was a footpath to follow!

 

 

 

Finally escaped from all the Sunday-afternoon visitors to Thor's Cave & the Manifold Way when we chose this route to return to Wetton

 

 

 

 

Ironically, the climbs were not as steep while the dry grass & buttercups were easy to walk through &, though the footpaths could not be seen on the ground, visibility was clear enough to see stiles several fields away! A good choice!

 

And so to 'Ye Olde Royal Oak' in Wetton. We'd been to this excellent pub before & they didn't disappoint today

Beer of the Day: 'Wincle Waller' from the local Wincle brewery - pale golden, hoppy & very good!

However magnificent the beer, the pub's main claim to fame is as the original creator & home of the World toe-wrestling championship.... you only need to look at the pictures on the pub wall!!!

Of course I'm not kidding!