Gradbach

GRADBACH, BLACK BROOK, SHAW HOUSE, SHAW TOP, THE ROACHES, HANGING STONE, SWYTHAMLEY, DANE BRIDGE, WINCLE BREWERY, DANE VALLEY AND GRADBACH YOUTH HOSTEL

Distance: 12-13 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous

Weather: Mainly dry with some light drizzle and one heavy shower.

Walkers: Nigel Crank, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Alan Hart, John Laverick and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (supervising house damage repairs), Chris Corps (Croatian hols), Tom Cunliffe (w*^king in Lantern Pike), Steve Courtney (w*^king on a yacht),George Dearsley (w*^king in Istanbul), Peter Morrall (prolonged Spanish hols), Jock Rooney (w*^king abroad), Mike Walton (Croatian hols), Phil Welsh (soccer-sustained heel injury)  and George Whaites (Spanish hols).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: The Roaches car park at Gradbach, North Staffs.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 3.18pm.

Are we men or mice ? Squeak up. Your diarist was appalled by the behaviour of fellow Wanderers during this walk when it was decided to make a detour because there was a bull in a field.

Are we not descended from the ranks of men who defeated Napoleon, who built an empire, who defied The Luftwaffe and the German Panzer divisions ?  Does The Good Book not tell us that Man was created to dominate the beasts of the fields ?   Did Magna Carta die in vain ?

 Weather forecasters got it just about right when they predicted rain would sweep down from Scotland and reach the Macclesfield area around lunchtime. Fortunately we had completed most of our journey by then, and good visibility had enabled us to see some spectacular views from the top of The Roaches.

Lawrie was attempting a new walk from the car park near Gradbach Youth Hostel, and we encountered problems – including the aforementioned farmyard animal - which took us on a circuitous route before we could start our main ascent on the summit.

Consequently the walk was longer than normal and finished an hour later than usual, with no time for the traditional pint at the end. But we enjoyed a convivial break at the Wincle Brewery, where we learned some local history, observed the brewing process in action and sampled their excellent local beer.

It was only when we left the shelter of the brewery that the weather turned nasty, with a heavy shower which lasted for 20 minutes. We were ready for the worst, proving yet again the old adage: there is no bad weather, only bad equipment.

From the car park, sited on the approach to Gradbach Youth Hostel, we turned left along the road for 75 yards, then went right through an open gate marked with a yellow arrow to climb uphill. We crossed a wooden footbridge and followed more yellow arrows directing us uphill, before turning left over another wooden footbridge (5mins).

We crossed the second of two stone step stiles (15mins) and went through a gate marked with a yellow arrow (17mins) before reaching a drystone wall (30mins). Ahead of us we could see the ridge of The Roaches. (This is believed to be part of our Norman heritage, from the French les roches meaning the rocks).

all pictures courtesy of John Laverick

We turned left along a wide grass path which brought us to a gate (32mins) confusingly marked “public footpath” but also depicting the figure of a walking man with a diagonal red bar across, as if to indicate that walkers were not allowed.

After some discussion we carried on through the gate and reached a tarmac road where we turned right (35mins). Just before a cattle grid we turned left along a path marked with a blue arrow (40mins). This led us to a wooden public footpath sign where we turned left with Black Brook on our right (44mins).

We crossed two wooden stiles and headed towards Black Bank Farm. As Lawrie attempted to guide us through the yard, the farmer’s wife appeared and barked out instructions for us to turn left to reach the proper path. We obeyed, passing through a gate on our right and turning right along a track which brought us to a concessionary path on our left (53mins). After 15 yards along the concessionary path we reached a public footpath where we turned right.

After crossing a wooden stile with Grimshaw Rocks across the valley on our left, we went through a gate (63mins) and crossed a wooden stile to reach a road (70mins). We turned right along the road soon turning right again (71mins) at a wooden public footpath sign and heading towards a farm.

We went right over a wooden stile to pass the farm and aimed for a derelict building. Our route lay through a field, but Lawrie spotted a bull among the cows and decided discretion was the better part of valour. Your diarist would point out that although there have been odd instances of bulls killing humans, this rarely happens outside the corrida. In fact in recent years there have been more deaths from crushing by cows, proving once again – if proof were needed – that the female is far deadlier than the male.

Despite my protests we avoided the field, turning left before it, and then climbing over a fence to re-join the route and crossing a wooden stile on the left to reach a road (85mins). We turned right and stopped opposite Shaw House for pies and port (94mins). Resuming we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (95mins) at Shaw Top and turned left before a farm gate, going over a wooden stile and then turning right (98mins).

We followed yellow arrows and turned right along a gravel track, before turning right again at a gate marked with a yellow arrow (107mins). On the brow of a hill we had a magnificent view ahead of Hen Cloud on the left, Tittesworth Reservoir directly in front, and The Roaches to our right. In the far distance we could clearly see The Wrekin, some 50 miles away.

