Walk above Hope from the Cheshire Cheese Inn – Peak District Walks
Time taken: 2 hours
This makes for a great walk at any time of year but the pub at end always makes me feel that it should be winter as the Cheshire Cheese is an old, cosy, warm and friendly traditional style pub that lends itself to drinks by the roaring fire and eating hot meals or snacks with friends. That said, we walked this on a bright sunny summer’s day and still enjoyed it, finishing with a lager and packet of crisps before setting off home! The walk itself is quite hard work in parts as it does rise up above Hope, but knowing how it ends made it all the do-able and enjoyable for both of us.
To start, turn your back to the pub and head off right along the narrow road. When you get to the bend in the road cross over the stile, on the left, and over the small bridge that crosses the stream. Climb up the lane until you pass under the railway bridge, turning left and continuing along as the lane takes on a rougher surface, to the right of the Coach House.
From here squeeze through a stone stile and walk alongside the wall through the first field keeping Lose Hill to your left. Continue through straight in the next field and at the farm buildings pass through a stile to their left making a left/right/left turn through the farm to reach the lane to the rear.
The lane leads you uphill passing a farm and leads through a gate to open stunning Peak District moorland – make sure you stop to get your breath back and take in the glory of the views, whatever time of year it is. When you feel like moving on pass through the gate and keep to the main track ahead whilst slowly ascending until you reach the top and can see Lose Hill and the plateau that is Kinder Scout to its right.
After about a mile there is another gate where, without passing through it you need to take a sharp right on a rough grassy path to go off to the trees ahead on the hills where you will then start to ascend with trees forming a left hand boundary. As you look down into the valley you will see the “carbuncle” that is Hope’s cement works, but don’t let it put you off. The Peak District needs its industry, but in looking forward you can still see the glory that is the true and natural Peak District National Park in all its unspoilt beauty.
The path reaches a broken down wall which you should follow for a way before crossing over it where there is a gap to allow you to proceed uphill following the track. Check ahead at this stage to spot Winhill Pike as it sits atop Winhill and further down to the left is the “Dambusting” Ladybower Reservoir, which you will see if the weather is fine. If you keep on the track with Win Hill in front you can proceed until you get to a crossroads in the paths. Take the downhill path, ignoring the sometimes incorrect signpost, back towards Hope though it is worth making sure you soak in the view before you start the drop as if you take a short walk further along the top from the crossroads it is truly breathtaking – especially in winter, when the wind is whipping!
Continuing down on the path you will have the cement works ahead but just keep descending diagonally down the hillside through stiles and passed farmyards until you get to a metal gate, just before Twitchill Farm. Walking down their drive turn right at the bottom and follow the railway line along until you return to the hospitality and warmth of the pub, for some well deserved sustenance.