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!