Bollington

BOLLINGTON, WHITE NANCY, RAINOW

Distance: 10 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Overcast but dry

Walkers: George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Phil Welsh, Tom Cunliffe, Julian Ross

Apologies: Jock Rooney (abroad), George Whaites (working), Colin Davison (dentist), Alan Hart (Barbados), Peter Beal (walking elsewhere)

B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Tony Job, John Laverick, Ken Sparrow

Non-walking drinkers: John Eckersley. Frank Dudley

Leader: Fairman Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Main car park, Bollington

Starting Time: 9.32am. Finishing Time: 2.05pm

Any organisation – like Dracula - needs fresh blood. And this week the Wanderers welcomed a new walker, Julian Ross, plus two long absent enthusiasts Tom Cunliffe and Phil Welsh.

Tom claimed to be on a new fitness regime to shed some of his 18.5 stones. He is, of course, the ideal weight for a man of 9ft 11in. However this did not deter him from coming equipped with a substantially larger pie than the ones the Wanderers normally buy from the shop near the car park. Your diarist and Mr Welsh stuck with the Wanderers’ pie eating tradition.

In a week where Tuesday and Thursday were wet, the weather was kind to us and so was our leader with the route.

On one of the most recent times we have left from Bollington, in June I recall, two fearsome ascents (one to Andrew’s Knob) left your diarist almost in need of a defibrillator.

This time Mr Fairman led the quintet right onto Church Street and eventually onto Cow Lane, where we squeezed through a stone stile and up some steps.

This is the familiar route to White Nancy, which we reached by 10am.

The monument, we found, had been decorated with paintings to commemorate the two big events of the year, the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics. When Frank Dudley reaches 100 I suggest the Wanderers commission a portrait on the side of the Grade 11 listed edifice, built in 1817 to mark the victory at the Battle of Waterloo.

Our leader…

Mr Fairman shows off the route he’s mapped out for next week.

Copious photographs having been taken, we set off along the ridge and at 10.15am found ourselves on slightly the wrong track. We were faced with a dry stone wall, topped with barbed wire.  It is an error I recall we have made before. To rectify the situation we descended 50 yards and picked up the appropriate trail.

This took us down to the main road where we turned right and within a hundred yards or so swung left up some stone steps.

We crossed a number of fields and on reaching a metalled road turned right. This turned out to be Bull Hill Lane.

At the top is a T-junction and there we turned left.

There were further stone steps on the right and a sign denoting the Gritstone Trail.

This trail actually links Disley all the way to Kidsgrove, Staffordshire.

As if to show off to our newest recruit Mr Fairman led us to not one but two fully operational picnic tables for our Pie Time at 10.55am.

We set off again at 11.10am, crossing a stile.

Tegg’s Nose was away to our right.

We turned left, reached a road and turned left again.

Our route took us to the Robin Hood which we reached at 12.22pm.

Already in situ were The B Walkers.

They had started at the Sports Ground opposite the Pie Shop, headed down the High Street, passing the Redway Tavern and onto Kerridge Ridge.

Timothy Taylor’s was £3.05 as was Long Row (brewed in Poynton apparently). Headless was £3.

Ken Sparrow declared he has recently taken delivery of his first ever computer.

Let’s hope he has better luck than the “silver surfer” who became enraged because his laptop told him he was "bad and an invalid."

The technical help desk explained that the computer's "bad command" and "invalid" responses shouldn't be taken personally.

After further debates on – among other things – the joys of living or holidaying in Italy and who was the former Tory Grandee caught up in kiddie fiddling allegations, we left the pub at 1.17pm.

Doubtless emboldened by ale the B Walkers decided to take the long way home while Mr Fairman opted for the well trodden Virgins’ Path (sadly now well trodden only by walkers).

We took luncheon at 1.40pm by the spectacular waterfall opposite Waulkmill Farm.

The river here, by the way, is the River Dean. We set off at 1.46pm to pass the derelict factory and reach the cars at 2.05pm.

By 2.12pm we were in the Dog and Partridge where Messrs Dudley and Eckersley were already seated. Unicorn was £2.55.

Next week’s walk will start at the Old Cock, Whaley Bridge at 9.35am, with a stop at around 12.30pm at the Old Hall Inn, Whitehough. We will finish, of course, back at the Cock. Happy Wandering!