A short steep ascent took us to the start of The Roaches ridge (120mins), where we paused to admire the panoramic views and regain our breath. Resuming a more gentle climb along the ridge, with the reservoir below on our left (122mins) we had time to admire the scenery on our way to the Trig Point (145mins). Incidentally, the reservoir, fed by the River Churnet, was created in 1963.

Descending from the Trig Point we crossed a road (147mins) and followed a wooden public footpath sign for Lud’s Church and Swythamley. We then followed wooden public footpath signs marked initially for Swythamley and Ridge and then for Danebridge (151mins). As we turned left for Swythamley (167mins) we encountered the first rain of the day, which was soon dispatched by the donning of your diarist’s magic waterproof pants.

We turned right at a wooden public footpath sign for Swythamley and Danebridge (171mins), passing Paddock Farm on our left (175mins). We turned right. Above us on our right was Hanging Stone, below which is a memorial plaque to Lieut-Col Henry Brocklehurst (1888-1942), who was killed in action in Burma.

The plaque was erected by his brother, Sir Philip Lee Brocklehurst, who was an explorer who took part in Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the Antarctic between 1907-09 aboard Nimrod. Sir Philip lived in Swythamley Hall, a late 18^th Century manor house, which was sold after his death in 1975. For ten years it was occupied by followers of The Beatles’ mystic guru, Maharishi Yoga, for transcendental meditation before being sold in 1987 for residential redevelopment.

After passing Hanging Stone we turned left over a wooden stile (184mins) and headed downhill through fields. We reached the Dane valley and turned left with the river on our right. This took us down to Danebridge (191mins), where we turned right and crossed the road to The Wincle Brewery on the left (192mins).

The micro-brewery, which produces 10,000 pints a week, was opened in 2008 by Giles Meadows, who had been the landlord of three London pubs before taking over The Ship at Wincle in 2002. He ran The Ship for five years before switching from retailing to brewing. The premises were originally in Rushton Spencer but moved to Tolls Barn last year. The brewery manager, while supervising the operation, also pulls pints of their excellent beers for £2-50.

Among them was a cask bitter called Sir Philip, named after the Antarctic explorer, one named Nimrod after Shackleton’s ship, and another called Lord Lucan, whose family home, a 480-year-old manor house, is at nearby Sutton Hall.

The 3^rd Earl of Lucan, George Charles Bingham, was a field marshal at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. He was described as imperious and overbearing, with historians blaming his character flaws for sending ambiguous instructions to his hated brother-in-law, Lord Cardigan, who was commander of The Light Brigade. This resulted in the tragically heroic Charge of The Light Brigade which was little short of a suicide mission as they rode towards the Russian artillery.

The 7^th Earl of Lucan, George Charles Patrick Bingham, vanished after the murder of his children’s nanny in London in 1974.

After enjoying two pints of Wincle Brewery cask bitter we were also offered a free taster of Wassale, a delicious cinnamon-flavoured beer which has an SPG of 8.2 and will be available for Christmas. Watch out for it in more ways than one !

As we reluctantly left the brewery, we turned right and retraced our steps back over Danebridge, then turned left to head up the hill we had descended 40 minutes earlier. Heavy rain started to fall for the next 20 minutes. Instead of turning right towards The Roaches, we continued along The Dane Valley with the river on our left.

This brought us to Gradbach Youth Hostel (259mins), a converted 250-year-old silk mill. We passed to the right of the hostel and walked along the road back to the car park (265mins).

B Walkers Diary

Walkers: Geoff, Tony, Ken, Terry.

Apology: Wally (w"<king).

Route: 392 bus to Macclesfield, arr.10.20. Call at Spearing's pie shop for excellent pies (at least the equal of F.Smith). Eventually reach the Puss in Boots on Buxton Road at 10.50 to meet Ken, who had travelled by car. Walk Southish along Macc. canal before leaving at second bridge for ascent to Macc.G.C.  Walk in front of car park, through part of golf course, taking in views of Croker Hill, The Cloud, and perhaps Congleton Ridge, before descending to Langley Hall. Turn right for Sutton, and stop at The Church House for Robbies and Banks bitter at £2.95. Lunch just after Sutton Church, then direct route down to Gurnett and The Olde King's Head for Timothy Taylor's (£3.20) and Marstons, hoping to meet the A team. They failed to materialise. Ken volunteered to drive us home if we would walk back along the canal with him, which we gladly did.

Total distance 5 - 6 miles.

Next week’s walk involves the celebration of your diarist’s forthcoming birthday and will start at 9am from The Farmers Arms in Park Lane, Poynton.  The route will pass along the shoreline of Poynton Pool  before reaching your diarist’s house at 68, London Road North, around 9.20am. He will then join the group to lead them along the Ladybrook Trail through Lyme Park to the Dandy Cock at Disley for drinks around 12.15pm before returning to The Farmers for further refreshment and cake at about 2.15pm.