16 Jan 2026: Longshaw from The Grouse

As I write this note I’m looking at about 3 inches of snow on my front garden. However the BBC weather forecast is saying that from Monday onwards the temperature should rise to around 6/7 degrees so, hopefully, it will have gone by Friday.
I’m planning to start from the Grouse Inn, Longshaw, S11 7TZ. The plan is to walk into The Longshaw Estate, work our way around the bottom towards the Pond. Depending on the conditions we can then cross the road and walk upstream along the river. We then re-cross the river and walk uphill across the road and back to the NT cafe for a coffee stop. From there we then walk up towards the Wooden Pole carpark, cross the road and pass by the White Edge Lodge. We then descend back to the road and back to the Grouse. Distance for the full route is just a tad under 5 miles.
I’ve picked Longshaw as it gives us many different options to shorten the route if conditions change. The paths within the main Estate are, in the main, relatively flat and firm.
I’m planning to re-visit the area by Tuesday at the latest and will give you an update on conditions then.
I will need to advise the pub of numbers but food choices are not required.
Depending on what I find I would suggest I need to know whether or not you plan to walk/dine by Wednesday afternoon.
The walk is for the usual start time of 10:00 with lunch planned for around 12:45.  Please make sure you “double park” in the carpark.

John Somerset