Walk To The Pub - Combs Circular
Pub Walks with Chris Morris
Combs Circular
PLEASE REMEMBER: Details accurate at time of writing
With the cold winter weather hopefully behind us and the days getting longer, March and April are excellent months to stretch your legs in the great outdoors. As well as enjoying the signs of spring, it’s also an opportunity to visit a great country pub!
You don’t have to venture far from home; there are some cracking pub walks closer than you think. By using the excellent public transport options that we have in our area, instead of driving, you have the freedom to try more beers when you get to the pub and you get to look at the scenery instead of the road! This walk is not strenuous and has lovely views of Combs Reservoir and the surrounding hills, including the impressive Combs Edge.
The Beehive
Located in the heart of the picturesque Derbyshire village of Combs, the Beehove is a comfortable 19th-century country pub which feels far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With the absence of main roads nearby, the village offers peace and quiet for all. The pub looks inviting from the outside and this continues inside with lovely wooden floors, beams and wall panelling. With friendly staff, excellent home-cooked food, a cosy real fire plus a good range of well-kept cask beers, you might not want to leave! On my last visit the cask beers were Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Marston’s Wainwright and the house beer, Beehive Bitter.
Opening times are noon to 11pm Monday to Saturday and noon to 10.30pm on Sundays. Meal times are noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm Monday to Saturday, noon to 9pm on Sundays.
The Walk
This is a straightforward three-mile walk with some stiles and two gradual climbs. One section can get a little muddy after wet weather. The OS Explorer map is OL24 The Peak District (OS app also available).
This walk starts and finishes at my favourite railway station on the Piccadilly to Buxton line, Chapel-en-le-Frith. Unlike most stations which are in the centre of towns or villages, this one is fairly isolated and located halfway up a hillside. It means that, when exiting the train, there are no roads to cross or streets to negotiate – you can start your walk immediately.
The train from Stockport will drop you off on platform 2. Turn left on exiting the train and walk to the end of the platform, through a gate on the right, along a short path and then to the left. You will then see a path ahead, just to the right of the train tracks. Follow this path, cross over a quiet lane and continue along the path for half a mile. At a gate, turn left over the railway bridge and then right to re-join the path on the opposite side of the tracks.
Continue along this path for 300 yards until you reach a road. Turn right here, walking under the railway bridge and then immediately left through a gate. Cross the field towards the old stone barn and over the wall via the stone steps. We now have nice views of Combs Reservoir up ahead.
Walk to the left of the barn and cross the field to the stile on the other side. Our route is now ahead then down and to the left across a footbridge. We now walk ahead and then slightly right over another footbridge. Walk straight ahead up the hill to the gate at the top corner of the field. This area can get muddy. Turn left and walk under the railway arch then straight ahead, exiting at the small gate which leads to the road. Turn left here and walk along the road for 500 yards until you reach the pub on your left. On leaving the pub, turn left and take the road to the left. After 350 yards you come to the railway bridge from earlier. Take the path to the right, before the bridge and retrace your steps along the same path, then over the railway bridge again and back to the station.
Train Information
Purchase a return ticket to Chapel-en-le-Frith. From Stockport there are two trains an hour in the morning and afternoon Monday to Saturday with hourly trains in the evening. The Sunday service is hourly. For full timetable information visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk.