Bollington

I BOLLINGTON, SPULEY LANE, HARROP BROOK, BOWER HOUSE FARM, CHARLES HEAD, OLD BLUE BOAR FARM, EWRIN LANE, GIN CLOUGH FARM, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, LOWER BROOK FARM, INGERSLEY VALE, THE DOG AND PARTRIDGE AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry, mostly cloudy with some sunshine.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Alan Hart and George Whaites.

S.O.B. Walkers*: Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (on yacht in Turkey), Peter Beal, Steve Courtney (in France), George Dearsley (on land in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby (chest infection).

Leader: Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free public car park opposite Spinners Arms, Bollington.

Starting time: 9.34am.Finishing time: 2.07pm.

First let us begin with an apology to two of our apologists, Peter Beal and Lawrie Fairman. Although we knew you weren’t expected to attend, nobody could remember why.

In the absence of either Lawrie or a map, Colin bravely accepted the poisoned chalice of leadership, and all the criticism which this engenders. In those circumstances he deserves our thanks and praise for getting us to both pubs on time.

He also found some lower routes from Bollington to Rainow and back, for which we were grateful, although George could have done without the final flourish of five stiles in six minutes before we reached the Robin Hood. Never was a livener more earned.

From the car park exit we turned left, headed uphill and called at the F.Smith bakery for three of their “orgasmic” pies. Despite Tom’s protests – his strict diet would not allow pastry to pass his lips – we stopped at a bench by a bus shelter to eat them while they were still hot.

This produced a comical episode, recorded on video by Tom, as Colin attempted to eat a hot steak and kidney pie containing runny gravy. Ere long Colin was wearing the contents of the pie, little of which seemed to find its way into his mouth. Tom is confident his film will generate a huge number of hits when he places it on Colin’s Facebook page. You can view it here.

http://youtu.be/_v2UQFJBKSc

We continued, passing The Cotton Tree on our right, the Viceroy on our left and The Poachers Inn on our right to exit Bollington and head towards Pott Shrigley. We entered Spuley Lane (17mins) and turned right at Hedge Row (19mins) to trudge uphill past the former pub called The Cheshire Hunt, now named Cheshire Hunt House.

Eschewing the opportunity to follow a public footpath sign on our left and take a long route uphill, we continued with a gradual climb, passing Hawthorn Cottage on our left (29mins) and taking a left fork downhill towards Bower House Farm (35mins).

We went through a gate marked with a yellow arrow (36mins) and just before we reached a five-barred wooden gate we turned left over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (47mins). After crossing a wooden footbridge (48mins) and with a stream on our right, we followed high and low paths to head uphill and reach a stone step stile (58mins).

After some discussion it was decided to head left uphill away from the stile until we reached a farmhouse where we turned right (62mins). At a green footpath marker we turned left for Kettleshulme (67mins) instead of right for Rainow on the basis that we might arrive at the pub before the doors were open. This caused a modicum of disgruntlement but proved to be the right decision.

The path left took us over one wooden stile (75mins) and another by the side of a cattlegrid (82mins). We then crossed a road and headed along a permissive path uphill (83mins). When we reached a fence (85mins) we turned right and stopped promptly at 11am in the shelter of a drystone wall (86mins) for a second Pietime, on this occasion accompanied by cream sherry.

We could see Jodrell Bank’s world-famous radio telescope in the valley below. When we rose to continue, the distinctive sight of Shutlingsloe eventually appeared on the skyline ahead. Looking back we could see the Kinder range. To our left were Windgather Rocks and Pym Chair.

We went through a metal gate (95mins), a wooden gate and crossed two wooden stiles next to each other before turning downhill (101mins). This took us through another metal gate marked with a yellow arrow (105mins) and over a wooden stile (114mins). We then crossed a wooden stile on our left and turned right (118mins).

This brought us to a lane where we turned right (122mins). After passing a red phone box and Old Blue Boar Farm on our right, we turned left off Ewrin Lane following a sign for Rainow (125mins). Our leader now seemed to develop a passion for stiles as we crossed a stone step stile on our left and then crossed a wooden stile with a yellow arrow. We then crossed the first of two stone step stiles (133mins) with White Nancy visible in the distance straight ahead.

We headed downhill with a drystone wall on our right, crossed a wooden stile and walked through Gin Clough Farm, which was under renovation, to reach a road (141mins). We turned left and could have continued along the road until we reached The Robin Hood.

Colin had other ideas and at a wooden public footpath sign we turned right and went over a stone step stile (145mins). We went down a path and left over a stone step stile (146mins), through a wooden gate (147mins), over a stone step stile (148mins), over a stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow (149mins), over a stone step stile(150mins), over a wooden stile (151mins) and emerged opposite a chapel at the same road we had left six minutes and fives stiles earlier. We turned right and reached the pub on our right (153mins).

The B walkers* were already in The Robin Hood enjoying pints of Original cask bitter at £3-10. Following comments by Jock on a previous walk, they were asked if they minded being known as B walkers. Tony expressed his view that they should henceforth be known as the S.O.B. walkers, carried unanimously.

Since June The Robin Hood has been taken over by a family – Robert, Suzanne, James and Samantha - who have secured a fixed five-year rent on their tenancy and have instigated improvements to what is now the only pub in the village. It is our patriotic duty to help them stay in business.

Resuming, our two groups parted ways at the back of the pub with the A team turning right. At a bench on our left overlooking the valley below Kerridge Hill (155mins) we paused or lunch. Continuing we passed Lower Brook Farm on our left and turned left up a lane (156mins).

Our quartet went left again at a public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (170mins) and descended through a wooden kissing gate (171mins) also marked with a yellow arrow. We passed a gate leading to Savio House on our right.

Savio House is a Salesian retreat centre for groups of adults and young people who want to enjoy some time of reflection away from the hurly-burly of everyday life. The Salesians, named after Francis de Sales, were formed in the late 19th Century by St John Bosco to help poor children during the Industrial Revolution.  It is a Roman Catholic organisation whose aims are also to educate boys to the priesthood.

We proceeded downhill through a series of gates and crossing a bridge over a stream before we emerged at Ingersley Vale (179mins) to the right of the waterfall, and turned right.

We passed the derelict mill on our right, the lake on our left and turned right at The Crown (186mins). This took us past the church on our left to a mini-roundabout where we turned left, passing the pie shop on our left and returning to our cars (193mins).

After de-booting we drove 500 yards to The Dog and Partidge, where we were soon join by the Silly Old Buggers team, to enjoy pints of Robbies’ Unicorn bitter at £2-80.

Photographs courtesy of Tom Cunlıffe

Next week’s walk will start from the free council car park at the back of The Knot Inn, Rushton Spencer, at 9.45am. We intend to stop for refreshment at The Wincle Brewery before returning to The Knot around 2.30pm. If it is open we shall drink there. If not we will make alternative arrangements.

Happy wandering !