Part 5 Lee Head to Werneth Low (Idle Hill)
[1] From Lee Head recreation ground cross the main road, turn left and follow the wide footway for 175 yards (passing general store) to Woodseats Lane. Turn right and follow the lane for just over 100 yards to a stile on your left. Cross stile to follow a field footpath, gradually bearing right to a stile behind a smallholding. The next section (260 yards) heads west, with a hedge on your right and then a hedge on your left, to some 20 yards south of an untidy metal outbuilding of Lee Farm.
[2] Turn left into a field (waymarked) and gradually bear right (SW) across a field to a stile above a former mill, now converted to living accommodation. Descend the clearly marked path to join another path at the corner of a lodge, where turn sharp left and the merge with a road skirting the mill boundary. After 40 yards turn right - the second of a pair of right-turns - and follow the left hand (upper) farm track, which ascends slightly for 100 yards to a stile. Cross this stile and then cross a small field (beneath overhead power line), bearing left to reach a stile at the edge of Chew Woods. Cross this stile and bear left to cross a small stream (very slippery – at the time of writing, negotiations are in progress with Derbyshire County Council for the RA to part fund a small bridge here) and follow the meandering but clearly defined path leftwards through the delightful Chew Woods (ablaze with bluebells in late spring) to the rather busy A626 at the hamlet of Chew. Turn right and follow the footway for 280 yards to the first road junction . Turn right (north) and follow the farm road to Low Woodseats Farm, providing good views to the right (east) to Coombes Edge and to the left (west) to Werneth Low.
[3] Pass in front of the farm and cross the stile to a field footpath that follows very closely the right hand boundary fence. Fine views again, particularly to the right to Broadbottom village and the lower Longdendale valley. The path descends gradually, first skirting (fence on right) and then entering attractive woodland. Continue the descent to cross a small footbridge just before reaching the River Etherow. The path bears left here, temporarily almost doubling back on the original direction, and leads above the riverbank for about 100 yards. Cross a stile and soon reach a metal footbridge. Cross the footbridge and follow path to reach a stile leading to a rough track. Turn left and follow this track for 300 yards to Bothams Hall. Bear right past the Hall, shortly after which there is a stile on the left with a signpost to Back Wood. Take this path and soon reach another signpost , where follow the Tameside Trail and Trans Pennine Trail waymarks. The path takes you through beautiful woodland, providing one of the highlights of the whole walk. After crossing the stream several times – you are now on the left (west) bank – the path gradually ascends to a stile at the edge of the woodland and clough.
[4] Cross the stile and follow the waymarks to soon reach a field. Follow path along the edge of the field (hedge on left) to the top of the field (immediately below the power line) where turn right to follow the field edge (hedge on left) to a stile/gate. Bear left here, following the Trans Pennine waymark on the stile to ascend the field in a northwest direction to reach a stile leading on to a minor road (Apple Street). Turn right and follow the road for about 80 yards until just before Lowend Farm, where turn left to start the ascent of Idle Hill. Soon cross a stile on the left into a field and follow the right hand boundary path to near the top of the field, where bear left to reach a stone stile in the wall at the top of the field. Cross the stile and turn right to ascend a clearly defined path through heather. The upper part of this path is adjacent to the boundary of a modern bungalow. Ascend to the site of what was once the Windy Harbour restaurant to the right. The buildings have gone but the metalled area that was once the restaurant car park still remains, although the area is now gated to prevent entrance by vehicles. The actual summit of Idle Hill is 200 yards further on but impossible to reach due to a substantial radio station.
Part 6 Werneth Low to Gee Cross
[5] From Windy Harbour, do not go ahead up the road towards the summit, but turn sharp left (SE) and descend a metalled road for 160 yards to a wooden gate on your right. Pass through this and follow the path (signposted Compstall) along the bottom of the field to a gate at a narrow road. Turn right and ascend this road for 100 yards to a wooden stile on your left. Cross this and head SSW across Werneth Low Golf Course, passing a tee and green on the left and continuing straight ahead in the direction of the white side of a house. Admire the extensive views ahead and to the left. On reaching a stile, turn right to follow a rough track for 400 yards to Uplands Farm. Follow the track as it bends to the right and after 60 yards turn left along another track. After a further 60 yards this becomes a narrow and rather rough footpath, which soon leads to a narrow access road at Tebbits Cottage. Go straight on to follow this road for 400 yards, bearing right near the end to reach an attractive hamlet at Werneth Low Road.
From Windy Harbour there is an alternative route here, incorporating fine views from Werneth Low Cenotaph, which was not accessible at the time of the inception of the CEW. From Windy Harbour the original CEW route turns left down the metalled road, but for the alternative, take the unmetalled track from the 90-degree bend in the metalled road. Turn right to see the Cenotaph on the near horizon (the opposite direction to original route) and follow the well-defined track across to the Cenotaph. From the Cenotaph (A), look back to the far horizon along the route you have just walked to see Cown Edge, easily recognisable by the huge range of cliff faces beneath two woods. To the left (south east) the tall silver chimney in Glossop can be picked out. Above Glossop is the extensive moorland of Bleaklow. Continue left to see the Manchester overspill estate of Hattersley in the foreground. Above it is Mottram church and in the far distance is the Woodhead Valley cutting into the skyline.
Matley Moor, with its pylons, is the summit that rises to the left of Mottram church. To the left is the Tame Valley that forms a boundary between a wild rural landscape and an urban landscape. The skyscraper on the summit above the urban sprawl is in Oldham town centre. Just to the left on the far skyline beyond the huge yellow and blue IKEA building in Ashton is the Scout Moor wind farm above Rochdale. Audenshaw Reservoirs are a very visible feature: to the left of these are the skyscrapers of Central Manchester, the highest and most prominent being Beetham Tower. Behind the reservoirs on the horizon more than twenty miles away is Winter Hill. Continuing westwards, the view changes from the Greater Manchester conurbation with distant moorland to the Lancashire and Cheshire Plain. Look beyond Stockport to see the planes taking off and landing at Manchester Airport.
To continue the route, double back along the path taken to the Cenotaph for only a short distance, and the path forks. Ignore the path that brought you from Windy Harbour and continue towards the single mast at the far side of the golf course. Pass through the gate on to the golf course and walk on the left hand side of the wall until the first gate on the right (marked as TPT). Turn right and cross the lane used by horses and cycles. The footpath takes a new bearing west, contouring along the side of the hill cutting the corner of the field. On reaching the wall, the path turns slightly left (southwest) along a well-defined track on the left of the wall. Stay on this horizontal track on the side of the hill for its full length to Joel Lane car park /picnic site in the old quarry. The adjacent junction of Werneth Low Road is the point at which you rejoin the original CEW route.
[6] Turn left and follow the road (no footway) for a short distance to just past the entrance to Hyde Cricket Club where, on your right, a footpath takes you off the rather narrow and busy Werneth Low Road. The path runs more or less parallel to the road and ends at a farm access road just after the grassed area known as The Triangle on your left. Turn right and follow this road that quickly descends to Birches Farm; continue ahead through the farmyard to a rough track that soon leads to Lord Derby Road (here only a rough track). Turn right onto this track and immediately on your left go through a new gate and head via another gate and some waymarks towards Bowlacre Farm (path not too obvious, but if in doubt head towards the square brick building beyond). The path is unpleasantly narrow for a few yards but after crossing a track and continuing on a track straight ahead you are soon on a path (muddy at times) through attractive woodland, more or less following a small and slightly meandering stream on your left. After crossing this stream, the path very abruptly reaches the busy A560 trunk road near the Stockport/Tameside boundary and you have reached the end of the Cown Edge Way.