Poynton

POYNTON AND ENVIRONS

Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Grey skies, windy

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Colin Davison, George Whaites, Julian Ross, Tom Cunliffe, Jock Rooney and Tips, Peter Beal, Steve Courtney

B Walkers: report to follow, available on the blog http://www.wwanderers.blogspot.co.uk/

Non Walking Drinkers: John Eckersley and Frank Dudley.

Apologies: Nigel Crank (w*rk^ng), Phil Welsh (sick child), John Laverick (Mexico)

Leader: Hart  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Mr Hart’s house.

Starting Time: 9.55am. Finishing Time: 1.51pm

A load of old men, talking often at cross purposes and drinking lots of alcohol. No, I’m not describing the House of Lords but rather Alan Hart’s kitchen as our host battled like a demented Roy Cropper to keep up with the demand for his succulent bacon butties, mulled wine and mince pies.

As is customary at this time of year, the Wanderers gathered for pre-walk festive fare and the traditional swopping of Christmas cards and medical prognoses.

Such was the gourmandry on offer even non Wanderers arrived to partake, along with one ex Wanderer too infirm to ramble. At times it looked a bit like an audition for the “before” pictures for a Just For Men commercial.

                                                            The Old Grey Wet-Your-Whistle Test

                                                         They came from all sides…a bit like Rorke’s Drift

Even when some of the bacon dropped into the mulled wine there was no dissent. After all, it all goes down the same hole doesn’t it?

Suitably replete, the two groups (A and B Walkers)  set off at 9.55am, actually initially in the same direction, left from Alan’s house and straight over at the end of the road, parallel with London Road on the right and Poynton Pool on the left.

Within a few yards we had spotted a cormorant and then Mr Fairman pointed out a goosander, a bird, he claimed, which flew down from Scotland to avoid being shot by gillies, protective of their precious salmon.

A largely freshwater bird, the goosander - or Mergus merganser - first bred in the UK in 1871. The ones we saw may well have flown down from Scotland but actually, according to the RSPB website, there have also been colonies of them in the North of England and Wales since 1970.

They are distinguished by their red bills, a bit like the letters I have been getting lately from my energy supplier.

Incidentally, on the orders of estate owner Sir George Warren, Poynton Pool was created in the 1760s by a blind road builder called John Metcalf.

Clearly the crazy round-about in Poynton was created as an homage to him by a blind town planner.

                                          The Wanderers’ very own Mr Bean, Colin Davison negotiates a puddle.

At Woodside Lane we swung left and after a few yards took a path to the right at a sign which said Kingswood.

We arrived at a road, turned right and after 20 yards, on a corner, followed a path to the left.

We went left again down some wooden steps and across a field.

We were very near a golf course but we didn’t go onto its grounds here, instead turning right and heading down a hill.

We crossed a road and turned right, negotiating two stiles in quick succession.

After the second Mr Fairman was a faller, fellow Wanderers scrambling not for any First Aid or to lend a hand but for their cameras to record his embarrassment.

We crossed another road and took a path by a sign for Coppice Kennels.

We passed a ménage (a horse training area, not some dodgy French marital set-up) and went left down a path and over a bridge.

We turned left again following a stream (the Ladybrook), turned right and after 20 yards took a left.

This brought us to a road and we turned right to find the Miners Arms on our right.

Rather cheekily Pie Time was declared at 11.12 am to avail ourselves of the benches outside.

Actually Mince Pie Time, as Mr Beal unveiled eight of the juicy savoury snacks.

Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century (not Mr Beal’s pies specifically), when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

The early mince pie was known by several names, including mutton pie, shrid pie and Christmas pie.

Typically its ingredients were a mixture of minced meat, suet, a range of fruits, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Served around Christmas, the savoury Christmas pie (as it became known) was associated with supposed Catholic "idolatry" and during the English Civil War was frowned on by the Puritan authorities.

Nevertheless, the tradition of eating Christmas pie in December continued through to the Victorian era, although by then its recipe had become sweeter and its size reduced markedly from the large oblong shape once observed.

Bakers Greggs reported sales of 7.5 million mince pies during Christmas 2011.

Mid-banter an employee (or maybe the landlady) of the pub came out and asked if we were waiting for teas and coffees, which she was willing to dispense.

“No, beer” was the unanimous reply….and the lady withdrew, on the promise that we might well call in on a wander later in the calendar.

We set off again at 11.22 am. We went left at the end of the road passing a house under renovation and crossed a bridge.

