Staffordshire Way Day 2

I got up feeling rather tired in my B&B room. Hmmm.. a shower bought me around somewhat though and a nice breakfast helped no end. I even risked a sausage as I’d had one put on my plate and it looked like a butchers odd shaped one and not processed really… fingers crossed was my attitude, though maybe it was a bit silly being away from home and all. The joys of food allergies!!!

I settled up my bill (£35, which was rather excessive for what I got in my opinion.. nothing wrong with the place at all apart from the price.) and then set off in the lovely sunshine. I had my last look out over The Roaches and then walked by the church and into town and from here it was a bit of a trudge along Broad Street/A53, crossing over the River Churnet on the outskirts and then rejoining the official Staffordshire Way at the good old Caldon Canal feeder channel that I’d been following the day before from the bottom of Rudyard Lake.

Leek Town Centre with nice weather.

Looking back at Leek and The Roaches from the picnic table at the top of my climb through Ladderedge Country Park.

It was quite a steep climb out of the river valley and up the far valley side through Ladderedge Country Park. I was rather weary when I reached the top so I sat on a picnic table on the hill overlooking Leek and behind The Roaches on the edge of Derbyshire. Having recovered somewhat I set off again… climbing still but this time through woods to emerge finally on the valley rim. I followed a network of very narrow paths around some buildings …. Far too narrow in fact… the waymarks have been fine on this walk.. plentiful and accurate for the most part, but the path mainteneance HAS left a little to be desired in places in Staffordshire ie no trees or bushes cut back etc etc. I emerged on their drive an then made my way along a lane to the A53 again, turning briefly left along it and then crossing over and following the valley edge further along Mollatts Wood Road. This was a pleasant walk when it turned into a track and then a footpath through woods. It was very peaceful and ‘birdsong’ful. As I rejoined a track after the woods I heard the distinctive drone of a canal barge through the trees which signalled my approach to the Leek branch of the Caldon Canal.

The lovely valley before I descend to join the Caldon Canal.

I emerged onto a lane and turned left down the hill to cross the bridge over this arm of the canal just after the canal barge had passed underneath it and was turning the corner. I continued across the narrow valley and over the railway bridge and then joined the towpath of the Caldon Canal proper which runs down the opposite side of the valley to the Leek Branch at this point.

The Leek Branch of the Caldon Canal.

It was a pleasant enough walk along the canal for a fair stretch now until I reached the interesting looking Flint Mill at Cheddleton, which looked to be fully working and worth a visit another time when I am not trying to walk somewhere specific. I had toyed with having a look at the pub here, but as it was only about 11am I thought that might make me a bit alky looking and so tramped onwards, as there was another pub near the canal the other side of Cheddleton. This part of the walk along the canal began to get a bit boring… nothing particularly varied to look at and industry off to the left etc etc.

I arrived at the next pub.. The Boat, right by the canal, and it was still too early for pubs. I was going to wait until it opened and perhaps have some lunch there, but when I went to enquire if they WERE open or not (one of the doors being open and voices inside) the bloke was a bit grumpy and gruff so I decided I’d carry on even further and take my business still further down the canal to the NEXT pub marked on the map!! This part of the walk along the canal improved and held my interest.

The lovely double water wheels of the
Flint Mill at Cheddleton

At this point the Churnet Valley being fairly low and wide, but housing the canal, the river meandering off to my left AND a steam railway. I managed to catch a glimpse of the train fairly early on across the valley and then, later on, right next to the canal as it made its way back down the valley. I also passed a nice drawbridge on this section and the canal banks were swathed in pretty Himalyan Balsam, which, although a bit of a botanical nightmare because of its phenominal spreading since introduction, IS rather a beautiful sight.

Toot Toot.. the steam train running along the Churnet Valley all the way from Cheddleton.

A lovely Swing Bridge on the canal.

One of the locks along the canal.

The tow path, lined by Himalayan Balsam on my left and some other flower on the right.

Close up of the pretty Himalyan Balsam flowers.

I eventually arrived at Consall Forge and its impressive limekiln on my right. From here on in the place just got ever more exciting and wonderful!!! I crossed over the river on a footbridge and the lovely little pub came into view.. The Black Lion. To get to it I had to cross the railway line with a station just along the line about 100yds away and in full view from the beer garden, and of course the canal snaking underneath the line here into the bargain. Coupled with the pleasant roar of the river falling over a weir and the wonderful tree clad valley sides it was a heavenly place, and I was incredibly glad that I’d been foiled twice in my early pub attempts.

