REMEMBERING OUR MEMBERS Walk —Sunday 10 November 2024 

Meet Leader: Jim Gregson

Maps for this walk:  BMC British mountain Maps Dark Peak and White Peak both cover the Goyt area. OS OL24 1:25000 The Peak District White Peak Area gives larger scale cover (note --NOT on The Dark Peak OL1).

The walk route will take us over some very traditional KMC territory in the easy-to-access Goyt Valley ( which was regularly used each year when Club Founder Member Len Stubbs used to host a meet from his two different homes in Kettleshulme. (Len’s ashes were placed at the summit of Black Hill overlooking Kettleshulme village so in a sense he will still be keeping an eye on us!)

The meeting place for this meet will be The Street carpark close to the Errwood reservoir dam. GR : SK014756 (The Street is the road down into the Goyt from Pym Chair which is along the road from Windgather. Road approach either from Whaley Bridge then up to Kettleshulm and on via Pym Chair, OR through Whaley Bridge then onward along the Long Hill road, A5004, then turn sharp R into Goyt’s Lane and steeply down passing Bunsal Cob to Errwood Resr. dam and the carpark. Meeting time is 09:00 to 09:15 for prompt walk start at 09:30. If the Street carpark is very busy or full, there is plenty of parking along the roadside  a bit further along the reservoir side or another large carpark - Errwood - at Gr: SK012748.
NO DOGS, please on this walk.

The route:
Proceed South along road or on roadside grass/mud beyond the Shooter’s Clough bridge to the Errwood carpark, then go uphill to join the hardcore track signed to Errwood Hall, running through mixed and rhododendron woodland.Pass just below the Hall ruins and then make a sharp L to reach the remains of Errwood Hall, which was the home for more than 100 years was the family home of the Grimshawe family, Manchester business men whose estate hereabouts covered over 8.1 sq. km including several farms, a school, the Cat and Fiddle Inn, a private coal mine and the hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge (see Wikipedia entry “Errwood Hall” for further info)

From the hall ruins rejopin the wide track heading W then wind up and around the hill on ther R to reach the restored Grimshawe family burial ground where several generations of the family lie. Wind back down the hill then bear R to reach a footbridge crossing the clough below Foxlow Edge, turn L and ascend the obvious path going up the clough running NNW. Higher up note the small conical building of the Spanish Shrine which was erected by the Grimshawe family in. memory of Dolores de Ybarguen, a Spanish aristocrfat who was the teacher at the estate school and governess to the family (she had died during a visit to Lourdes). The shrine is unlocked but please be respectful if you look/go inside (and close the door on leaving). Climb back to the main path then go up to the road (The Street) which follow up towards Pym Chair. Get onto the ridge which runs S over Cats Tor and Shining Tor for 3km to the trig point at Shining Tor, 559m.

Somewhere along this ridge, at 11:00 we will stop for a two-minute silence in memory of all those KMC Members who have died since the founding of the Club in 1944 (see full list of names which should be in a recent KMC Newsletter. This silence should coincide with the national two-minute remembrance for the fallen of two world wars).

Descend SE from Shining Tor then up to the main ridge, turn R and after a short distance go through a small gate on the R to descend again passing Stake Farm then go R to the Peak View Cafe - possible (optional, but it is the only one) refreshment stop, but as this can be very busy it will probably be necessary to use the outside terrace tables.

Move on to SE by track and roadside to reach the famous Cat and Fiddle, sadly no longer an Inn or a cafe, but trading as the Forest Distillery, making and selling a variety of whiskies and other spirits - at outrageous prices eg . Forest Blend at £55.00 and Forest 10-year-old Single Malt at £100.00 a bottle. ( Stock up while you can!!!)

Quickly leaving the Cat rejoin the track signed to Stakeside and go along by the wall heading N back towards the Goyt for just over 2km then at GR: SK004742 turn L through a broken gate to descend through trees into Shooter’s Clough, sharp R then down to a crossing of the beck then R again to rejoin track leading back to the ruins of Errwood Hall - a good spot for a stop to eat and drink and think about our former Club colleagues, and perhaps asking an older member or two about some of those characters who figure in KMC history.

Resume the walk past the front of the ruins  going W for a few hundred metres then cross the beck and take the obvious Woodland Walk path which climbs briefly then descends back to the roadside close to Shooter’s Clough bridge then only 500m back to the Street carpark. A nicely varied route of about 15km in total.

If desired, and going homewards via Pym Chair, Windgather and Kettleshulme, members may decide to call at the Swan pub in Kettleshulme for a post- perambulation pint or two and a Club natter before heading home. Newer members and guests should take today’s opportunity to learn a bit more about the Club and its gallery of intriguing characters over the years.