We went over another bridge and arrived at Skellorn Stud.

We went over a stile and turned left. This brought us to the farm in my picture below.

                                                                                  Alan and Peter lead the way

We walked along the side of the farm and this eventually brought us to the canal (11.47am).

We left the canal at a sign to the Boar’s Head (on the left) and were safely inside the hostelry at 12.04pm.

Thwaites Original was £2.92, Black Sheep also £2.92.

We had covered 5.5 miles to this point.

After some interesting stories of transgender work colleagues the Wanderers had worked alongside, we set off again at 12.56pm.

We walked straight out of the pub, across the road and picked up a path which was in fact the Middlewood Way, opened, as my picture shows, by David Bellamy on 30.5.1985.

According to one eye witness Dr Bellamy shouted 'Tewiffic!' and jumped for joy at the new walkway.

He also planted a tree and and delighted onlookers and councillors alike by removing his shoes and socks and wading through a mucky pond.

He lavished praise on the Stockport and Macclesfield councils who, with D.O.E. grants of £1.3 million did a good job reclaiming the derelict railway track and turning it into a nature treasure trail.

The track was part of a network involving the North Staffordshire Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire when they combined to build the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple (MBM) line in the early 1860's.

In 1863 a Macclesfield businessman, Thomas Oliver, in an effort to give a fresh lease of life to Bollington, then an important cotton town suffering depression due to the American civil war, promoted a scheme for a local line to be built from Macclesfield to Marple via Bollington. The line would also carry Kerridge stone from local quarries and coal from the collieries of the Poynton area.

It opened for passenger traffic on 2nd August 1869, the M.B.M. was single line only, on the 'up' side of a double bed.

Four single platform stations, Marple Rose Hill, High Lane, Poynton and Bollington served it.

Initially there were four trains each way on weekdays and two each way on Sundays. Goods depots were opened at Rose Hill and Bollington and a goods service began on 1st March 1870.

Having admired the civic stone we actually turned left and after 200 yards took a path to the right, which was actually rather pointless because it led back onto the main Middlewood Way.

At bridge number 16 we went right, up some steps and over the bridge.

We crossed the road and reached Green Lane, emerging at a sign for the entrance to the Anson Engine Museum.

We crossed the road and turned right and then left into the grounds of Davenport Golf Club.

We picked up another road and turned right.

At the end of this road we turned left and now found ourselves parallel with London Road and very close to Alan’s house which we reached at 1.51pm.

Having de-booted we drove to the Bull’s Head where sandwiches had generously been laid on.

Blueberry Ale (by Lancaster Brewery) was £3 as was Copper Dragon.

We were soon joined by John Eckersley and Frank Dudley and later by the B Walkers.

B Walkers' diary.

Walkers: Geoff, Ken, Wally, Tony, Terry

Route: Poynton Pool - Glastonbury Drive - Woodford Rd - Birch Hall Farm - Bramhall HS - Ladybrook - Happy Valley - Woodford Rd - London Rd Poynton.

 

One of our concerns was not to get to the Ladybrook before opening time. This was dispelled when we arrived about 11.45, and found the pub warm and well open. Timothy Taylors was OK but dear at £3.32 a pint. For a bit of variety the next round was a Wainwright and an Old Speckled Hen, which knocked at least 50p off a pint, and the OSH was truly nectar. 

Jock would have enjoyed the beer, and maybe the two TVs showing Sky Sports. We lunched in Happy Valley, peed in (or close to) the river, crossed Woodford Road without being run over, and returned to the cars. 6.17 miles on foot today!

The well-attended wake in the Bull was for the father-in-law of Tony's wife's hairdresser, who falls into George's category of comely women. The blueberry bitter was reminiscent of a Belgian raspberry beer.

Has anybody come across Robbies' Ginger Tom this year? A truly Christmas ale if you can get it.

Plans for 8th Jan still in preparation.

There was a post funeral gathering in the pub and there appeared to be some comely wenches among the mourners.

But thinking that polite conversation might lead to the phrase “I’m stiffening up…” your diarist decided he’d had enough excitement for one day.

George Whaites will be away in Spain from December 28^th until January 15^th. Your diarist will be away from December 31^st until January 21^st.

There is no walk on Christmas Day.

However on New Year’s Day there will be a walk – ladies are also invited – meeting at Poynton Sports Club at 10am.

On January 8^th the walk will start from the car park of the White Horse in Disley, aiming for the Fox at Brookbottom at 12.15pm and finishing at the White Horse round about 2.15pm.

A Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all Wanderers and of course….

Happy Wandering!

High Lane

December 11th, 2013

HIGH LANE, DISLEY AND ENVIRONS

Distance: 9 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Blue skies, sunny

Walkers: Alan Hart, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Colin Davison, George Whaites, Julian Ross

B Walkers: see below

Non Walking Drinkers: John Eckersley and Frank Dudley.

Apologies: John Jones (overslept), Nigel Crank (w*rk^ng), Tom Cunliffe (w*rk^ng), (Pete Beal (Lanzarote), John Laverick (Mexico), Phil Welsh (preparing for an interview)

Leader: Davison  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: Mr Davison’s house.

Starting Time: 9.41am. Finishing Time: 1.52pm

Colin’s house was awash with wine. Literally. Some of it, to be fair, was in a container on the fireplace. But you didn’t need to be a forensic scientist to notice the rest as there were copious stains on the cream walls of our hero’s lounge.

In fact it looked like a crime scene from the movie Friday 13^th.

His explanation as to how they got there rang a little hollow. But in the spirit of Christmas this was allowed to pass as our host had most generously supplied not only mulled wine but bacon butties, too. No HP sauce. But we live in austere times.

Many were unable to attend. Tom Cunliffe had to deal with several unruly people in his pub, I believe they are known in the licensed victualling trade as customers, who had the temerity to linger over breakfast.

During a later phone call to give him the time of our Christmas repast he confirmed: “The twats have gone!”

Incidentally, apropos of last week’s walk it struck me that the lonely goatherd from the Sound of Music may well have been “remaindered” on a Cunliffe-led walk.

Not to worry, six A walkers (including Colin) gathered and as the group set off a further four B-walkers arrived for breakfast. Mr Davison duly left them to sup the rest of his wine and eat the butties, hoping they wouldn’t find his stash of Lebanese Red or put his prize nick-nacks on eBay.

We left Colin’s turned left and headed up the hill.

We swung left onto a path near the golf course, which actually took us around the top edge of the course. We went over a stile and onto the course proper.

We turned left at a metalled path and passed a sign for “Disley Golf Club”.

Then we went across a field and turned left.

We swung right at a gate before a rather nice looking house and then right again, onto a path that took us to the canal.

We crossed the familiar bridge that can be raised to allow narrowboats to pass and turned right. Then we took a path to the left just before Bridge number 25.

This took us down a steep and slippery slope. We crossed a stream, negotiated another stile and turned right. A paper mill was on our left

                                                              Glorious sunshine….in mid December!

We went over another stile. There was a lodge (a largish pond) to our right. Here we turned left, onto a road and turned left again at a sign for the paper mill which is called Disley Tissue.

A river was below us (the Goyt) and we made our way down to it.

We went onto a metalled road and turned left and then right on a path signposted to “the Torrs”.

This brought us into Mousley Bottom Nature Reserve. I was expecting the wonderment of nature. The odd natterjack toad, a kestrel perhaps.

Let me quote you from Derbyshire County Council’s website.

“Ramble by the river and walk through the woodlands and discover the newly created wetland area. Mousley Bottom now sits where once a landfill site, gas works and sewage works stood.”

They don’t exactly make it sound like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, do they? Whoever wrote that has clearly never worked as an estate agent.

Our path led to a T-junction where we turned right.

At 10.54am Pie Time was declared and nine minutes of mastication enjoyed. We followed a path sign-posted to the “Millennium Walkway”.

Millennium, by the way, is one of those words that 90% of the population misspell. Just saying.

We swung right and found ourselves parallel with the road that goes from New Mills to New Mills Newtown, only one road back.

The Swizzels Matlow factory could be seen to our right.

Since Cadbury was taken over by Kraft in 2010, Swizzels Matlow is now the largest independent family-owned confectionery company in Britain, producing 250 lines of sweets, employing 600 people and with a turnover of more than £40 million a year.

The company actually had revenues of £47 million in 2010/11 and it exports 20 per cent of its sweets to more than 20 countries, mostly in Europe.

Its highest selling brands are Love Hearts, Parma Violets and Drumstick lollies.  Its biggest sales period is Halloween.

Operations began in the early 1920s at a market stall in Hackney, London, (coincidentally where I was born, in Hackney, not on a market stall).

