A path of change through valley...

RECENTLY, 15 East Cheshire Ramblers met at Pym Chair, near Kettleshulme, for an eight-mile walk to explore some of the hidden secrets of the Goyt Valley – once an isolated farming community on the borders of Derbyshire and Cheshire with a stately Victorian mansion, a gunpowder works, a paint factory and a railway line.

The peaceful character of the valley began to change with the construction of the Fernilee Reservoir in 1938, followed by the Errwood Reservoir in 1968, which directly led to the flooding of the farms and the hamlet of Goyt Bridge to provide water for Stockport and area, as well as the demolition of Errwood Hall, the stately home of the Grimshawe family for more than a century.

The day was cool and windy as the group set off down ‘the street’ and joined a forest track skirting Hoo Moor and Fernilee Reservoir.

The weather soon began to change and heavy clothes were discarded.

Leaving the woodland the route meandered through fields and farmyards before we halted for coffee at a pleasant spot beside a stream (shame about the midges, though).

After the break the walkers left the valley and began a steep ascent to the gritstone crags of Windgather Rocks, where celebrated rock climbers like Joe Brown and Don Whillans once honed their skills. Their efforts were rewarded with sweeping views of the Cheshire Plain on one side and the Peak District on the other as they walked back along the ridge to Pym Chair and the cars. ●● JANET Stephenson, walk leader