Chadkirk, Goyt Hall Farm and Brinnington
Nature17.41 kmabout 4 hrs 30 minDifficulty: Challenging
Includes stiles, kissing gates, a short well-lit tunnel with a path over the top as an alternative, and paths that can be overgrown or very muddy. Walking shoes or boots are essential, and in places you may wish you had brought wellies. At the end of the section east of the M60 on Bredbury Industrial Estate there is a huge puddle, so after wet weather use the road running parallel to the path. Not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
A long loop from Romiley Station through Chadkirk, past Goyt Hall Farm and around Brinnington, returning along the Peak Forest Canal. Takes 4 to 5 hours. Some sections are difficult to navigate because paths are sometimes indistinct, and the booklet suggests this is possibly not a walk to do alone. The route includes derelict industrial scenery and passes under and over a noisy motorway, along with some delightful stretches on old railway lines now converted to walkways. An alternative that avoids the industrial estate is described at stop 5.
Along the way
Romiley Station
From the station entrance, cross the road and go down Church Lane, to the right of the Romiley Arms. It becomes Chadkirk Road and continues downhill, passing under the Peak Forest Canal.
Chadkirk Chapel
Keep to the road past Burymewick Cottages on the right and Chadkirk Chapel on the left, using the walkway on the right. At the gate at its end, turn right at the sign "To Stockport Centre 4 miles" and follow Vale Road to Otterspool Road (the A627). Turn left, then cross at the pelican crossing.
Otterspool Road and Bridleway 56
Just before the bridge over the River Goyt, follow the sign to Stockport Centre, Bridleway 56. The road starts off cobbled and has been tarmacked for some of its length. Stay on it past Stockport Hydro and Valley Cottages on your left, until you reach Goyt Hall Farm.
Goyt Hall Farm
With the farm on your left, ignore the rough road on your right and carry straight on towards Lower Bredbury. Pass through Middle Farm and past the entrance to Bredbury Hall, then turn immediately left, following the sign to Vernon Park around a football pitch. At a fork keep left on the main path. Don't take the bridge over the river to Woodbank Park, but continue to the end of the path. Carry on along the entrance to Pear Mill to the main road. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and go down Welkin Road towards the motorway.
Welkin Road and Wharf Meadow
Go to the end of Welkin Road, through industrial units and allotments and past Ark Mill. Turn left onto a path, then right under the motorway. Follow the red tarmac path as it climbs steadily. Where the red tarmac finishes, take the left fork to the path along the disused railway. Go through the short tunnel, or take the path over the top. About 200 yards further on, at the sign "The Deadline" and a blue Trans-Pennine Way sign, take a sharp right along the other disused line. The River Tame is down the slope on your left. After a good distance a road crosses your path. On your left, take the green gate and the tarmac road down the slope, running almost parallel to the old line. At the bottom follow the blue sign to Denton/Broadbottom. After a green gate take the right fork, following the wooden sign to Blackberry Slopes/Woodley. Go under the railway viaduct. After about 200 yards take the left fork slightly downhill, then after 100 yards or so take a right fork by a bench and pass through a green fence. Don't take the silver 7-bar gate on the left. Follow the path with a small ditch and fence on the left. Alternative, slightly longer and avoiding the industrial estate: at the bottom of the slope, continue straight on towards the Reddish Vale Visitor Centre. Cross the bridge over the River Tame and turn right on the wide concrete Trans-Pennine Trail. After about 300 yards take the path right, under the railway bridge. After about 400 yards take the path right, signposted Stockport Road, through a small wood and down about 10 steps. Take the left fork towards the motorway, along a path that is partly a wooden walkway. Go under the motorway and straight ahead as the river bends away. After 250 yards, cross a pipe carrying a stream and go through the stile ahead. Follow the path left into a small wood, and carry straight on at the sign to Hyde Hall, following the sign to Stockport Road. Follow a green fence around to the left to reach Stockport Road. Across the road and slightly right, cross the stile by a gate and continue to a wider track. Turn left and follow it for about a mile to a footbridge on the right. Cross it, turn left, and turn right at the sign to the Kennels. At the kennels entrance take the path to its right, up to the canal, and follow the directions from there in the last stop.
Alongside the M60
The path runs parallel with the motorway on your left. Follow it right over a small bridge across the brook, then turn left with the brook on your left. Take the bridge over the motorway and then the path to your left, just before the road. It runs between two fences. At the end of the fence on your right, turn right. The path is rather overgrown and very muddy.
Arden Hall
Pass Arden Hall on your left and keep straight along the track, passing Arden Crest on your left and scrap yards on your right. Go through the gap to the left of the 7-bar gate. At Castle Hill turn right to the main road, with Allied Bakeries on your right. Over the road on your left is Bredbury Park Way. Take the path to the left of this road, parallel to it. Take the left fork and go through a wooden kissing gate. Keep along the path around the enclosed paddock. At another kissing gate turn right, then take the bridleway on the left, with a football pitch on the right. Continue with the River Tame on your left, past a bridge you don't need to take, to a sign for kennels. Keep left, to the right of a small pond with the kennels beyond. The path climbs to the Peak Forest Canal. Turn right, follow the canal through the Woodley Tunnel to Stockport Road in Romiley, and take the road left back to the station.
About this walk
Stockport Hydro, signed from the bridleway, uses an Archimedes screw to generate electricity, and an information board explains the scheme and the local history. Further along the same stretch you pass kennels, a cattery and grooming services at Valley Cottages, and a sign reading: "My doctor told me that walking would add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel 10 years older already." A later section is bordered by hawthorn bushes with vivid red berries towards the end of summer.
Goyt Hall is a half-timbered building put up by Randal Davenport around 1570.
On the old railway, a sign called "The Deadline" describes how the line was opened in 1863. Close by, another disused line joins the route, marked as the Trans-Pennine Way.
Arden Hall still has the remains of its old moat, and a sign states that it was built in 1597. The Arden Arms is a short detour from Castle Hill, and on the alternative route you may be able to get a cup of tea at the Reddish Vale Visitor Centre.
Near the end there are usually horses and donkeys in a field beside the path, before the route follows the canal through the Woodley Tunnel.
Based on the Friends of Romiley Station's booklet of walks.