Owners Maurice and Alfred Matlow sold jellied sweets. They built a small factory in East London in 1928 and became known as Matlow Brothers, producing jellies and chews. In 1933 the firm merged with a rival factory owner, David Dee, who specialised in fizzy compressed tablet sweets (although the company officially became Swizzels Matlow Ltd only in 1975).

Some messages on the famous Love Hearts have been dropped after their meanings changed. 'Go Gay' went after a lady from Philadelphia complained in the 1970s.

Diana, Princess of Wales, received personalised sweets when she visited the factory in 1990 (photographs recording her visit adorn the staff lavatories, I am told)

In 1940, the Blitz forced the business to relocate northwards to a disused wick factory in New Mills where it remains.  Parma Violets were introduced in 1946.  Love Hearts began in 1954.

So there you have it, the Derbyshire economy…. boosted by Hitler.

We turned left, arrived at the aforesaid main road and crossed over. At the Grove Veterinary Clinic we turned left.

This reminded me of one of my worst even birthday presents, a narrowboat outing from a location just down this road.

It poured with rain all day (in May) and ended in disaster when a dumped duvet got entangled in the propeller and rendered the narrowboat inoperable.

At the end of the road we went right and carried on over a pedestrian railway bridge and soon over the road that links New Mills and Whaley Bridge.

We passed a house on the right and followed a stream before swinging right and crossing two wooden bridges.

This brought us to a three-way junction where we initially turned left and a few strides on went right at a Y-junction.

We passed Seven Springs Cottage on the left and a sign for Seven Springs Centre on our right. Prior research might have caused us to linger, as this is a girl guiding campsite.

Its website helpfully says that “ropes are available for hire” but sadly I think it means for pioneering.

We went left up some stone steps and eventually onto a road just after a house called Highfield. Here we passed a sign for “Disley”.

We turned left at a sign for a bridle path. This took us to the house with the red phone box and a dummy Superman inside. Here we turned right.

Statues in the garden of that house with a red phone box….. with Superman inside

We made another right turn at a pathway sign and went diagonally across a field.

This brought us to a road where we turned right and soon found ourselves entering the White Horse pub at Disley at 12.05pm.

Unicorn was £2.90 and 1892 mild was £2.80.

We were quickly made aware it was Christmas first by the piped music which included the famous Slade song and then by an elderly gentleman (probably in his seventies) walking past the window wearing a full pixie hat complete with false pixie ears. (see my photo below).

                                                        And ears to you…..Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun

We set off again at 12.56pm back up the hill from the pub and to the Ring o’ Bells Quaker House.

Here we turned right down a path.

At a T-junction we went left and entered Lyme Park by way of a ladder stile.

We crossed a bridge and then went under a railway bridge.

We went over a stile and turned left which brought us to a railway line, which we crossed. We turned right and quickly left.

Crossing a bridge we found ourselves back at the canal (1.41pm) and turned right.

Turning left and right brought us into an estate of houses where on the front lawn of one was a large deflated plastic Santa. Let’s hope when that is erected proper respect is paid to elf and safety.

At the end of the road we turned left and the Dog and Partridge hove into view. We entered the pub at 1.52pm.

Thwaites Original was £2.64 and Wainwright £2.70 and the traditional Christmas Dinner voucher was £4.19.

Some pictures from Colin Davison follow.

We were soon joined by the B Walkers and by John Eckersley and Frank Dudley. Then Tom, having rid his pub of annoying customers, also arrived.

B Walkers' diary

Walkers; Ken, Geoff, Terry and Tony.        Apologies: Wally (W"<k)

Route:  Chez Colin - Wybersley Hall - Marple Ridge - PF canal - Ring o' Bells - Andrew Lane - High Lane.

After enjoying Colin's hospitality (in his absence), we set out in the sun along the ridge for Marple. Pie time was taken at the Romper, from where we followed the road and established where the 375 and 294 bus stops were in case we needed transport back to High Lane. At a sign for Hawk Green, we dropped down to the PF canal for a short loop to delay our arrival at the pub until noon. Every field above the canal was occupied by sun-bathing Canada geese. The Robbie's bitter was in excellent form as usual, £2.85 a pint.

Suitably refreshed, we turned left onto the Macc canal. The drivers (Ken and Tony) left the canal at the bridge leading to Marple GC, and followed the road back to High Lane, turning left along Andrew Lane. As we paused at the canal bridge, Geoff and Terry appeared below us, having reached this point in a much more sedate fashion.

