MONEYSTONE MARATHON

Degree of difficulty :- Medium ( Steep in places )

Length :- 4.5 miles (approx)

Start at Oakamoor Car Park (Public Toilets) on Station Road

Cross the park over the river bridge, bear left, until you reach the Cricketers Arms.

Turn right, stay on footpath, past bus shelter, cross the B5417 opposite old filling station.

Head up the track to Cotton Dell.

Continue past the houses into the Nature Reserve through a gate ( usually open ).

The track crosses a bridge over the Dell Stream.

After about 200 yards there is a concrete footbridge on the right.

Cross the bridge and continue up the path until you reach a stone wall. Do not cross the wall.

Turn left and follow the path uphill in the wood until you reach a farm track.

Turn left and follow the track until you see a public footpath signpost.

Continue straight on until you reach Bath House.

Do not enter the drive but skirt round to the right passing through 2 gates into a field. Beware ! There is sometimes stock in this field.

Follow the track, but where the public footpath forks right uphill, carry straight on.

Follow an old farm track which runs slightly downhill across the centre of the field.

Head for a stile at the edge of the wood with yellow topped marker posts.

Follow the marker posts until you reach the Dell Stream.

Cross the stream ( no bridge ! ) following the marker posts to find some steep steps.

Ascend the steps over a stile, climb uphill through 2 fields, through a squeeze stile onto a track.

You are now at Cotton Bank Farm.

Turn right, follow the track, past Side Farm, for a good country mile.

Eventually you reach will reach a tarmac road, near some rock outcrops and houses.

Turn left, following the lane to a T junction, turn left into Blakeley Lane.

Follow the road ( very little traffic ) to Blakeley Farm, Rock Cottage & Moneystone.

Continue straight on, as you head downhill there is a footpath sign on the left with a squeeze stile.

Take this footpath across 2 fields. There are usually sheep in these fields.

After the second field you will go through a squeeze stile, reaching Carr Bank, turn right.

After 50 metres there is a gate & stile on the left, turn here, over the stile.

Head across the field to Carr Wood, surmounting another stile.

After about 50 metres there is a clearing, bear left, downhill.

Continue straight on, downhill all the time, until you reach the bottom edge of the wood.

Follow the path and you will reach Woodside, turn left, follow the river to Oakamoor Village.