Taddington

TADDINGTON, FLAGG, DUKE OF YORK AT POMEROY, THE CHURCH INN AT CHELMORTON, BANK PIT SPRING, SOUGH TOP AND THE QUEENS ARMS AT TADDINGTON

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Warm and sunny at the start but cloud and light drizzle at the end.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp and George Whaites.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (in Anglesey), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (cruise lecturing) and Jock Rooney (on Isle of Man).

Leaders: Beal and Davison. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Queens Arms, Taddington.

Starting time: 10.05am Finishing time: 2.10pm.

This walk was suggested the previous week by Tom and it will come as no surprise to those following our excursions to learn that he did not attend. It has become a habit for Tom to suggest a route, win the approval of his companions and then send in an apology for his absence.

Happily this did little to dampen the spirits of The Magnificent Seven as we set off in warm sunshine beneath a blue canopy of sky. The day was not without incident however as our pietime was interrupted by a large herd of cattle stampeding down the road. On another occasion a small group of Friesian cows took a shine to George and followed him from one side of their field to the other as if he was The Pied Piper of Hamelin. This was accompanied by the sound of distant gunfire. What an exciting life we lead !

The decision to appoint joint leaders also paid off as we found our way to Chelmorton and back, arriving at both pubs within the allotted time. There is no room for complacency, however, as next week your diarist will be responsible for the journey.

We passed The Queens Arms on our left heading downhill before turning right into Dokindale Road and heading uphill along a stony track (1min). This brought us to a road (10mins) where we turned left and then headed right at a wooden public footpath sign (13mins).

The path led us over a stone step stile (17mins), through a wooden gate (21mins) and a gap stile (24mins) to reach a road and turn right (30mins). We went left at a wooden public footpath sign (31mins), crossed a wooden stile (35mins), a stone step stile (39mins) and another wooden stile (42mins).

We then crossed a stone step stile on our left (43mins) on our left and headed right. This took us past Flagg Hall to a road, which we crossed and paused for pietime (47mins). No sooner had we settled in a convenient bus shelter than a large herd of cattle poured past us on their way back to the farm at Flagg Hall. They appeared to you diarist to be cows, but one of our group shouted “Bullocks.”

When we resumed we walked down Mycock Lane past Flagg Nursery School and where the road swept left we carried straight on at a wooden public footpath sign (50mins). This took us over two stone steps stiles which brought us to a lane where we turned first left and then right at a wooden public footpath sign (62mins)

After walking through an open gateway we headed diagonally left through a field (66mins), crossed a stone step stile (73mins) and went through a metal gate (75mins). Another stone step stile brought us to a road where we turned right (77mins).

We immediately passed the Duke of York at Pomeroy, but there was no sign of Bev’s Baps on the car park. It was thought that this mobile catering establishment had closed down for the winter and we hoped Bev would be producing her tasty baps again in the spring.

As the road swung left we went to the right down steep steps towards a marker post with a yellow arrow (80mins). We crossed a stone step stile (87mins) and looked back to see a herd of cows following George, while the sound of shotguns could be heard in the distance.

We headed diagonally right through an open gate to reach crossroads (92mins) where we turned right along a track. This brought us to a road where we turned right (112mins). We turned right again at the next road (114mins) and this took us into the pretty village of Chelmorton.

Here we turned right with the Church of St John The Baptist on our right and The Church Inn on our left (122mins). We chose to rest in the latter and enjoyed pints of Original for £3-30.   

On leaving the pub we turned left uphill, passing the well called Bank Pit Spring, more memorably known by its former nickname of Illy Willy Water (for reasons lost in the mists of time). We swung left and walked steadily uphill until we reached a footpath crossing where we paused for lunch (132mins) by a sign for Five Wells Chambered Tomb.

Resuming we took the footpath which dog-legged right and then left to head for Taddington. We then crossed a series of eight stone step stiles before reaching a post with a yellow arrow which steered us to the right of Sough Top (149mins)

Passing the Trip Point at 438 metres on our left, we headed diagonally right to a wooden public footpath sign which led the way back to Taddington (152mins). This involved crossing a stone step stile, a wooden stile, crossing a road through two gap stiles and clambering over one final stone step stile to reach the village (159mins).

After squeezing through a narrow path next to a tall hedge, we swung left and then right to pass St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Taddington, on our left (162mins) before reaching The Queens Arms on our left (166mins) for pints of Doombar at £3-40.

Next week’s walk will be held on my 71st birthday, so I shall be leading us at 9.30am from the car park next to Poynton Pool off Anglesey Drive at the end of the road leading to my house. We hope to walk along the bank of the lake before heading towards Bramhall Park and performing a figure-eight as we return to The Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton at about 12.30pm.

After a pint there, we will return to Poynton Sports Club at 2pm, where I have arranged for the bar to be open.  I will buy you all a birthday drink followed by some hot food. I hope you can join me.

Happy wandering !