After retrieving the cars, we joined the party at the Dog and Partridge for the carvery (£4.19) and beer (see George's blog for prices). One should not carp at such excellent value, but the plates were not hot, and the beer was dispensed in pints wastefully filled to the brim, and sadly flat as a pancake. Frank enjoyed his nosh, and was seen drinking a second Guinness rather than his usual port.

Next week:  Breakfast at Tiffany Hart's pad, then head for the Ladybrook as our intermediate pub. 

Back to our Christmas dinner and in Jock’s absence we were not treated to a reconstruction - in vegetables - of the Malaysian Petronas twin towers.

As previously agreed the walk on December 18^th will start at 10am from Mr Hart’s house in Poynton where bacon butties AND mince pies (not to mention mulled wine) will be on offer from 9am.

At around 2pm we will congregate for sandwiches kindly provided free of charge at The Bull’s Head, Poynton.

Happy Wandering!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Little Hayfield

LITTLE HAYFIELD, SHOOTING HUT, WILLIAM CLOUGH, MILL HILL, BURNT HILL

Distance: 7 miles

Difficulty: Strenuous at times but generally easy

Weather: Grey skies, some sunshine

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Colin Davison, Phil Welsh, George Whaites, Julian Ross, John Jones

Apologies: Alan Hart (Spain), Chris Corps (no reason given), Pete Beal (Lanzarote)

Leader: Cunliffe  Diarist: Dearsley

Starting Point: The Lantern Pike pub

Starting Time: 9.39am. Finishing Time: 12.47pm

Walks led by Mr Cunliffe usually involve plenty of hills, a bit of off-piste and a degree of confusion and today’s was no exception.

However, any carping at the loss of two of our walkers must be offset by the fact that the genial host of the Lantern Pike generously agreed to extend his 61^st birthday celebrations (last Sunday) to the Wanderers, who were regally feted with free beer, chilli, rice and chips.

Top man, Tom.

Mr Cunliffe told us that the walk would be a “magical mystery tour in the shape of a figure of eight”.

He then revised this to “the shape of a squashed ampersand”.

So there was already a degree of bewilderment as we left the Lantern Pike at 9.39am, turned right and headed towards Hayfield, turning left  as we had done only two weeks earlier opposite Slack Lane and up the track past the Park Hall swimming baths.

At the end we slipped through a five bar gate and headed straight up the incline.

The path was tight and the rain and/or dew-soaked heather soon made our trousers as wet as Steve Davis’s on his recent Bush Tucker Trial.

View of Kinder Reservoir

We quickly reached the white shooting hut where we went “freestyle”… leaving the track to go right and see if we could turn an ankle or two on a heather-covered incline.

The detour eventually brought us to the path we’d taken two weeks earlier at the side of Kinder Reservoir.

                                                       Spectacular scenery at the top of the hill near the shooting hut

The brains of George Whaites and Lawrie Fairman, who were in the rear, might well have been on auto-pilot from a fortnight previously, as Mr Cunliffe and the three-stone lighter Mr Welsh set a pace like Usain Bolt on fast forward.

The duo were headed for William Clough. But somehow George and Lawrie turned right and climbed up the side of Kinder, eventually going down to the reservoir, then to the campsite before finally walking to South Head. Mobile phone calls and SMS messages failed to reach them.

At 10.39am it began to rain but fortunately it was just a light shower.

The main party stopped and waited but after a while decided to press on, after another walker said that he’d seen two gents walking a different route.

The climb up William Clough is rewarded by fantastic views in all directions from the top at Ashop Head.  This is part of the Pennine Way which start/ends at Edale depending on which way you decide to tackle it.

The Pennine Way is a 268 mile long distant walking route that weaves its way north from Edale all the way to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland.

At the top of the challenging climb Pie Time was declared at 11am, until 11.11am.

To cheer us further the sun came out.

William Clough, of course is also the site of the Mass Trespass which happened on Sunday, April 24, 1932. The trespass, a protest by around 400 ramblers, had a far reaching impact and paved the way for legislation in 1949 to establish the National Parks, and also the right to roam act in 2000.

For more information about the Trespass visit http://kindertrespass.com/

A passing helicopter caused some concern that it could be heading to collect the prone bodies of our compatriots Lawrie and George.

We might have been even more worried had we also realised that we were walking a path which many people claim to be the site of Alien Evacuations.

We didn’t see it but apparently somewhere in the vicinity is a white cross and the initials GK in white paint.

They stand for George King and this is the point where his followers - called  Aetherians - will be evacuated by Extra Terrestrials from Venus when the world ends in the year 2015.

