Bollington

BOLLINGTON, HARROP BROOK, ANDREW’S KNOB, CHARLES HEAD, RAINOW

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Overcast with brief sunshine

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman,

Apologies: Peter Beal (on his boat), Jock Rooney (Isle of Man ?), Colin Davison (sailing), George Whaites (Spanish holiday)

B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Ken Sparrow

Non-walking drinkers: Frank Dudley, John Eckersley and Tony Job

Leader: Fairman  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The main car park at Bollington

Starting Time: 9.38am. Finishing Time: 2.15pm

Had your diarist been a mountain goat he might have enjoyed this walk more. There were a couple of steep climbs and a period where we appeared to be walking for a long stretch on a 45 degree angle. Maybe I should blame the four pints the previous evening in the Lantern Pike that took the edge off my athletic prowess. No matter.

We left the car park and sauntered – as tradition demands – to the nearby Pie Shop, where hand-made hot pies were duly bought and stored.

We walked past Church Street, along Ingersley Road and at 9.45am our leader had the first moment of self doubt, believing a wrong turning had been taken.

After doing that thing where you think you’ve left the gas on, turn round and then remember that you had switched the appliance off after all…we carried on in the original direction.

We passed The Poachers Inn and turned left following signs to Pott Shrigley. We turned right onto Hedge Row, where a building (once a café favoured by bikers) had been turned into an impressive house.

At Winterside Farm we kept left, through a farm and then through a five bar gate.

We crossed Harrop Brook, passed a farm on the left and began the ascent up a steep hill.

At the top we turned right onto a metalled road and over a cattle grid. A turn to the left of a stile took us to Andrew’s Knob, one of the 10 rudest place names in Britain, according to Google.

http://googlesightseeing.com/2009/02/top-10-rudest-place-names-in-britain/

Minge Lane and Sluts Hole Lane are among its rivals.

One of two stone gorillas decorating the gateway of a house in the early part of the walk.

Gorilla

Classic view of the Cheshire countryside looking towards White Nancy.

With Andrew’s Knob to our left we veered right and a few minutes later a farm hoved into view.

We went through the farm, over a stile and turned right past Brink Farm Cottage.

We crossed the B4570 and up a hill, turning left onto a metalled road.

At 11am Pie Time was declared.

We set off again at 11.11am and passed through Charles Head Farm.

We turned right but quickly realised we had made an error and were redirected by a middle aged woman with a frisky dog called Archie who seemed intent on biting Mr Hart.

Archie needs educating.

We retraced our steps and found ourselves on the sloping terrain mentioned above.

We went through another farm and turned left.

We then came onto a road and turned right. The road took us downhill to Burton Springs Farm, an impressive house with an even more impressive, reed laden pond.

With the house on our left we turned right up yet another hill. This one seemed never ending.

We passed Round Knoll Farm on the right. Reaching a road we turned right, down Smith Lane.

This took us back to the B5470 where we turned left, reaching the Robin Hood pub at 12.42pm.

Here we linked up with Geoff Spurrell and Ken Sparrow. Black Sheep was £2.90.

We set off again at 1.28pm, heading down Stocks Lane and right into Chapel Lane.

At 1.51pm we had lunch at the waterfall, opposite Waulkmill Farm.

We headed off at 1.58pm reaching the cars at 2.15pm.

We were soon in the Dog & Partridge where Unicorn was £2.55.

In situ were Frank Dudley, John Eckersley and Tony Job

Next week's walk will start from the car park at Disley railway station, leaving at 9.30am. We will head for Fox at Brookbottom as the half way point, finishing at the White Horse in Disley. At time of writing your diarist has a prior engagement and will probably be unavailable.

Marple Bridge

MARPLE BRIDGE, CHADKIRK, OTTERSPOOL, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, MARPLE

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Sunshine

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman,

Apologies: Peter Beal (on his boat), Jock Rooney (funeral), Colin Davison (sailing), George Whaites (holiday) Geoff Spurrell (cruise)

Non-walking drinkers: Frank Dudley, John Eckerley and Tony Job

Leader: Fairman  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The car park at Brabyns Park

Starting Time: 9.35am. Finishing Time: 2.05pm

The God of Rambling smiled on us with ideal weather conditions as we meandered our way through Brabyns Park to what was once known as “The Pink House” at the back of the park but which is now painted a dispiriting magnolia.

