Dean Row

December 7, 2016.

DEAN ROW, HANDFORTH, BOLLIN VALLEY WAY, MOTTRAM ST ANDREW GOLF COURSE, NORTH CHESHIRE WAY, THE BULLS HEAD AT MOTTRAM ST ANDREW, LEGH OLD HALL, LOWER GADHOLE FARM, THE ADMIRAL RODNEY AT PRESTBURY, PRESTBURY SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS, THE UNICORN AT DEAN ROW

Distance: 8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy start but sun and blue skies later.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen and George Whaites.

B Walkers: Phil Burslem, Tony Job, Ken Sparrow and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (sore foot), Tom Cunliffe (pub duties),George Dearsley (in Turkey) and  Julian Ross (domestic duties).

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, Handforth.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.17pm.

The day got off to an exciting start when we found the support staff for a film crew ensconced in the car park, along with an unexpectedly large number of other vehicles. We briefly anticipated the imminent arrival of Keira Knightley or Kate Winslett. We would have even settled for Helen Mirren, but we never solved the mystery of why the film caterers and a double-decker bus were there. 

Our hopes that they might be reprising Last of the Summer Wine, giving us a chance of stardom, were dispelled when we were told they were shooting an advert. If true, which we doubt, the commercial would have featured a cast of hundreds.

Although the opportunity for fame and fortune once again disappeared, we enjoyed a largely flat walk, with only a few patches of mud and the cloud gave way to blue skies and sunshine in the afternoon.

There was also a chance for Chris to take a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane past the soccer pitch where he once played for Prestbury FC. One could imagine a footman calling out the names as the players stepped on to the pitch – Algernon Fortescue, Sebastian Cholmondley-Warner, Chris Owen...

From The Unicorn car park we turned right and right again at the roundabout into Lees Lane. We turned right once again at a public footpath sign (4mins), followed a track into a farmyard, swung right and crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (7mins). This was to be the first of a series of wooden stiles and kissing gates too numerous to mention.

We followed a sign for The Bollin Valley Way (13mins) and turned right at a renovated farmhouse, following a yellow arrow (23mins). We went up a flight of steps to reach a road (26mins) where we turned right, crossed a bridge over The Bollin and descended a flight of steps on the left. With the Bollin now on our left we followed a path which led us between two buildings and brought us on to the course of Mottram Hall Golf and County Club.

By following the path on the left of the course, we swung left and passed a soccer training pitch on our right (38mins). We turned right at a metal kissing gate to exit the course (44mins) and then crossed an unmarked wooden stile to rejoin it (53mins). After passing a sign marked NCW (North Cheshire Way) we went into trees but soon turned left to leave the copse and turned right to take a path which was the continuation of the North Cheshire Way.

We passed Healey Hill on our left (66mins) and crossed a main road into Priest Lane (69mins). On our left was The Bulls Head at Mottram St Andrew, which should hang it in shame for the want of an apostrophe. After 40 yards along Priest Lane we turned left at a wooden public footpath sign at the side of Rose Cottage (71mins). We turned left again at a similar sign (72mins) and then crossed a series of wooden stiles and a footbridge, passing a pink thatched cottage on our right before stopping for Pietime (84mins) on a flight of steps.

Continuing we turned left at a green footpath sign to reach a road and dog-legged left and right (86mins) to reach some expensive homes including Legh Old Hall on our left. This was built towards the end of the 16th Century , rebuilt in the 17th Century and altered in the 20th Century. It is constructed of coursed buff sandstone rubble with a Kerrdige slate roof. It is a Grade 2 listed building on the National Heritage list.

After passing the hall we turned left, went through a metal kissing gate and headed diagonally right downhill (90mins). After taking a wrong turn we were punished by encountering our first stretch of mud. We recovered our position by climbing over a metal gate and reaching Lower Gadhole Farm (106mins) where we turned right to follow a yellow arrow.

We followed yellow arrows to reach a wooden footbridge and headed up steps to a wooden kissing gate (114mins). We turned left through a field, went through a wooden gate on our left and turned right along a lane (116mins). This brought us to a concrete bridge over the Bollin, which we crossed and turned right (118mins).

The path on the left bank of the river merged into a road with a football pitch on the right. It was here where Chris was recruited as a young man “to stiffen up the back four.” No comment.

We carried on into Prestbury, passing The Village Club on our left (126mins) and immediately turning left to see the B-teamers entering the rear of The Admiral Rodney on the right. We followed suit (127mins) and joined them for excellent points of Robbies’ Unicorn bitter for £3-20.

The pub is named after Sir George Brydges Rodney, first baron and a knight of the Order of the Bath (1718-92). Born of humble origins, Rodney went to sea at 14 and rose through the ranks to become an admiral. He also represented five different constituencies in the House of Commons during a career in which he captured four enemy admirals – two Spanish, one French and one Dutch – during a two year spell at sea.

He was a controversial character, described by his enemies as vain, selfish and unscrupulous. At one stage he fled to France to avoid his creditors and had to be rescued from jail by a benefactor to enjoy his finest hour, defeating the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782 and saving Jamaica from falling into their hands.

With thirsts quenched we retraced our footsteps back to the concrete bridge across the Bollin, carrying straight on there and keeping the river on our left. The footpath took us past Prestbury  Treatment Works, which is easily the biggest sewage farm your diarist has seen. The people of Prestbury must be full of it.

We reached the start of the treatment works on our right (143mins) and left it 15 minutes later before stopping for lunch (159mins) at the far edge of a wood. Continuing we went through a metal kissing gate and turned left over a wooden footbridge across the Bollin (164mins) and turned right to follow apath with the river on our right. This brought us back to the Mottram Hall Golf Club course (169mins) where we were once again able to retrace our steps all the way back to our cars.

There was still no sign of thespians, famous or otherwise, using the facilities of the film crew’s support team. Inside the pub we were offered a selection of cask ales at £3-36 a pint, with a 10 per cent discount if you were a CAMRA member (or pretended to be so).

Next week’s walk will start at 11, Carr Brow, High Lane, Disley, where Colin has kindly offered to provide bacon butties and mulled wine from 9am onwards. We anticipate leaving around 10am and heading for The Ring O’ Bells at Marple, which we hope to reach at about 12.15pm. We will then head back to The Dog and Partridge at High Lane for our traditional Christmas lunch, hoping to arrive at 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !