Carole's retirement adventures

County: Cheshire

High Point and Height: Shining Tor 559m (1834ft)

Date completed: April 6th 2024

Walk length: 6.53 miles

I completed this one with my youngest son on the day that Storm Kathleen was battering the west side of the UK. We were spared the rain but it was a really windy day, especially at the top. We started from the car park at Pym Chair and walked along the ridge towards the trig point at Shining Tor. It was a clear day so there were lovely views over Cheshire, Manchester and the Peak District.

It was a bit of a relief to finally head downhill through the valley out of the wind walking towards Errwood Reservoir where again the views were amazing.

The path continued downhill towards the reservoir. We made a slight wrong turn here and ended up at the car park so we decided to stop for lunch on the edge of the reservoir before retracing our steps.

We found the right path which took us past the ruins of Errwood Hall. It’s worth having a look at. This used to be a magnificent country house owned by the Grimshawe Family, with wonderful views over the Goyt Valley, but is now just a pile of stones. It was built around 1843, and demolished in 1934.

After negotiating the stepping stones over the River Goyt we carried on uphill along the side of the valley past a circular hut shrine off to the left. This is known as St Josephs and built in 1889 after the death of Miss Dolores, a companion of Mrs Grimshawe who lived with the family until her death.

The path continues up to the road with a short walk uphill back to the car park. You can make up your own mind about the rock formations at Pym Chair as to whether they were used as a pulpit for a non preacher or a lookout for a highwayman on the old packhorse trails. Who really knows????

This was an enjoyable walk with good company and good views in all directions. Cheshire ticked off the list!!