Disley Footpaths Society

Disley’s many footpaths are a wonderful resource and many of these continue to be much busier than usual.

Disley Footpaths Society works closely with Cheshire East Council Rights of Way Team to maintain our village paths; also with the Canal & River Trust to maintain the canal towpath. Changes have taken place however as Steve Brown, the Society’s former footpath maintenance coordinator, has stood down from his role. Maintenance, surveying and planning further works have been taken on by four other members of the society, along with Jean Windsor who has taken on the role of Co-ordinator.

Anyone who encounters an issue on a public right of way such as a fallen tree, fallen fingerpost or broken stile should log the problem via the Cheshire East website at : Cheshire East Public Rights of Way

Minor issues can be reported to Jean Windsor at jeanwinds25@gmail.com Also, if you are unsure of how to use the Cheshire East website, Jean is willing to advise. A photo would be very useful.

Disley’s footpaths are some of the best maintained in the County and this is mostly due to the Society’s volunteers.

If you would like to join the society and also to help with maintenance work on our paths, including the towpath please email our chair, Tony Jackson arjackson04@gmail.com, and we will let you know about the Society’s various activities, such as meetings, talks and organised walks.

A membership application form can be found elsewhere on this website at: Disley Footpaths Society Membership Form

Long Lane between Buxton Old Road and Higher Stoneridge

Objectives of the Society

• The purposes and objectives of the Society are:
• a) to carry out condition surveys and inspections of footpaths.
• b) with the agreement and permission of Cheshire East Council and the landowner, where necessary, to carry out or to organise maintenance, repair and improvement works.
• c) to promote publicity and information about footpaths.
• d) to arrange events and activities to encourage use of footpaths
• e) to establish new footpaths where appropriate.
• f) to report, to the competent Authority, any obstructions which prevent free access to the footpath.

History of the Society

Established in 1999 after the dissolution of Parish Paths Partnership.
Affiliations The Peak and Northern Footpaths Society
Contacts Tony Jackson (Chair) 01663 764489 Pat Featherstone (Secretary) 01663 765058

NEW MEMBERS VERY WELCOME
Membership 1st September to 31st August Membership Subscription £5.00 per annum.

Disley Footpaths Society Membership Form

The Parish of Disley, covering some 9 square kilometres, enjoys breathtakingly varied scenery: wooded valleys, rolling farmland and typical Pennine moorland punctuated by rocky outcrops of Millstone Grit.
Over 36 kilometres of well maintained, well signposted footpaths, together with the Peak Forest Canal towpath, offer gentle rambles and more strenuous walks alike; and six ‘promoted routes’ start in, pass close by or go through
Disley, including the Gritstone Trail, Midshires Way and North Cheshire Way.Our pubs, cafe and excellent rail and bus links with Manchester, Stockportand Buxton, make Disley an ideal centre for walkers.

The Society, established in 1999, and can look back with pride at a number of achievements since then:

• footbridges installed
• signposts repaired
• new footpaths designated
• as well as the on-going battle with encroaching vegetation.

The overall result is that Disley has some of the best signposted and maintained footpaths in Cheshire. Additionally, we offer an organised walks programme each year and arrange general meetings twice a year with guest speakers.

Walks Programme 2023

Please check with the Secretary in advance of a particular walk to confirm details. Members will be notified of walk details automatically 10-14 days in advance of each walk.

“Walkers are Welcome” in Disley

Disley’s bid in 2015 to become a full member of this UK-wide national accreditation scheme was successful and accreditation has been renewed annually since then.  Disley’s accreditation is recognition of the variety of well-signposted, well-maintained walks in and around Disley and of the breathtaking views they afford. And it enables Disley to be part of a wider campaign to secure better facilities for walkers, the continued maintenance of our public footpaths, the development of way-marked trails and better access to the village by public transport. More information can be found at the: Walkers are Welcome Webpage.

Annual update on paths in the parish – Janaury 2021

Each year, East Cheshire Ramblers undertakes an independent inspection of footpaths across much of Cheshire East. The report on Disley and Newtown paths for 2020 was again very positive, with most paths given an ‘A’ ranking: “one of the best results for any parish across Cheshire East.” Only one path, FP17, was ranked ‘D’ – due to the dangerous state of a footbridge. However, since the inspection in late summer, the Network Management Officer for the Disley area successfully raised funding to replace the footbridge, which was completed in Sept 2020.

Future plans from Cheshire East Council Public Rights of Way (PROW)

Over the next few months, work will take place to improve the surface of public footpath 28 (Green Lane). This will start from where the previous surface improvements ended and will head north towards the footpath’s junction with Bridleway 31 (Long Lane).  Surface improvements will also take place on the middle section of Bridleway 31. This section is prone to flooding and the Cheshire East is seeking to carry out groundworks to improve the levels of the path and allow the water to drain more easily. Finally, the surface of bridleway 34, which was damaged by flooding in 2019, will be repaired; repairs will also be carried out on the sleeper bridge. Following recent reports of walkers getting lost, footpath signage is due to be improved around the High Peak School site.

The Disley Footpaths Society continues to work closely with the PROW team and with the Canal & River Trust to improve paths and access to the countryside in Disley and Newtown. New members are always welcome – further details can be found above.

Our thanks to East Cheshire Ramblers – for further information about their work and walking programme, see the Ramblers Cheshire East website and also to the PROW team at Cheshire East, in particular Nicola Swinnerton, the Network Management & Enforcement Officer for our area.

Footpath problems can be reported on-line at: Cheshire East Council Path Problems.

Find Disley Footpaths Society on Facebook at: Disley Footpaths Society Facebook