Ridgegate

July 22 2015

RIDGE-GATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, CLOUGH BROOK, VICARAGE QUARRY, CLOUGH HOUSE, THE CRAG INN AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, SHUTLINGSLOE, TRENTABANK, LEATHER’S SMITHY AT LANGLEY

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Cloudy with occasional showers.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney and Tips.

Apologies:  Mickey Barrett and George Whaites (visiting Cheshire Show at Tatton Park – as was Wendy Fairman !!!), Julian Ross (w*^king).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road at side of Ridgegate Reservoir 300 yards past Leather’s Smithy, Langley.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2.20pm.

Despite meteorological promises of a dry day, we endured a couple of prolonged showers which necessitated the donning of waterproofs in the early part of our journey. Nonetheless this did nothing to dampen the spirits of The Magnificent Seven – with apologies to our four-legged friend, who technically took our number to eight.

Before we proceed, can you name the cast of the seven heroes of the original movie of that title ? Answers at the end of this report.

Lawrie led us through undulating scenery, disproving once again that Cheshire is a barren flatland, and our new boy Mark scaled Shutlingsloe, known ironically as “Cheshire’s Matterhorn,” for the first time.

There was also a disturbing, but ultimately comical cameo at the halfway pub where we were desperately trying to find Tips, while she was under our noses trying desperately to find us.

From our cars we walked with the lake on right, turning right at a green gap stile on our right to walk parallel with the road, exiting on the left and walking back a few yards before turning right into Macclesfield Forest through another green gap stile (5mins). We followed a sign for Shutlingsloe (13mins) and turned right uphill (14mins).

Carrying straight on where the path swings left (33mins) we continued to a gate which led out of the forest. Ahead was a memorial to Walter Smith (1872-1949), described as a Macclesfield historian and countryside lover (Does this mean he enjoyed sex al fresco ? Ed)

We took the road on the right of the memorial, soon passing Standing Stone car park on our left. When we reached a major road, we turned left towards Macclesfield and Buxton (54mins). After 30 yards we followed a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow on our right (55mins).

Our party crossed a wooden footbridge and turned left at a wooden public footpath sign (62mins) tocross a stone step stile. The distinctive shape of Shutlingsloe was on the skyline to our right.

As Lawrie dithered about the best way forward, having ruled out the possibility of reaching The Cat and Fiddle on the skyline to our left because of the time it would take, Colin took the lead. Five minutes later we reached a giant sign reading “NO PATH” and we retraced our footsteps as Lawrie resumed control.

We then followed a wooden public footpath sign pointing in the direction of Shutlingsloe, pausing for pies and port at a pile of rocks (88mins).  Resuming we carried on to a stream, Clough Brook (94mins), where we turned right for a few yards then crossed by a wooden footbridge on our left.

By going through a gate we emerged in front of a farmhouse, where we turned right along a gravel track (95mins). We reached a road (103mins) and turned left downhill, passing Vicarage Quarry car park on our right (112mins) and Clough House car park on our left (121mins).

As we crossed a rebuilt bridge over Clough Brook, Lawrie recalled a tragic flood in May, 1989, when torrential rain caused the brook to burst its banks, washing away the old bridge. A college lecturer and colleague of Lawrie was out walking with his wife when the torrential rain started. He left her sheltering under a tree while he attempted to retrieve his car. But after he got in the car, the floodwater caught up with him, swept the car away and he was drowned.

We continued, passing three pretty cottages on our right which had been filled with floodwater 25 years ago and reached The Crag Inn on our right (136mins). As we entered the pub, through two sets of doors, there was some confusion as Tips bounded enthusiastically into a pub where dogs are barred from the inside rooms.

She disappeared and Jock spent several minutes shouting “Tips....In” at the top of his voice. There was no response. Then your diarist heard a familiar yelp and saw that Tips had become stranded in the space between the outer and inner doors of the pub, darting vainly first one way and then the next as she heard her name being called.

There was a happy reunion as we drank Bombardier, Haymaker or Wobbly Wallaby at £3-50 a pint and sank them in the covered area for smokers just outside the main pub.

Continuing, we turned left to retrace our footsteps for a few yards then turned left uphill (138mins), then left again (145mins) steeply uphill towards Shutlingsloe. On reaching a stile (154mins) we stopped for lunch.

After the break the main party opted for the right shoulder of the hill while your diarist led Mark on the arduous climb up to the summit, reaching the Trig Point (163mins). It was a breath-taking climb in more ways than one and we were rewarded with panoramic views for miles in every direction.

Descending on the far side we followed stone slabs down to a gated stile (170mins). With a burst of speed through a metal gate (174mins), through a wooden kissing gate (182mins) and a left turn towards Langley, we caught up with our comrades.

We turned left at a wooden public footpath sign marked Trentabank (183mins) and then carried on downhill at another sign for Trentabank (193mins). This path took us past Trentabank Ranger Centre on our left (200mins) with Trentabank Lake on our right.

On reaching the road we turned right to reach our cars and de-boot (207mins). We called in the Leather’s Smithy where a glamorous barmaid poured pints of Theakstons’ Old Original. Sadly your diarist was too focussed on her décolletage to note the price of the beer.

Leather’s Smithy was an 18th Century smithy where William Leather, a local farrier, obtained a licence to sell beer, ales and porter in 1821.

Pictures courtesy of Tom Cunliffe

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of the Robin Hood pub at Rainow, intending to arrive at The Crown in Bollington around 12.15pm and returning to The Robin Hood at about 2pm. We are led to believe the pub has reopened, but if this does not prove to be the case we will drive to a nearby hostelry for further refreshment.

*The movie “The Magnificent Seven”, directed by John Sturges, was released in 1960 with an unforgettable soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein. It was based on a Japanese film called “The Seven Samurai” and told the story of a Mexican village whose people were at the mercy of local bandit Calvera (played by Eli Wallach).

The seven cowboys who helped the villagers defeat the bandits were played by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughan, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz.

Happy wandering !