The Wanderers must remember to chalk this walk off the list for that year.

The Aetherius Society is a UFO religion founded by King in 1954 and combines UFO claims, yoga, and ideas from various world religions, notably Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Theosophy.

The religion's stated goal is to prevent the annihilation of the Earth by improving cooperation between humanity and various alien species.

Disciples believe a messianic figure will descend upon Earth in a flying saucer, possessing magic “more powerful than all the world's armies”.

Whether he can lower domestic  energy bills however is another matter.

We didn’t see any flying saucers but turning left at a sign pointing to the right for “Edale” we did spot the wreck of a B-24J Liberator, a US transport plane that crashed on 11th October 1944. Amazingly both crewmen survived.

http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakdistrict/peakdistrict42-52003.htm

The aircraft was being flown from Burtonwood to Hardwick by a two man crew,  leaving the air strip near Warrington at 10:32.

At approximately 10:45 while in cloud and moderate to severe turbulence one pilot spotted a small gap in the cloud and saw the ground was only about 150 feet below him.

He then applied full power and began to climb, but before they could gain any meaningful height the aircraft struck the ground on Mill Hill some 1.5 miles from the Grouse Inn between Hayfield and Glossop.

The two men extricated themselves from the shattered cockpit and walked along one of the streams until they reached the Hayfield to Glossop road.

A passing lorry driver stopped and picked them up and took them to a nearby pub (could it have been the Lantern Pike?) where the pilot telephoned Burtonwood to report the accident.

                                

                                                           A downed aircraft from World War Two

Tom was fascinated by the wreckage and insisted on a closer look. This prompted a remark from Mr Jones, immediately refined by Mr Ross, that while “Pikey” Tom could leave two pals behind without stopping he couldn’t pass a load of scrap metal. Cruel.

This was Mill Hill and we soon found ourselves on a man-made path consisting of huge blocks of stone apparently ferried in by helicopter and laid by volunteers.

This took us to Burnt Hill. We went through a gate and descended to the road that links Chinley and Glossop.

However, Mr Cunliffe was not going to take the easy route back to base and we did a wide U-turn to go back up the incline, eventually swinging right for a bit more off –piste.

We came across a stone erection to one Thomas Boulger, who spent 42 years serving the Northern Counties Footpaths Preservation Society and died in 1963.

The Society started in 1894 and has worked hard over the years to keep paths open.

Thomas Boulger’s memorial

It was around here that Mr Welsh and your diarist bumped into an old friend, Mike Bradbury, mountain biking.

Mike’s father John, a long time salesman, now in his 70s is known for his enthusiastic self-promotion of his products which included - only a couple of years ago - bouncing down the road in Mellor wearing on his feet “kangoo boots” , like ski boots with giant springs on.

Phil Welsh meets an old pal, Mike Bradbury

By 12.39pm we were back at Park Hall and by 12.47 we were imbibing in the Lantern Pike, where Tim Taylors (when Tom wasn’t buying) was £3.30 and Theakston’s rather moreish Black Bull Bitter was £3.10.

We were soon joined by the B Walkers and by a rather tired Lawrie and George. Completing the party were Frank Dudley and John Eckersley.

B Walker's Diary:

Walkers: Geoff, Tony, Wally, Terry.        Apologies: Ken (vertigo)

Route: 199 bus (09.54) to Newtown, walk down to Robbies' pub on left, 61 bus (10.31) to Monks'Road, walk over Matley Moor towards Lantern Pike. We decided not to climb to the summit, instead we went round the Pike, and followed the track down to the road. This took us eventually to the Hayfield recreation ground, where a hurried (because we were thirsty) lunch was taken. Finally, a bridge over the river, across the bus station, and into the Kinderlodge for Black Sheep at £3.00 a pint. George W. and Laurie explained their presence and the circumstances leading to a C walk, before setting off on foot for Tom's. The B team rested awhile, before taking the 61 bus (13.40 ish) to Little Hayfield.

Tom's generosity beer- and chilli- wise was greatly appreciated, and we trust his 63rd year will be a good one.

We were preparing to leave to catch the 15.20 ish bus back to Newtown, when Geoff realised there were spare seats in George's and John Eckersley's cars, so a potential 5 bus walk was reduced to 3 buses. Sorry Ken!

As agreed, the December 11th the walk will start from Mr Davison’s house at 11 Carr Brow (bacon butties provided) and later in the day we will have Christmas lunch at the Dog and Partridge.

Happy Wandering!