Three workmen, displaying all the attributes for which Britain is now renown, were leaning on a wall chatting and smoking.

We took the path that leads onto the main road from Marple Bridge to Romiley and after the bridge turned sharp left onto “Valley Way”.

The River Etherow was on our left. We negotiated a stile and after a few minutes turned right onto a path that took us away from the river, with an electricity pylon to our right.

We went through a farm and turned left.

The route took us up some steps, through a gate and onto the canal, where we turned left.

We crossed a bridge over Hyde Bank Tunnel and a few yards further on along the canal towpath we turned left just before a red-brick mill on the opposite side of the canal.

Apparently had we continued this area is know as Bury-Me-Quick. Google could shed no light on the nomenclature.

By the way, Hyde Bank Tunnel, as every schoolboy knows, is 308 yards long. Apparently in 1895 the roof collapsed and in order to get it back into operation as quickly as possible the management (it was owned by the local railway company) recruited jobless miners.

They were not well directed and the initial plan of excavating soil onto boats threatened to undermine the foundations of nearby Hyde Bank House.

At this point the working party called on a local know-all called Hirst from Dukinfield, who had experience in railway tunnelling.

Hirst was clearly the ‘elf n safety Jobsworth of his era and ordered that the canal be drained, to the dismay of management.

Using a load of timber Hirst shored up the tunnel lining and removed the blockage, so impressing his client that they commissioned him to reline the tunnel with bricks.

But conscious that time is money they ordered that Hirst would have to do the work while the canal was being re-filled with water!

Having surmounted this almost impossible restriction Hirst and the management then had a spat and he walked off the job.

The workmen followed him.

So part of the tunnel still has the original stone lining.

Let’s hope Hirst got paid for his labours.

We went down some steps and turned right, emerging at Chadkirk Chapel where Pie Time was declared at 10.45am. The gardens were looking spectacular.

Alan Hart asks a monk for directions at Chadkirk Chapel but clearly he belongs to a silent order.

We set off again at 10.57am and immediately noticed a lot of work in the field to our left where a lime green bridge was being inserted. It was not obvious why but Mr Fairman was confident that in future months the construction would be a boon to Wednesday Wandering and provide us with alternative routes.

New turbine at Otterspool

We emerged (at 11.11am) onto Dooley Lane and turned left and a few hundred yards further on noticed a new water-powered electricity generating turbine being installed opposite the garden centre. The Emirs of the Middle East are unlikely to be quaking in their curly slippers at the prospect of dented oil revenues, especially given that the contraption was not moving.

We turned right at the lights and left into Torkington Road. After a few yards we turned left again, following a sign to “Hawk Green”.

A further sign directed us to “Middlewood Way”.

Despite the abundance of signs, however, your diarist and Mr Hart at this point (11.45am) managed to part company with leader Fairman, in the proximity of Stockport golf course

The two Wanderers conscientiously doubled back and spent 15 minutes checking that our leader had not “done a Bing Crosby”.

But on seeing no sign we continued on our way.

Meandering through woods we eventually emerged onto Marple golf course, where the welcome site of the Goyt Mill could be seen in the distance.

We reached the canal at 12.21pm and the now infamous spot where Mr Davison decided to test the thickness of the ice, convinced that it could withstand his weight. Sadly, the frozen water was not as thick as our Wanderer companion, who duly underwent an impromptu baptism.

We reached the Ring o’Bells public house at 12.35pm but not before a mobile phone call from our leader saying that the “short cut” he had taken proved to be nothing of the sort.

He eventually joined us 19 minutes later, to partake of ale, the Robbie’s Bitter being £2.75 and the Mild £2.50.

We left the pub at 1.30pm, crossing the road and following the canal into Marple.

My picture last week of the Sandpiper chicks elicited some positive comments so I attach here a further photograph (below) of Nature’s wonderment: ducks and their offspring heading along the canal.

We stopped briefly for lunch on the canal side at 1.35pm and were just in time to see a narrowboat execute a perfect piece of parking right in front of us.

