sank within two minutes of an attack by killer whales. The Robertsons resorted to an inflatable dingy and managed to survive for 38 days on a pitiful diet until rescued by Japanese tuna fishermen.
Beyond the speed limit signs branch off the road right at the handsome Onecote Grange sign, announcing the pedigree Holstein dairy herd, the caravan club site, and free range eggs! A little further along the road lies the Courtyard Tearoom, a relish at the walk’s end if you’re here at a weekend.
Follow the lane signed ‘footpath to the Mermaid via Mixon’ to the Grange, crossing the Hamps bridge. Admire the handsome farmhouse with staddle-stones set on the edge of the lawn – these originally were placed under thatched stacks of corn sheaves to inhibit rodents. Pass close by the farmhouse, via two gates, to join the open roadway leading on to a cattle grid. Where the road forks keep right, the open road leading up the Hamps valley with good views down to the meandering stream. Cross a bridge and a third cattle grid (with every chance of encountering Charolais beef cattle as keeneyed observers of any walker who passes their way). Cross a fourth cattle grid; where the roadway takes a right-angled turn left continue forward upon the rougher track with a pony paddock to the right. A fifth cattle grid occurs as the track enters the wooded environs of the old Mixon copper mine, with a welcoming field-gun pointing directly at oncoming walkers. Mixon derives from ‘mixen’, meaning ‘dung heap or midden’.
Follow the track to the left of the gun, going through the gate to pass up by the cottage, to find a wall-stile to the right of the stone barn. Pass on through the nettlebeset paddock to a stile, and drift down the clinkered ground to pass a double-gate access to a lorry park. Continue to a stile in a fence, and cross over into pasture. Keep along the top edge of the field following a dry dike; at the field corner stride across the open pasture, maintaining the same course to a galvanised gate and crude stile. Cross the next field in the same direction, stepping onto the top of an old dam. The dam is breached, so dip at the fence and hop across the brook using the stone as a firm launch pad.
The meandering Hamps above Onecote Grange
On reaching the next fence go through the wicket-gate beside the field-gate. Cross the next field to a wicket-gate, and the next field to a metal field-gate. Now with heaps of concrete rail sleepers and broken concrete piles to the left ignore the open track. Instead bear right under the power lines and descend right to a long rail stile (yellow waymark attached). Descend into the valley bottom through the burdock to cross a metal footbridge over the Hamps.
Bear left, arriving at a galvanised gate into the wooded bank; ignore this and cross the railing stile at the fence end. Head up the pasture through the gate, and at the top of the next field slip through the wall squeeze-stile. Continue uphill to a light fence-stile, crossing the open farm track to Meadows Farm. Aim slightly right to a further wall squeeze-stile where you join the open road. Turn right, passing the gate signed to Cave Farm, descending either the pasture or sticking resolutely to the minor road… and why not? The road, little troubled by vehicles, leads by Breach Farm, enjoying fine views towards heather-clad Revidge across the Warslow Brook valley. Pass through the environs of New Hillhouse, by gates. The road continues to where it swings right at Hayes Farm cottage; keep right, duly arriving at the Warslow/Onecote road.
Revidge, seen across the Warslow Brook valley from Breech
Cross straight over by the stone-lined verge to a wicket-gate, quickly followed by a fence-stile. Keep the fence right to a further wicket-gate where you enter a rough patch of ground defined by a paling fence, with the spire of Butterton church prominent ahead. Two more wicket-gates lead into a pasture with the brook close to the left; pass to the right of a field barn and advance to a wall-stile just beyond a low projecting wall corner. Continue to a galvanised gate beside corrugated sheds and join a track, which leads by cottages onto the village road by a phone kiosk and bus shelter.
The cobbled ford at Brookside, Butterton
Turn left to enter Butterton, which has a prosperous air about it, and pass the Post Office, with Calor gas banner. The place name derives from ‘butter don’ meaning ‘the hill with rich pastures for the production of milk and butter’, obviously noted for such since Saxon times. Make a point of bearing up left to visit the parish church, passing the The Black Lion Inn. Descend from the pub down the single-track lane by Stoop House Farm to the dale-bottom cottages and the attractive ford/footway beside Brookside Cottage.
Immediately after the cottage find the footpath signed right through the cottage grounds and along a confined path to a wall-stile into a pasture field. Keep left to traverse a series of long pasture crofts by a sequence of four wall-stiles and three wicket-gates, followed by a further wall-stile; eventually reach a stile beside the cottage garden hedge at The Twist. Pass under the garden wall with a brook close left; step down over a ditch to reach a wall-stile into pasture proper again.
Ascend the damp pasture by Little Twist. Pass up between a derelict cottage and integral barn left and a further stone barn over to the right. Gaining height look back towards distant Ecton Hill. Arrive upon a wooden field-gate and stile and pass Twistgreen Farm, joining its access track. At the path crossways take the left-hand option, not the open track. Traverse the pasture to the fence-stile onto the road beside the neat field-wall.
Turn left to reach the open track right beside the National Trust’s Grindon Moor sign. Follow the track on down; where the more regular way swings left, keep forward to descend by thickets of gorse, coming down onto a metalled road leading by Home Farm to meet the Warslow road. Cross to the far side to face oncoming traffic. Notice the green footpath sign on the Old Hall side directing to the 47th Squadron Cairn, an RAF memorial situated further up this path above the village
The walk crosses the Hamps once more, perhaps via the pub footbridge and bar!
WALK 4
Revidge
| Start/Finish | Hulme End |
| Distance | 7.7km (4¾ miles) |
| Time | 3¼ hrs |
| Terrain | Off-the-beaten track country walking by field-paths and tracks; some damp ground may be encountered and a muddy moment at Upper Brownhill. |
| Refreshments | Greyhound Inn at Warslow and The Manifold Inn at Hulme End |
| Parking | (GR 103593) Hulme End National Park Authority car park (pay and display) and picnic site, at northern end of Manifold Track and former light railway station, now a popular cycle hire centre |
Quite naturally the plaudits and praise for a pleasurable few hours’ walking from Hulme End are normally garnered by the Manifold Track, but it would be wrong to think that is the summation of good walking country. The wider scenic setting revealed on this outing certainly merits investigation. The walk encounters both the heather-clad moorland scarp of Revidge – ‘the edge frequented by foxes’ – and the lovely little village of Warslow, which intriguingly translates as ‘the clearing with a watch-tower’.
Begin by striding down the Manifold Track; the modern smooth metalled trail replaced the tracks lifted in 1935. At the second footpath crossing point under the wooded bank, depart right through the kissing-gate; switch right, then smartly left, gaining height up the thorn bank on an apparent path leading up the hillside. Soon lovely views open up over the Manifold valley with gorse banks opposite and the large eastern slope of Ecton Hill casting shadows into the valley.
