Manchester Pedestrian Club


Saturday Walking Around Greater Manchester
- Courtesy and Companionship

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MPC Walks 1978

The following MPC walks occurred in 1978. The main event was the heroic Derwent Watershed Walk, the longest walk ever tried by the MPC since it was set up as a club. The details of all other walks are yet to be added.

Walk Date Name Location Grade of 'A' walk
January 1978
7 Jan
14 Jan
21 Jan
28 Jan
February 1978
4 Feb
11 Feb
18 Feb
25 Feb
March 1978
4 Mar
11 Mar
18 Mar
25 Mar
April 1978
1 Apr
8 Apr
15 Apr
22 Apr
29 Apr
May 1978
6 May
13 May Derwent Watershed See below 36 of 40 m

The Derwent Watershed Walk

The Derwent Watershed Walk is a 40-mile challenge, to walk on the watershed of all streams that flow into the Upper Derwent Valley. It was attempted just once by the MPC. The following is an account by Alan Redfern, one of the members who walked (most of) it, from a memoir he is writing, to whom many thanks for allowing us to reproduce it. A.B.

This walk was done on Saturday, 13th May, 1978, and was led by Chris Taylor, who joined the M.P.C. around the same time as myself. Only a handful of Pedestrians attempted the walk, though support was given at various stages by other, interested members [including George Hutton].

To say that this is the most challenging of the Peak District Classics Is not an exaggeration. It is a 40-mile route along the watershed of the upper Derwent River, taking in Mam Tor, Kinder and Bleaklow and several other lesser Peak District heights. But I must admit, here at the start, we were unable to do the complete walk. Time defeated us and we missed off the last 4 miles. Even with that omission, we did 35.8 miles of the extremely demanding 40-mile moorland walk.

The five walkers who joined in the M.P.C. attempt were: Chris Taylor, leading, Ted Nixon, Derek Eccles, myself and one other whose name I have not noted (Bryan Coxson?). My own day was complicated by the fact that Derek Eccles (from Hawker Siddley at Kingston-upon-Thames) was staying at our house; consequently, I provided him with transport to and from the walk! We left home (76 Albany Road, Bramhall) at 04.00 and arrived at Yorkshire Bridge at 04.50. The walk proceeded as follows:

Route of Derwent Watershed Walk
Miles Point Time
0.0 Yorkshire Br. Dep. 05.04
0.8 Win Hill 05.32
3.9 Lose Hill 06.42
5.8 Mam Tor 07.27
6.8 Lord's Seat 07.52
7.7 Signpost 08.07 - 08.23
9.6 Brown Knoll 08.59
10.5 EDALE CROSS 09.21
12.3 Kinder Downfall 10.05 - 10.12
13.9 Ashop Head GP 10.48
14.1 Mill Hill 10.55
16.4 SNAKE SUMMIT 11.45 - 12.15
18.7 Wain Stones 13.19
20.3 Bleaklow Stones 13.54 - 14.06
23.2 Swains Head 14.50
25.5 Outer Edge 16.15 - 16.25
26.7 Margery Hill 16.52
31.0 Back Tor 18.30 - 18.42
35.8 YORKSHIRE BR. arr 20.20

The total height gain during the walk was estimated as 3,940 feet.

Had we had the energy and determination to do the complete 40 miles of the standard walk, it would have occupied another 1 hour and 30 minutes. That was totally beyond us, specially with an hour's drive home.

...

The Derwent Watershed Walk, described above, was just one such. There were other long walks (i.e. 25 miles or more), and many of them. In these years, roughly speaking from the year 1971 to 2013, I did several outstanding walks. I adopted a policy of wherever and whenever I found myslf, if at all possible, I would do a walk, and the longer the better!

Continuing the table of walks ...

Walk Date Name Location Grade of 'A' walk
20 May
27 May
June 1978
3 Jun
10 Jun
17 Jun
24 Jun
July 1978
1 Jul
8 Jul
15 Jul
22 Jul
29 Jul
August 1978
5 Aug
12 Aug
19 Aug
26 Aug
September 1978
2 Sep
9 Sep
16 Sep
23 Sep
30 Sep
October 1978
7 Oct
14 Oct
21 Oct
28 Oct
November 1978
4 Nov
11 Nov
18 Nov
25 Nov
December 1978
2 Dec

Full list of MPC walks is available on separate page.

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Created: 30 August 2022. 5 October 2022 Name of Geo Hutton supplied.

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