Three Shires Head or Three Shire Heads?

Introduction

Which is it? The former is in common use, but the latter is as stated on the OS Map. Whichever, it is a beautiful spot, where I have walked several times, and yet today, I completed a 7 mile walk, with just a few hundred yards of path that I had walked before. And I did indeed walk in three counties – mainly in Cheshire, about 20 paces in Derbyshire, and about half a mile in Staffordshire.

Travel time – 40 minutes each way. Walk time – 3hrs, plus half an hour for lunch.

The weather was cloudy and cold (5 deg C at the bottom in the sheltered car park), with a very brisk north-easterly wind giving a significant wind chill on the moors. And to think it was over 20C a couple of days ago!

This walk is 7 miles, and it rises 1350 feet, 411m., so a good test for my recovering knee.

The walk is not dog friendly, as witnessed by this sign near the start.

Of course, this was fine for birdwatchers, and this is a great time of year to see and hear some of our less common feathered friends.

OS Explorer Map OL24.

I parked in the free car park at Clough House Farm.

Cumberland Brook

Leaving the car park at the top end, I crossed the road and headed up the pretty valley of Cumberland Brook.

After the wood , a waterfall appeared, and a choice of directions, and I took a left to head up Danethorn Hollow.

So far, I had seen no-one since leaving the car park. It’s a wild and lonely spot.

A Sheltered , Pretty Waterfall

I had walked up a south-west facing slope, well protected from the northeasterly wind, but I was now almost out onto the flat moors. So it was fortuitous that I came across this spot, and I decided to sit and eat lunch here. As I sat, two curlews flew above me, with their extraordinarily long downturned bills prominent, and their unique whirring call echoing around me. Glorious!

Danebower Hollow

I pressed on up the hill, now on the bitterly exposed open moor. The path eventually reached a bridleway which comes down from the Cat and Fiddle Inn. Here, the Footpath Society’s sign adopts the common usage for my destination.

I headed right, towards the A54trunk road. This exposed stretch of moor gave sightings of red grouse, with their loud throaty call, numerous meadow pipits, a skylark singing its classic trill high above in the cloud, an occasional lapwing, and then, a flock of about 12 of the lapwing’s close relatives, the golden plover, in summer plumage. A first for me!

Dane Valley

Crossing the A54 I headed down past a disused mine shaft to the headwaters of the River Dane.

I was back in more sheltered conditions now, and the cattle were also appreciating the peace, down by the river.

The Beauty Spot

I’d still seen very few people but this spot where the 3 counties meet is always popular, and plenty of folk had ventured here for their picnic lunch. I approached from the north in Cheshire, turned left over the first bridge into Derbyshire, then immediately right, over the second bridge and into Staffordshire.

Continuing down with the river on my right, I took the right fork at the cross wall, the path heading down to the riverside, and a bridge, where I almost got to photograph a dipper sitting on a rock – alas the one that got away!

The Final Stretch

Crossing the river, back into Cheshire, I headed up to a farm with the odd name, Knar, and followed the road round to Hole-edge, where a path and track to the right took me back up onto the open moor. Behind me was an expansive view across the Dane Valley to the ridge of The Roaches

There was then a tricky corner where the path isn’t signed, but goes seemingly into the back garden of a cottage where there is a sign on a gate.

And, as I continued uphill, the unmistakeable outline of Shutlingsloe appeared like an old friend weloming me back.

Traversing the moor, the weather began to offer glimpses of the sun. I crossed back over the A54 and down a lane, where another sign erected by the Footpath Society offered the alternative name – confused? I am!

I reached Crag Hall with its imposing backdrop of Shutlingsloe, turned right and headed back to Clough House Farm.

And Finally

Those windy moors led me to this classic……