Poynton

POYNTON, LYME PARK, HIGH LANE

Distance: 10 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Mild with Occasional Showers

Walkers: Peter Beal, Julian Ross, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Phil Welsh, Alexander Welsh, Tom Cunliffe, Alan Hart, Micky Barrett, George Whaites, John Laverick

Apologies: Colin Davison (yachting in the Caribbean)

B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Tony Job, Jock Rooney, Ken Sparrow, Graham Church, Gareth Roberts, Mike Walton,

Non Walking Drinkers: John Eckersley and Frank Dudley

Leader: Hart with occasional guidance from Fairman Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Mr Hart’s house

Starting Time: 10.04am. Finishing Time: 1.38pm

The lure of a Harty breakfast (see what I did there?) meant that the traditional Christmas walk was better attended than for many a year.

Neighbours of Mr Hart, alerted by the aroma of bacon and the queue at the door may well be checking the local authority’s planning department this week to see if a covert café (or a food bank) has been opened in their leafy road.

There were hot mince pies, too, adorned with cream laced with Baileys, mulled wine and even Pimms and ginger ale.

No wonder there was a reluctance to don boots and start walking.

The bacchanalia over, there was just time for a photo opportunity, the image below superbly captured by Mr Welsh’s 13-year-old son Alexander.

The Wanderers

Leaving Mr Hart’s drive we turned left and at the end of the road went straight ahead on a path that for a while runs parallel to London Road. Poynton Pool, of course, is on the left.

After a few hundred yards we moved onto the pavement but soon turned left into Woodside Lane, turning right at a sign saying “Kingswood”.

At the end of this track we turned right and first left, going down some steps and seconds later down and up over some more steps.

This brought us to a golf course where we turned right, going down a slope until we met a road, which we crossed.

We passed some stables, negotiated a stile and went diagonally across a field.

This brought us out on another road by a commercial building saying “Swiftec”.

We crossed the road and took a path to the left at a sign saying “Hunting Lodge”.

We came to another sign saying “Poynton Coppice” and here we turned left.

This brought us onto the Middlewood Way.

We went under Bridge 13, eschewing all superstitions.

We turned right at Bridge 12, then left and went across the bridge.

We then went through a farmyard and turned left to cross a field.

Negotiating a stile we turned right (11.25am) and passed Simpson Lane Cottage.

At the top of the hill we stopped for a six minute breather (11.30am).

Having set off again we turned right at a Methodist Church and began a modest climb.

Up we go

We went through a gate onto a path and turned left.

After 200 yards we climbed a ladder stile.

Right would have taken us to Bowstones but would have added an unwelcome 40 minutes to our walk. As the predicted rain had now started to fall it was deemed prudent to go straight on to Lyme Park.

We crossed a stream with a sign saying Cluse Hen Restoration Project. Bizarrely there is not a single Google reference to this.

At 12.52 we climbed another ladder stile and went left and first right. We crossed a cattle grid, went through a gate and negotiated a stone stile on the right.

We climbed a path up to a railway line, crossed over and turned right and then left over a stile.

This brought us to the canal (1.20pm).

At a structure that may have once been a pill box but which was now being used as a garden shed by one of the narrowboaters we took a path on the left and then turned right to cross the canal via a bridge and come back on ourselves on the opposite side of the canal.

By 1.32pm we had reached the Bull’s Head where we left the canal to join the main road, reaching our final destination the Dog and Partridge at 1.38pm.

Reinbeer, the only draught ale, was £2.70, some of the Wanderers preferring to drink lager, although the Reinbeer was quite palatable. The Christmas carvery was priced at £4.19.

The man operating the carvery was working behind a sign which said “your carver today is Carol”.

But it transpired that he was not a transsexual. And when alerted to the fact he reversed the sign which now read “your carver today is Dylan”.

The Times they are A-changing. But thankfully not that much in High Lane.

Already in situ were the B-Walkers who had started at Princes Incline, followed the Macclesfield Canal and crossed a bridge to Platt Wood Farm before reaching the gates of Lyme Park and down a hill to reach the A6.

Within a few minutes we were delighted to be joined by Frank Dudley and John Eckersley.

The carvery was excellent and good value, especially if like Mr Rooney, you managed to fill your plate (below) with an amount of food which would have impressed Alan Partridge at the Lintern Travel Tavern.

Jock's Christmas Dinner

Some of the Wanderers tucking in to their Christmas fayre, including Frank Dudley (centre, in coat)

I’m indebted to Phil “Statto” Welsh  for informing me that Google Earth had the A Walkers completing about 10.3 miles. Total ascents amounted to 1100ft. The highest point was the second stile in Lyme Park at about 1000ft (after 6 miles). The lowest point was Harty’s house at 310ft. Our “breather” stop at top of Simpsons Lane came after 4.5 miles.

May I wish all the Wanderers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

There will be no walk next Wednesday. But the following Wednesday we will meet at the Cock at Whaley Bridge at 9.35am. Further details may well follow later.