We followed a small road for a short way heading across a section of very boggy moorland below Orchard Common, which luckily didn't last for too long until we met a track with a firm surface: probably an access route for the shooting butts on the moor. Unfortunately, not only was the mist stubbornly refusing to clear, it also started to rain. Never mind, we were expecting it as it had been forecast.
This led to Three Shire Heads where the borders or Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire meet where there were two old packhorse bridges spanning the River Dane which rises not far away. We stopped here for a quick coffee in the shelter of some beech trees.
After the coffee we crossed the larger of the two bridges and followed a path along the side of the valley watching two people on mountain bikes on the other side until we realised we also should be on the other side after checking with the map!
We hadn't gone far so we retraced or route back to the bridge and re-crossed to the other side. We were on the correct side of the valley now and continued on our way passing an old ruined stone-built house. Soon we were on another minor road and after following this for a while, crossed a stile into a field and found that the rain had stopped and we were getting hungry, so we had a quick rest for lunch.
After our sandwiches were eaten and we were about to continue the walk, the rain began again! Oh well, at least it had stopped long enough for us to have lunch!
After another short stretch of minor road we followed a footpath across more moorland heading uphill until we passed some rocks at Wolf Edge and then headed onwards through more fields and scrubby ground until we were back on tarmac and entering the village of Flash, where we had been last weekend.
We entered a large field which had two horses and a large pig which was very friendly and came over and was grunting gently – probably hoping for some food – before he trundled off to a low shelter and had a good scratch against one of the wooden posts holding up the shelter's roof.
The rain was now stopping for short periods then starting up again as we crossed the A53 and followed a tarmaced lane leading past a farmhouse near Nield Bank. After passing another house at Lower Gamballs, we reached another minor road and the rain had stopped. Not only had the rain stopped, there were blue patches in the sky and we could see the rugged hill tops of Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill in the distance with patches of sunlight shining over them.
We stopped to take several photos of these two hills and then followed an old track across pasture land before again reaching a minor road and after a short steep section, we reached the A53 again opposite where we had parked the car earlier.
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