Walk To The Pub - Hadfield to Old Glossop
Pub Walks with Chris Morris
Hadfield to Old Glossop
PLEASE REMEMBER: Details accurate at time of writing
Featuring three traditional pubs and a brewery tap, there is a feast of beer treasures to be found in picturesque Old Glossop. This walk will showcase the delightful local scenery, work up your thirst and demonstrate the perfect setting for Howard Town’s beers which proudly dominate the pubs in this area.
Train Information
The walk starts at Hadfield Station and finishes at Glossop Station. If travelling from Stockport, this requires changing at Manchester Piccadilly. Purchase a return ticket to Hadfield. Services run twice an hour all week except for Sunday when it’s every hour. For full timetable information visit www.northernrailway.co.uk.
The Walk
This is a moderate three-mile walk with a stream to cross and some short hill climbing. For that reason, walking boots are recommended. There are several stiles, and some fields can be muddy after wet weather. The OS Explorer map is OL1 The Peak District (OS app also available).
On arriving at Hadfield, walk out of the station car park and turn right along Platt Street past the public toilets until you come to a disused bridge. Instead of going underneath, turn left, and follow the ramp up to the Longdendale Trail. Carry on along the straight path for 300 yards. Take the stony path to the left which then bends to the right and up a hill. When exiting the woods, take the first path to the right which then joins a road through a gate. Turn right here and walk along the road until you reach Padfield after 300 yards. Carry on for 100 yards until you see house number 130 on the right. Next to this house's drive is a tarmacked track. Walk along here and then along the footpath leading to fields beyond. Continue on this straight path over six stiles until you reach a lane. Turn left here and, after passing Little Padfield Farm, take a right along the public footpath through an opening in a stone wall followed by a gate.
Walk through the field, keeping the stone wall on your right. Go over the wall stile and through the next field, again hugging the wall on the right. Exit the field through a stile to the right, go over a stream and up a steep hill. At the top of the hill you reach a stone wall with a cemetery on the other side. Walk along here keeping the wall to your right. Walk through a gate and follow the clear path hugging the stone wall which then passes through a farmhouse's back, and then front, garden before reaching the main road. Turn right here, walking a few yards along the road before crossing over and exiting through a gate on the opposite side. Pass through two fields keeping the fence to your left.
When you reach the reservoir, keep the stone wall on your left and follow this round, then down through woods, over a stream and then a road called Blackshaw Clough. Turn right here and follow the road downhill for 600 yards. Instead of carrying straight on, take the road that bends to the right and then left passing a row of terraced houses. Carry on straight ahead along Bute Street keeping the stone wall on your left with a field beyond. At the junction, turn left down Blackshaw Road and then immediately opposite go down a path with a handrail in the middle. At the bottom you will find the Wheatsheaf to the left and the Bulls Head to the right.
The Bulls Head
If the weather has been unkind on your walk, this charming 400-year-old country pub will put a smile on your face. The outstanding interior features low oak-beamed ceilings, wood-burning stoves, stone-flagged floors and wooden settles. The beer selection was impressive too, when I visited, with Howard Town’s Kerala and Longdendale plus Robinsons Unicorn and Greene King’s Old Speckled Hen available on cask. Opening times are 4 to 11.30pm Tuesday to Friday, all day at weekends and closed on Mondays.
The Wheatsheaf
Arguably the best view in these parts can be found on the front terrace of this small and welcoming traditional pub. Howard Town’s Kerala and Super Fortress were the cask ales available on my visit, which were both in excellent condition. Good homemade food is available featuring a Mediterranean influence. Opening times can vary but in general it’s after 5pm midweek and all day at weekends.
Howard Town Brewery Tap
NOTE: Now known as Distant Hills Tap. Located a few minutes’ walk away along Hope Street, the brewery tap is a must-visit for beer enthusiasts. Up to four cask beers plus their Distant Hills keg range are on offer, all set within a relaxed and modern open-plan space. A large outside seating area features when the weather allows. On my visit the cask beers were Monk’s Gold, Super Fortress, Wren’s Nest and Kerala – all in excellent condition as you would expect. Opening times are currently noon to 10pm Thursday to Saturday, noon to 8.30pm on Sundays.
To reach Glossop Station and your train back, the easiest option is to walk past the Bulls Head and along Church Street. Then carry straight up Church Street, then veer left up Hall Meadow Road before turning left on the main road which leads to the station.
An alternative route to the station is to turn left opposite the Bulls Head down Church Street South, where you will come upon the Queens Arms. Stopping here will give you access to Joseph Holt Bitter, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Robinsons Unicorn, Wainwright Gold along with guests, typically from Ossett and Thornbridge. Also available is food, with the upstairs Indian restaurant (limit opening) being a novelty. From here make your way through Manor Park, then left along the A57/High Street East to the traffic lights in the centre of Glossop. The station is right up Norfolk Street (WARNING: This will entail passing two other excellent pubs, but they aren't on this walk so enter at your discretion.)