We set off again at 1.45pm, emerging onto Station Road, Marple Bridge and taking a pointless detour into the park which brought us back out just above the station. A few strides further on and we were back at the cars to de-boot at 2.05pm.

It was then off to the Royal Scot, Marple Bridge where we were joined by birthday boy Frank Dudley (96 the previous day), John Eckersley and Tony Job. Unicorn Bitter was £2.80.

Ducks and chicks.

Next week's walk will start from the main car park at Bollington, leaving at 9.35am. We will head for the Robin Hood at Rainow and look to finish at the Dog and Partridge.

Whaley Bridge

WHALEY BRIDGE, TAXAL EDGE, WINDGATHER ROCKS, ERRWOOD RESERVOIR, FERNILEE

Distance: Nine and a half miles.

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Cloudy, light rain at times

Walkers: Lawrie Fairman, George Dearsley, Jock Rooney and Tip

B Walker: Geoff Spurrell

Non Walkers: John Eckersley, Frank Dudley, Tony Job

Apologies: Peter Beal (on his boat), Alan Hart (router problems), Colin Davison (sailing), George Whaites (Spain)

Leader: Fairman   Diarist: Dearsley

Starting and Finishing Point: The Cock, Whaley Bridge

Starting Time: 9.28 am. Finishing Time: 2.16pm

Holidays and computer issues reduced our number but a pleasant day’s walking nevertheless ensued.

Leaving the car park of the Cock at Whaley Bridge we walked past the pub and took the path to the left which runs through a housing estate. Taking a path to the right, we passed a play area and eventually crossed the main road that leads out of Whaley Bridge and climbed the hill opposite.

 Our route then took us past the large graveyard adjacent to Taxal Church, where a group of men in orange jackets (probably on Community Payback) were gardening.

At the end of the steep path past the church (on our right) we turned left, past Glebe Farm and a few yards further on past the Rectory we took a path to the right marked “Kettleshulme via Taxal Edge.

The climb took us past a tree planted in 2001 in memory of rambler Terry Lardner (nothing on Google). It looked decidedly scrawny.

We reached a metalled road (Taxal Moor Road) at the side of a wood, turned left and then took a path on the right which leads to the top of the ridge. We reached the summit at 10.15am.

A minute later we felt the first few spots of rain.

Windgather Rocks were in the distance and we reached that high point at 10.31am.

A game band of rock climbers were practising.

The climb affords spectacular views of the Cheshire countryside but the overcast weather did not show it at its best and my photo below is from a previous Wednesday Wandering.

View over Cheshire

A few yards on from Windgather Rocks, we stopped at 10.35am for Pie Time in a natural shelter we have used before.

We set off again at 10.47am. and made our way to a metalled road which was in effect the continuation of The Street.

This took us to Errwood Reservoir. We crossed the reservoir and turned left, then left again.

Fernilee Reservoir was now on our left.

At this point we came across an elderly man on his knees by the side of the path who was ringing newly born sandpiper chicks.

He had about half a dozen in a bag tucked inside his jumper to keep them warm but brought them out for a photo opportunity.

Babies

Reaching the end of Fernilee Reservoir who should we bump into but B Walker Geoff Spurrell. He had started from the Cock and walked to Taxal Church, passed Madscar Farm to Fernilee.

Now a quartet, we made our way along the path with the reservoir to our left and at 12.28pm we reached the Shady Oak pub, where Marston’s bitter was £2.90.

We set off again at 1.26pm. But this time Mr Rooney and Mr Spurrell took the road while Mr Fairman and your diarist negotiated the fields. We crossed the road from the Shady Oak and took a path that initially led through a farm. We crossed a field and over a bridge with a fast flowing stream, reaching the Cock at Whaley Bridge at 2.16pm.

Already in situ were Mr Dudley, Mr Eckersley and Mr Job. Unicorn was £2.65 a pint.

Next week we celebrate Frank Dudley’s birthday.  It was Frank’s wish that we quaff some ale with him in Marple Bridge so we will meet in the car park at Brabyn’s Park (the one inside the park on the left as you come down the hill past Marple railway station). We will meet at 9.30am aiming for a half way point drink at the Hare and Hounds, Werneth Low and engaging in bonhomie later at the Royal Scot in Marple Bridge.