"Royston Vasey" & the Longdendale Valley

Starting from Hadfield station ("Royston Vasey" for those in the know!), rather than the usual tough hike up onto Bleaklow this is more a gentler ramble along the Valley used by the notorious Woodhead Pass to Sheffield and 6 linear reservoirs serving Manchester.

Its an easy start along the Longdendale Trail aka Trans-Pennine Trail, the former Manchester-Sheffield main line! This is a multi-functional recreation path for walkers, cyclists and horses. We will go about a third of the way past Bottoms, Valehouse & Rhodeswood reservoirs and then cut down to the Torside Dam wall path picking up the Pennine Way.

On the north side we have to cross the A628 Woodhead and start a gentle climb up the valley side towards Crowden. Now get ready for a stiff climb on a permitted path up the side of Rakes Moss but the effort is worth it to arrive on the moor top and views along the whole valley, Bleaklow, into Yorkshire and ultimately the Cheshire Plain. progressing across the peat moor; yes it will be a tad icky!; we arrive at Millstone Rocks cliff face and the Coombes/Hollins Clough with tumbling waterfalls and a great place for a lunch stop at "Lad`s Leap" - please dont!!

We will then head off westwards onto Robinson`s Moss and cut down the cliff face into Didsbury Intake Quarry and Forest eventually returning down to the A628 and crossing over down to the Rhodeswood reservoir dam wall. Now depending on the progress of the National Grid works that are going on over this year, involving some occasional path closures, we will walk along Valehouse reservoir and maybe Bottoms eventually cutting across the rejoin the Longdendale Trail or walk across Rhodeswood dam to join the Trail and back to where we started and a pub opposite the station!!