CLOUGH HOUSE, SHUTLINGSLOE, MACCLESFIELD
FOREST, RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR
Distance: 9.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Weather: Chilly, overcast
Walkers: George Whaites, George Dearsley,
Colin Davison, Tom Cunliffe, Lawrie Fairman, Jock Rooney and Tips, Julian Ross,
John Laverick, Phil Welsh and his son Alexander, Alan Hart
Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Anus
camera-horribilis), Ken Sparrow (Leading a Probus walk), Pete Beal
(entertaining)
B Walkers: Geoff Spurrell, Tony Job, Mike
Walton
Leader: Fairman Diarist: Dearsley
Starting Point: The car park at Clough
House
Starting Time: 9.50am. Finishing Time: 2.21pm
On Tuesday and Thursday of this week we enjoyed blue skies and warm sunshine.
Sadly Boreas, the God of the North wind and
his pals, were in a foul mood on Wednesday and the Wanderers were buffeted by
chill blasts on higher ground, under a generally slate-grey sky.
That said, compared to last week’s
snow-fest, it was a huge improvement.
The walk set off later than planned due to
the delayed arrival of your scribe and his driver Mr Cunliffe, who, failed by
both map and Sat Nav and anxious to meet the deadline, decided to recreate the
famous car chase from the 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt on country lanes
about a foot wider than his Land Rover.
Meanwhile Mr Fairman was hugely surprised
to come across his first wife in the car park, something very few of us, except
possibly Stan Collymore, have ever done.
In past walks we have gone straight up from
the car park. This time we went in the opposite direction, turning left out of
the car park and after 75 yards we took a path on the right.
This began with a fairly gentle climb to a
five bar gate, where we dog-legged right. The climb got steeper and as, one by
one, several of the Wanderers stopped to prevent myocardial infarction Mr
Davison was heard to say “not far now, we’re near the top”.
Even novice Wanderers now realised we were
heading from the very top of Shutlingsloe, aka the Matterhorn of Cheshire.
And given the lack of probity in Mr Davison’s
numeracy the previous week, many Wanderers decided to veer right, following Mr
Fairman, on an almost horizontal path rather than the almost vertical one Mr
Davison had chosen.
The wind was strong enough to make it
appear as if some of the Wanderers were imitating the erratic ambulation of the
comic Freddie Frinton.
See one of his classic sketches here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn9vPG8s4ss.
(Control and click to follow the link)
However, having negotiated the stones that
lead to and from Shutlingsloe we soon found ourselves in the protection of the
woods, part of the Macclesfield Forest.
At a Y-junction we took the path to the
right. At the bottom of the hill we turned left onto the Gritstone Trail and
skirting Ridgegate Reservoir.
At 11.02am Pie Time was declared near where
we usually park our cars when starting from the reservoir.
Cunliffe Time was abandoned as we enjoyed a
full 10 minutes of mastication.
We set off at 11.12am and as we faced the
Leather’s Smithy pub we turned left and took a path on the left.
We went down some steps and turned right,
through a gate and then left onto a path which took us past an expensive
property which, it was suggested, belonged to Fran Cotton, one of the Cotton Traders and
former rugby stars: Fran Cotton and Steve Smith.
We reached a road, crossed it and took some
steps on the opposite side.
We passed some nicely converted farm
buildings and took a path to the left.
This brought us onto a road where we turned
left again.
After 70 yards we took a track to the
right.
This eventually brought us, at around 12
noon, to Smallhurst Farm.
We walked through the open gate (where there was a rather unnecessary
intercom), past the house and took a track down to a field.
Mr Welsh, having the benefit of a map, was
chuntering that we appeared to be heading in the wrong direction.
If he was reading his map correctly, he
said, the white building, behind us, high on the skyline, was in fact the
Hanging Gate pub, our appointed destination.
Also, it was noticed that Mr Davison and Mr
Rooney, who had been bringing up the rear, were nowhere to be seen.
We sallied on for a further 300 yards
before our leader had an Epiphany and came to the same conclusion as Mr Welsh.
Amidst conspiratorial mutterings, the
Wanderers had to sheepishly re-trace their steps and head for the horizon,
reaching the hostelry at 12.14pm. Mr Davison and Mr Rooney were smug in the
snug.
Here Mr Ross gave notice that he was
celebrating his 52nd birthday.
The stout fellow’s largesse meant a free
pint for his fellow walkers, most of whom quaffed Hyde’s Original at £2.80. Sadly
landlady Luda was not in residence, so no more stories of “leslies”, “trannies
with todgers” and other tales of village life that you never hear on The
Archers.
We set off again at 12.57pm. We turned
right out of the pub, crossed the road and took the narrow track immediately
opposite.
We passed what someone said was once George
Osborne’s house on the left. (see arrow)
Osborne's former house
Luncheon
was taken from 1.20pm until 1.27pm. Cunliffe Time again.
Lunch
Resuming our walk we reached a T junction
and turned left. The path brought us onto the metalled road that led us to the
Crag Inn.
Nearby was a house for sale called Old
Beams. It is on with Savills for around
£695,000.
Some of the Wanderers split away and took a
higher path. But we were soon reunited and reached the car park at 2.21pm.
After de-booting we drove to the Stanley
Arms, where we met the B Walkers.
They had travelled from Cumberland Clough
to Three Shires Head, then taken a path to Clough Hall.
Incidentally, outside the Stanley Arms is a
row of plastic seats taken from Manchester City’s old ground Maine Road. Maybe
the landlord is a Leeds or Millwall fan.
Next week’s walk will start from the Ship
Inn, Styal Road, Styal (see picture
below) at 9.35am
Ship Inn
The half way point will be the Farmers Arms
at (Chapel Lane) Wilmslow.
Happy Wandering!
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