Poynton

July 6, 2016.

POYTON SPORTS CLUB, LADY’S INCLINE, HOCKLEY, DAVENPORT GOLF CLUB, HIGHER POYNTON, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, RED LANE, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY, LADYBROOK TRAIL, PRINCES INCLINE, RABBIT BURROW FARM AND THE KINGFISHER (WETHERSPOONS) AT POYNTON

Distance: 11-12 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Cloudy but dry with good visibility.

Walkers: Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Terry Jowett, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Peter Beal (walking in Lake District), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing).

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of Poynton Sports Club.

Starting time: 9.31am. Finishing time: 2.54pm.

 

Spare a thought for Terry Jowett. Having decided to join the A team – a small step for mankind but a giant leap for an S.O.B. teamer – he walked for more than a mile to the starting point. Then, due to the miscalculations of the inexperienced leader, Terry found himself on one of the longest A walks of the year.

There were mitigating circumstances, such as flood damage to two bridges on the Ladybrook Trail, but we hope the experience does not put off Terry from further outings with the alpha males. On a similar note, we learned that Julian had been traumatised by the discovery that his suggested bar for a final drink after this walk had been changed because it was not open until 4pm.

Julian’s colleagues had no idea that he suffered from low self-esteem issues (there  had been absolutely no visible symptoms) so we trust that he will continue to provide suggestions and input in the knowledge that we will in future have regard for his sensitivity.

This walk, you may recall, was scheduled for last week but cancelled because of heavy rain, which was both forecast and materialised. In the absence of a fully-badged leader, your diarist reluctantly put on his L plates and we sallied forth.

From the car park we turned right along the main road and turned right at Woodside Close (1min) to head for Lady’s Incline.

This footpath (3mins), to the right of the cul-de-sac, is one of the mining tracks which used gravity to bring down coal from the pits around Hockley in chained tubs, with the empty ones being returned by the weight of the full ones.

We emerged on the road near the former Hockley Post Office (15mins) and crossed it to enter a gravel track uphill.  A gate and a wooden stile brought us into a wood which we exited by crossing a fairway at Davenport Golf Club (21mins). At the far side we turned right downhill to reach a crossroads. We went momentarily into Anson Road before turning right up a track (25mins).

Crossing a wooden stile to enter a field (26mins), we passed stables on our left and headed diagonally right towards a metal kissing gate. En route we spotted a fox crossing our path. After the gate we crossed a succession of four wooden stiles to reach Coppice Road, where we turned left (38mins).

This took us over a road-bridge across The Middlewood Way before turning left into Elm Bed Road, and 20 yards later turning left again at the narrowest of paths marked by a green public footpath sign. This brought us into a field where we turned right uphill, scaling a flight of steps which led to the Macclesfield Canal (46mins).

Turning right with the canal on our left, we reached Bridge 16 and crossed it (54mins). This had been our only respite as we climbed ever upwards towards Lyme Park. Heading uphill again we went through a metal gate on our right (56mins) which was the start of a gravel track. We went through a metal gate marked with a yellow arrow (62mins) and a wooden gate with a yellow arrow pointing right up a farm track.

We swung right at a yellow arrow (65mins) and turned left at Green Farm. Here we met a woman trying to get on a horse. She explained that she had not been mounted for seven years and was out of practice. Mark offered a helping hand.

Now successfully mounted, she followed us through the farmyard and right along a path which brought us to a gate by the side of a ladder stile at the entrance to Lyme Park(69mins). Mark again assisted the horsewoman when she opened the gate but dropped her keys. This was beginning to resemble a scene from Downton Abbey or an extract from a Jane Austen novel.

We parted company, as horse and jockey carried straight on at the gate while we turned right uphill. We turned left along a stony track (73mins) and turned right when we reached a lane which swung left towards Lyme Hall. Before we reached the kiosk and car park, we turned right to sit on some large rocks for pies and port (87mins).

Resuming our journey we walked uphill for a few more yards before entering the first of two wooden gates. We turned left with a drystone wall on our left (103mins) rather than go straight ahead uphill to Bowstones. We turned left again over a ladder stile (115mins). As we walked with a wood on our left and open moorland to our right, we saw a magnificent 11-pointer stag some 40 yards away to our right with a doe in tow. The happy couple stared at us in apparent astonishment, even taking a few paces towards us for a better view.

A wooden gate brought us to a lane with Lyme Hall on our left 200 yards away. We carried straight on uphill, turning right at a path leading to Lyme Cage, the former hunting lodge, lookout post and poachers’ prison, which we passed on our left (134mins). The track now headed downhill to the green entrance hut, where we turned right to exit the park (143mins).

We headed up Red Lane and then turned left at a red pillar box (156mins) to reach the top of a flight of steep steps leading down to Disley railway station. We turned right at the foot of the steps and, with The Ram’s Head on our right, crossed the A6 (160mins). We turned right and reached The Dandy Cock on our left (163mins).

Here the Robbies’ Unicorn cask bitter at £2-95 was deemed to be no better than OK. This verdict did not preclude a second pint, although Mark and Julian were enjoying a teetotal day – if one can use such a verb in that context.

Resuming, we returned to Disley’s main traffic lights and with The Ram’s Head on our right, we turned right into Red Lane (166mins), soon passing the parish church of St Mary The Virgin on our left. We re-entered Lyme Park (178mins) and passed the green hut on our left before forking right.

After crossing a ladder stile and a wooden footbridge we swung right (184mins) and walked through a tunnel underneath the Manchester-Buxton railway line (187mins). Lunch was taken on a bridge across the Ladybrook which was off our route a few yards to our right (189mins).

Resuming, we reached the first of two wooden footbridges which had been dislodged by last month’s floodwater (195mins). Some cautious footwork was needed to cross what was left of this bridge. Further on a wooden stile brought us to the railway line (198mins) which we crossed.

Two ladder s enabled us to enter a field containing a derelict summer house on our left. We gingerly crossed another dislodged wooden footbridge (202mins). A third one appeared to have survived unscathed (207mins). After crossing this we followed a path which led us to the Macclesfield Canal (210mins), where we turned left with the canal on our right.

This took us past the elaborately decorated World War 2 pillbox by the side of Bridge 13, which we crossed. Now walking with the canal on our left (213mins), we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign pointing to Princes Incline and the Middlewood Way (218mins). This took us past a memorial bench for Syd Goodwill (1912-2007).

Passing this on our right (223mins) we went across a bridge over the Middlewood Way and crossed Hilton Road to enter Prince Road, passing Prince Studio, the former home of late Wednesday Wanderer Ian Price, on our right (226mins). We crossed Middlewood Road, went through a metal kissing gate to the left of a house called Bluebell Rise (229mins) and began the descent down Princes Incline.

This took us past Davenport Golf Club on our left, passing Rabbit Burrow Farm on our right until we reached Towers Road (246mins). We crossed the road, continuing down Princes Incline until we came back to Woodside Close (253mins). We reached the main road (255mins), turned left and reached the cars (256mins). After de-booting Terry and your diarist joined Tony and Jock in the sunshine outside Wetherspoons to enjoy pints of Ruddles for £2-05.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from The Lantern Pike at Little Hayfield. We expect to reach The Little Mill Inn at Rowarth for a livener at about 12.15pm before returning to The Lantern Pike around 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !