Point-to-Point 2022, short route

Cheshire Hare & Hounds Tally-Ho!

Point-to-Point Hartley Folly 2022, walkers / short route: 7 miles / 1200’ ascent: Saturday 23rd April 2022

Route description:

New Mills Golf Club > New Mills Central > train to Chinley > New Mills Golf Club

Left (S), leaving New Mills Golf Club Car Park, downhill passing church on LHS, to New Mills and New Mills Central station.

Train to Chinley, Departs New Mills Central: 9:17, 10:16, 11:16, 12:16, 13:16 etc.

Leave Chinley station by the footbridge, continue ahead to turn R @ ‘T’ junction: Lower Lane, noting ‘Chinley Bar & Lounge’ opposite.

1) At the top of a rise in the road, and when the ‘Buxworth’ sign comes into view ahead, turn R (SK036824) to cross the railway line by a footbridge indicated ‘Public Footpath, Local Nature Reserve’.

Follow the good path & steps uphill into a park by an Information / Noticeboard, continue uphill to exit the park by another Information Board at a road.

L on the road, follow the road uphill as it bends to the right.

Pass Dry Clough Farm on RHS, still climbing.

2) At the top of the hill, pass the entrance to Throstle Bank Farm on your RHS, continue a little further, and slightly downhill, to turn R up a signed Public Bridleway.

Pass through a farm gate, continue uphill.

3) Pass through another farm gate (SK030837), continue climbing, the gradient is now easier.

The wide track soon narrows, although it’s still a bridleway. Chinley Churn in on your RHS.

Pass through a single gate at SK032842, continue straight on, keeping the drystone wall on your LHS.

4) Continue ahead on the path, leaving the drystone wall on your LHS, path descends slightly to go through a single gate (SK034850), continue ahead, slightly to the left, ignoring the path off to the R (to Peep o’ Day).

Keep straight on, path descends further to a small wood (behind a drystone wall) on your RHS @ SK033859. Continue ahead and downhill, ignoring the track on your RHS, keeping the wood on your RHS.

Descend to go through a gate at SK030863, noting the aerial mast over to your Left.

5) Continue straight on and steeply downhill to cross the main road at Birch Vale, then to the Bus Stop and the road sign ‘Station Road’ to descend further down an almost hidden footpath to the Sett Valley Trail.

6) L onto the Sett Valley Trail, following the sign ‘New Mills 1½ miles’.

7) Cross a road, noting the very excellent Sett Valley Café (purveyors of tea, coffee, and highly delicious cakes) on your RHS.

Cross the road that crosses the Sett Valley Trail at an angle, note the proposed new housing development on the LHS.

A mile after the Sett Valley Café, cross over Watford Bridge with industrial units on RHS.

8) After the first industrial unit (FLOWGUARD), turn R along a footpath, blue fence on LHS, industrial unit on RHS.

At the end of the unit turn R down to the road, then turn L onto Watford Bridge Road @ S.F. Boxing & Fitness on LHS.

Cross bridge over the river, turn R.

Uphill slightly, turn L up Watford Road, which soon bends L.

Continue up the road, Turn first R @ FP sign ‘Watford Lane’.

9) Just before pylons, where the track widens slightly, opposite a large house (WILL HEY FARM) on RHS, turn L through a gate (not very easy to see, but it’s definitely there), and uphill, keeping closely to the drystone wall on your LHS.

Note the building over on your LHS that has a large solar panel array on the roof.

Turn L at the trees ahead, crossing a stone wall stile, continue, keeping the drystone wall on your RHS.

In about 15 yards, on RHS, at the end of the drystone wall, by a power pole, cross a stile, turn left, uphill on a track.

Continue uphill, cross a farm road, cross a stile immediately ahead, then uphill to go through a gate in the top RH corner of the field.

Follow the wall up to go through the farm gate, cross the road to a well-surfaced farm road that climbs up and soon deteriorates into a rougher, stony track. Note the hamlet of Whitle visible ahead.

At the point where the the track bends to the R, go through a gate on your LHS, to follow a fenced path for approx 100 metres to go through a gate, then ahead on the R, follow the path indicated ‘Bower House Farm, Walkers’.

Through the farm yard, through another gate, then follow the drystone walled path, indicated by a footpath sign.

Golfers may now be visible ahead….watch out for errant flying golf balls!

Enter the golf course by a stile next to a gate, continue ahead, keeping the wall to your RHS.

10) Follow the yellow topped posts, indicating the footpath, to New Mills Golf Club which is clearly visible ahead.