11/11/12 – Betty’s Hotpot

Distance – 4 Miles
Geocaches – 3
Mud – Sommelike
Walk from – AA 1001 Walks.

Perfect day yesterday.  After the walk, we had a tour of Buxton and then got back to Whaley Bridge to watch the scores come in.  Another Albion Win.  Then allow two hours for Ellie to ready herself and we hit the high spots of the town.

The meal was in the superb Cock pub.  Very posh inside and we make it just in time to see the winning goal go in for Utd against the Vile.  Makes albion’s win sweeter.  A quick look a the menu and we see that this is the pub that Betty Turpin used to be the landlady for.  After failing to hypnotise a student into not ordering starters, there is only one thing for main….. Betty’s Hot Pot.
That, two more pubs (Shepherds Arms cause its in the Good Pub Guide and White Hart cause they have broadband) meant that today’s 8.5 miles marathon was a touch ambitious.  Instead, I have an emergency 4 miler around Coomb’s reservoir.

We only failed to take into account the mud.  The first half of the walk was a chore and I learned some new words from Sonia as it threatened to remove her boots.

Should have been nice and pleasant as we made our way to cache one.

Tricky underfoot

Find the shoddiest bridge known to man… but at least it gets us out of the mud.

Walking the plank

Which is much worse when we make our way under the railway line.

Dirty Boots

Never been so glad to hit tarmac before, as we make our way down lanes to Coombs.  Nice village with a great looking pub in the centre. We turn left at Rye Flatt Farm and find the second cache, and see the steep climb we have ahead.

But what views we are rewarded with…. all over Chapel-en-le-Frith and the surrounding hills.

All worth it now

Tough Sheep

The highlight of the walk is the ridge section, overlooking the railway line.  We see a sign saying dogs on leads or they will be shot, but the sheep are already suicidal – all grazing on the track.  The train comes and has to give way.

Wrong type of sheep on the line

Drop down under the railway and some mudflats to make our way back to the reservoir.  The mud turns into a golf course, where a stray ball rattles the trees next to us. 

Golf Course

Get back to the car and I attempt to clean the dog off in the overflow.  The water comes to her ankles, if indeed dogs have ankles.  Nothing else for it, we have to take her back to the river from yesterday for a good old dunking.