I sat outside with a couple of pints of lager and ordered a warm chicken baguette, which actually turned out to be a warm chicken LOAF. I certainly couldn’t fault the food in terms of quantity, but there was nothing special about it particularly other than size. With a location like that though.. they don’t need to impress with their food? I had a fabulous time there, the steam train chuffing up and down the line not 20 yards away while munching on my lunch and people watching.

The Lime Kiln at Consall Forge.

The wonderful Black Lion Pub beyond the canal and the railway line!

The train has just pulled into the station just down the track as I cross it to get to the pub.

And then chuffs back the other way about half an hour or so later! Marvellous!

I set off with an added spring in my step from this point onwards. I’d envisaged so much canal walking was going to be boring before actually doing this mornings walk, but BOY was I proved wrong today!! From Consall Forge the valley narrowed, but became sooo peaceful and remote, the woods on both valley sides idyllic and it was so hard to imagine how industrial this area was only 150 years ago or so.. remarkable!!! I passed a lock and then some old buildings that had been another flint mill in the past, but were now houses and outbuildings

The lovely station at Consall Forge as I set off again along the canal as the valley narrows.

Just after a sweet little canal bridge (Cherryeye Bridge) with a pointy almost gothic arch as opposed to the normal round arch, I took a stile off the canal to the right, crossed the river on a footbridge, passed under the railway line and then started a steep ascent of the far valleyside. A problem with my guidebook is that the word steep can mean anything from a moderate hill to a cliff face and you never know which it means until you get there.. this hill was more at the cliff face end of the scale… ie a large flight of steep steps all the way up to Banks Lane running along about half way up the valleyside above.

Cherryeye Bridge

The rather tiring climb up the valleyside from the
canal, river and railway just before Banks Lane.

I even had a pleasant surprise when I made it up to the lane though, puffing, panting and sweating under the strain, because, just along the lane to the right about 50yds away was a little shop and café with seats outside and panoramic views across the wooded valley, where they had cleared the trees away. The family running it and living here are setting up a wildlife sanctuary, predominantly for birds it seemed, with cages of various sizes and shapes hidden away amongst the trees on the valleyside above and behind the house. I iwsh them luck on their venture and the shop was certainly apreciated by me!!! After having a sit and rest for a while with an ice cream and a cold bottle of coke I set off again, climbing steep steps up and behind the bird cages to eventually make it up to fields beyond the rim of the valley!

The next part of the walk to Kingsley was through fields which made a pleasant change today and the views out across the valley to my left were also pretty.

Beyond Kingsley Holt I began a long slow descent into the valley again, and a lovely walk through unspoilt flower meadows and pastureland ensued all the way to Eastwall Farm. After here I entered Hawksmoor Wood and a long and drawn out, but fairly manageable climb all the way up to the car park of Hawksmoor Nature Reserve. Exiting the car park through a large stone gateway I crossed Oakamoor Road and instead of following the official Staffs Way off to the left, I took Greendale Lane opposite as at the end of this was my B&B for the night.. The Old Furnace.

Above: The church at Kingsley.

Right: Lovely unspoilt meadows of the most wondeful variety of flowers as I walk along by the River again.

I descend back into the Churnet Valley again
beyond Kingsley Holt.

Looking back along the Churnet Valley from Eastwall Farm before climbing up through the woodlands of Hawksmoor Nature Reserve.

It was a pleasant walk down the lane as it nestled further and further down into the round shouldered green hills on either side. The B&B itself was in a wonderful location at the crossroads at the end of the lane, with a rushing stream audible from the bedroom window, and meadows of lazy cows rising steeply all around. The house itself was a wonderful quaint cottage with low ceilinged, small rooms, wooden floors, ticking clocks, an aga, and sepia portrait photos on all the walls. There was no TV and a large collection of pottery footwarmers of all shapes and sizes displayed on a dresser. These all helped to give it a distinctly victorian feel.

I feel I have to warn people that it certainly wouldn’t be to a lot of people’s tastes though. Even I felt a little trapped there…the owners seemed very nice, but almost tooooo nice. I felt I HAD to be sociable and although on this occasion I was fine with that.. sometimes I would have wanted not to. They specialise in running singles guided walking weekends and so, I expect for that sort of thing this odd atmosphere would be fabulous, because it would make you interact with others. We ended up going into Cheadle to an off licence to buy drinks for the evening as there is no pub nearby. A nice lady (Penny) who had been on that walking weekend and was staying an extra night drove us in and back. When we got back we attempted the large Times Saturday supplement crossword together. I went to bed early at about 10.30pm.