Walk from the Crag Inn, Wildboarclough, along the Dane Valley to Wincle
The walk starts and ends at the Crag Inn in Wildboarclough. If travelling by car, take the Leek road away from Macclesfield (A523). Turn left at traffic lights (Byrons Lane) and follow the signs to Langley, bearing left after going under the canal. Where the road bends to the left, and just after the Bulls Head, turn right (Ridge Hill, signposted Wincle). Follow this winding road uphill, until you reach the Hanging Gate pub. Shortly after the Hanging Gate, take the lane to the left. Bear left at the next junction. There are several layby's along this road in which to park your car, before you get to the Crag Inn in Wildboarclough.
| Fact File | |
| Distance: | 8 miles (13 km) |
| Terrain: | Lanes, footpaths and bridleways. |
| Maps: | OS Explorer Map 268 and OL24 or Landranger 118 |
| Start: | Crag Inn, Wildboarclough. |
Route Guide
This circular walk involves no major inclines. Strong shoes or walking boots are essential. Five hours should be allowed.
Wildboarclough's claim to fame is as the place where the last wild boar in England was killed. The village is now a quiet backwater, popular with visitors at weekends. This photo of the river in Wildboarclough was taken by local photographer Wayne Molyneux. To look at more of his work, follow the links on the Links page. The large house of Crag Hall in Wildboarclough is the country seat of Lord Derby, and there was once a carpet mill which used Clough Brook to power its machinery. The mill was largely demolished but the administration block remains, a fine building which once had the strange distinction of being the largest sub-post office in England. Below the mill the bridge over Clough Brook bears a commemorative plaque to the flash flood of 1989, which drowned a motorist in his car here.
From Wildboarclough, the walk takes you initially over moorland to Gradbach. Gradbach is a tiny hamlet on the River Dane. The hamlet is centred around a fine stone-built mill which was built in 1785 for the spinning of silk. Though the mill was water-powered and therefore cheap to run, this was too remote a site for an enterprise like this and the mill closed as early as 1885. It is now a Youth Hostel. The walk then takes in a stretch of the Dane Valley Way, from Gradbach Mill to Danebridge. The 41-mile Dane Valley Way extends from Buxton to the confluence of the River Dane with the River Wheelock at Middlewich. The section that this walk takes in is a pleasant stroll through quiet woodlands. Wincle, Danebridge and Swythamley are a group of small Staffordshire Peak District villages on the River Dane. Wincle is an isolated farming community, with a fine church. At Danebridge there is a pub called the Ship Inn, close to the River Dane.
Directions
| 1 | With the Crag Inn behind you, turn left along the road. Almost immediately, take the footpath to the right, which passes over a bridge over the river. Follow the footpath up through the woods. |
| 2 | At the end of the woods, cross over a stile. Follow the footpath across a field. Don't take the footpath off to the left. Continue across the field, and slightly uphill, crossing two more footbridges. Bear right at the top of the hill, as the footpath now follows a wall (on the right). |
| 3 | Cross a stone stile over a wall, through a gateway, and over another stone stile by a gate. Follow the path past an old building and uphill until it meets a main road (the A54 to Buxton). Cross the stone stile and cross directly over the road (take care as there are sometimes fast cars). |
| 4 | Walk up the path which soon meets a bridleway. Turn left along the bridleway. A little further along, where there is a fork in the bridleway, bear left. Follow the bridleway for some distance now, passing through a few gates. |
| 5 | Eventually the bridleway goes downhill to a farm (Burntcliff Top), and meets a road. Cross straight over the road, and follow the path downhill. Bear left over a stile in a gap in a wall (signposted Concessionary path around farm). This takes you downhill to pass to the left of a building. Follow the wall downhill. |
| 6 | Soon you meet a gap in the wall. Pass through the gap, to follow the path downhill. Cross over a bridge which crosses the River Dane. |
| 7 | You have now met the Dane Valley Way. Turn immediately right just after the bridge. If refreshments are required, there is a small cafe in the Gradbach Mill Youth Hostel here. |
| 8 | The Dane Valley Way now follows the Dane River all the way to Danebridge. After turning right just after the footbridge, pass through the youth hostel games area. A Peak and Northern Footpaths Society sign to Danebridge confirms that you are on the right route. |
| 9 | A little further on, bear right through a gap in a wall and follow a footpath down to a gate and a bridge over a smaller tributary to the Dane. Follow the sign to Danebridge and Swythamley. The footpath now passes through pleasant woods for some distance now, never too far away from the River Dane, which is always within hearing distance, down to the right of the path. A further sign confirms that you are heading for Danebridge. Soon the footpath veers away from the river, to pass to the left of a farm (Back Forest Farm). After passing to the left of buildings at Back Dane, the footpath veers closer to the river again. After passing through another wooded area, you eventually meet the river again as you arrive in Danebridge. |
| 10 | In Danebridge, the footpath meets a road bridge over the River Dane. When the path meets the road, turn right along the road, which passes over the bridge and goes uphill into Wincle. |
| 11 | In Wincle you will find the Ship Inn, well worth a stop for refreshments. |
| 12 | After the Ship, walk a little further up the road. Take the footpath off to the right. Walk slightly uphill to meet a crossroads of footpaths. Continue straight on. |
| 13 | The footpath crosses a stile to pass through a wooded area. After this, the footpath crosses an open field again. |
| 14 | The footpath heads for some buildings. Upon reaching the buildings, a sign directs you through the yard. After passing the buildings, the footpath passes through a gate into an open field. |
| 15 | Continue straight on, but keep to the left of the fence. Soon a stile is seen straight ahead. Cross the stile and continue along the footpath, which eventually reaches some buildings (Allmeadows). Pass by the buildings, to emerge onto a lane. |
| 16 | Turn right along the lane. Where the lane meets the main road (A54), cross straight over. Take care walking along the lane, as there are some blind corners. |
| 17 | Keep right at a junction, and follow the lane until you get to the Crag Inn. |