Pub Walks with Chris Morris
Chinley Circular

PLEASE REMEMBER: Details accurate at time of writing

Located in a lovely rural setting, this Derbyshire village has a lot to offer, including a number of excellent pubs and walking trails. Thirty-five minutes from the City Centre is all it takes to reach the start of this walk, which features fine views of Eccles Pike and Chinley Churn, and a choice of three pubs and two clubs.

Train Information

There is an hourly train service from Manchester Piccadilly to Chinley which stops at Reddish North, Brinnington, Bredbury, Romiley, Marple and New Mills Central. The ticket needed for this walk is a return to Chinley. For full train information visit nationalrail.co.uk.

The Walk

This is a moderate three-mile walk with some hill sections. There are some uneven trails which can get muddy after rain, so walking boots are recommended. One section can get a little overgrown in summer, so trousers are advised. The OS Explorer Map is OL1 The Peak District (OS app also available).

Bugsworth War Memorial Club After exiting Chinley Station, walk left along Station Road for 200 yards until you reach the main road. Turn left here and walk up the hill, then straight ahead over the railway bridge to the war memorial, then left along Stubbins Lane. After 600 yards, when the road forks, take the road to the left, signposted to Cote Bank, and continue along the road for half a mile. When you reach Cote Bank Farm, climb over the wall on the left via a stone stile and walk down the hill on the other side.

We are now aiming for the trail at the bottom, which runs between two drystone walls. Take your time here as the terrain can be tricky. Walk between the two walls for 150 yards, over a wooden stile and then straight ahead to join a residential street. At the end, turn left and then right to walk along the main road pavement which passes under two railway bridges – the site of Buxworth Railway Station which closed in 1958. A little further down the hill, we arrive at our first venue of the day.

Navigation Inn The current holder of the High Peak CAMRA Club of the Year award - also achieved in 2019 and 2020 - the Bugsworth War Memorial Club is excellently run, and recommended. Open to non-members, and reasonably priced, draught Bass was available on cask when I last called in. Carrying on down the road for a few yards, then turning left down Brookside, brings us to our next stop.

Full of character, charm and impressive memorabilia, the Navigation Inn is a fabulous no-nonsense freehouse that has much to offer. Popular with canal walkers, a good range of up to six cask beers is available, plus reasonably priced food. On last inspection, these were from Storm, Empire, Peregrine, Timothy Taylor’s and Black Sheep Brewery.

Old Hall Inn Our route is now out to the front of the pub. Turn left here, keeping the canal on your right, and walk to the end of the pub car park, which eventually becomes a track. Take a left and immediate right to follow the route of the former Peak Forest Tramway Trail for one mile, ignoring the footbridge appearing to the left. After passing some industrial units, we arrive at a road where we turn right, go up the hill and enter the picturesque hamlet of Whitehough for our next two pubs.

The 16th century Old Hall Inn has won many awards with excellent beer and food, but the interior is also a delight, with oak beams, exposed timbers, flagstone floors and log burners featuring throughout. When I last visited, the cask beers were from Abbeydale, Magic Rock, Marston’s, Wincle, Tiny Rebel and Burning Sky Brewery, with cider from Hogan’s.

Paper Mill Inn Over the road, the Paper Mill Inn is a fine establishment run by the same team as the Old Hall Inn, and to the same high standards. The interior is fantastic, again with more flagstone floors, oak beams and log burners. When I last called by, the cask beers available were from RedWillow, Marble and Marston’s.

After exiting the pub, the route back to Chinley Station is right along the road, down the hill and up again, entering Chinley. Continue straight ahead along the main road and then left onto Station Road as before. If further refreshment is required, then Chinley Bar & Lounge is recommended, and which had Marston’s Pedigree available when I last dropped by.

For full pub details, including opening times, visit whatpub.com.

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