Bugsworth Basin and Eccles Pike

Geoff had arranged to meet a lifelong friend of his at Whaley Bridge and asked me to join him for a mid week walk to Eccles Pike .

We parked in right outside our stating point at the Whaley Bridge Wharf. We then met Mike Carey and his dog Sky getting off the 12:30 train. After introductions we set off along the canal towards Bugswoth Basin.

View from Eccles Pike

Whaley Bridge Wharf

Front of the Whaley Bridge Wharf

Bridge & track of the Shallcross Trail

 Shallcross incline; 817 yards (747 metres) at 1:10.5.  This incline and the line from Shallcross yard to Ladmanlow (Buxton) was closed in 1892 when a link was put in from Buxton station to Parsley Hay

Looking down the Shallcross Incline

Mike with his dog Sky just got off the train

This tunnel went under the elevated tramway which carried material to the  New Road Lime Kilns 

Peak Forest Canal

Approaching Bugsworth Basin

Bugsworth Canal Basin, the head of navigation of the Peak Forest Canal, was the largest and busiest inland port on Britain's narrow canal system and the only one to survive intact.  

Famous canal and tramway engineer, Benjamin Outram, built the 14 mile long Peak Forest Canal from Dukinfield to Bugsworth. Construction of the six-mile Peak Forest Tramway in 1795-96 linked Bugsworth Basin to the limestone and gritstone quarries in Derbyshire, and the canal linked Bugsworth to Manchester and the trans-Pennine canal network.

In the Bugsworth Basin

Original sleepers for the horse drawn Peak Forest Tramway .

One of the lime kilns can be seen on the right 

Mike and Geoff discussing the model of Bugsworth Basin

Me & Mike outside the Navigation Inn at Bugsworth Basin

Horses now use the route of the original Peak Forest Tramway.

An unusual sight 2 black swans

This was a huge site but the chimney is all that's left.

The first lamb I've seen this year

Mike & Sky

Me and Mike 

Mike & Geoff  heading up to Eccles Pike

Views from Eccles Pike

Eccles Pike is an isolated hill three mils to the west of Chapel en le Frith in the Derbyshire Peak District. It consists of gritstone, pink in colour at the summit. While not as prominent as the surrounding hills of Cracken Edge and Combs Moss it is popular with walkers. At 370 metres high, it offers good views of Manchester to the west and the Kinder Scout plateau to the east. Combs reservoir lies just to the south of the hill.

On our way back down to Whaley Bridge

We encountered a pair of Alpacas

We got back to the station for Mike with 15 minutes to spare before his train came in, We said our farewells and set off back on the journey to Belper.

This was on our way back home, bit of a tight squeeze

Still lots of piles of snow about in the peaks.

This was a cracking walk with the sun shining and we went through some really interesting history, canals, tramways and railways. In total it was just under 8 miles with a couple of steep ascents but nothing us old timers cant handle.

Cheers