Buglawton

 August 2, 2017.

BUGLAWTON, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, BOSLEY CLOUD, GRITSTONE TRAIL, TIMBERSBROOK, WEATHERCOCK FARM, HOOFRIDGE FARMHOUSE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, CONGLETON AQUEDUCT, THE BULL’S HEAD IN CONGLETON, MEADOWSIDE MEDICAL CENTRE, CONGLETON PARK, MACCLESFILED CANAL AND THE ROBIN HOOD AT BUGLAWTON

Distance: 11 miles.

Difficulty: Easy after early strenuous climb.

Weather: Early light drizzle and mist gave way to sunny skies.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Hughie Harriman, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp, Chris Owen and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Colin Davison and Jock Rooney (in the Isle of Man), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (hols), George Whaites (recovering from successful hip operation)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park of The Robin Hood pub at Buglawton, Congleton.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 3.06pm.

Uneasy lies the head that wears the leader’s crown. Chris introduced us to a new walk around the Congleton area on what was forecast to be a wet day. It was an enjoyable route, despite being slightly longer than usual.

A steady climb from the Macc Canal to the summit of Bosley Cloud at 1,126 feet would have normally rewarded our efforts with magnificent panoramic views. Sadly the early morning mist prevented us from seeing the distant mountains which are sometimes visible.

This came after an inauspicious beginning when a prompt start left latecomer Steve to chase after the peloton. This was a reminder to discuss absentees before setting off. Apart from a minor hiccup when an overshoot added four minutes to the journey, this hike will be a valuable addition to the Wednesday Wanderers’ repertoire.

It also enhanced Chris’s reputation as a leader and he will soon be ready to apply for his full badge – unlike your diarist who has a limited probationer certificate following a catalogue of blunders over many years.

There was a further problem when our first watering hole revealed that dogs were banned both inside and outside the premises. This was soon resolved when we took our custom en bloc to the pub next door in act of solidarity with Daisy.

We turned right out of the pub car park and crossed the road bridge over the Macclesfield Canal before turning right down steps to reach the towpath (7mins) and continue with the canal on our right. Steve caught us up and we carried on under bridges 59 and 58, leaving at 57 by mounting steps on our left (28mins)

Our group went through a metal gate to reach a road and turned right (39mins). We reached a lane on our left (51mins) and turned left. We crossed a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow on our right (54mins), crossed another wooden stile into the next field (58mins) and continued to climb.

After crossing another wooden stile (60mins) we followed a path between a drystone wall on our left and a wire fence on our right. We crossed a wooden stile to reach a lane (62mins) and turned left uphill. We turned right at a wooden public footpath sign next to a house called Avona (68mins) and turned right up a flight of steps (70mins)

After passing through a gap stile at the top of the steps (71mins) we continued on a more gradual ascent to reach the Trig Point at Bosley Cloud  (77mins). On a clear day we would have had 360 degree views of Croker Hill, Jodrell Bank, the Berwyn Mountains of North Wales, Liverpool Cathedral and Winter Hill.

Whether we would have been able to see, as suggested, Charing Cross, London, 143 miles away is highly debateable. After two minutes of sightseeing and breath-catching, we proceeded (79mins)

We followed a yellow arrow with the shoe symbol of the Gritstone Trail down from the summit, pausing for pies, port and damson gin kindly provided by Chris by the side of the footpath (88mins). Resuming we carried on following the signs for the Gritstone Trail.

Heading left down a flight of steps (101mins) we reached a road and turned left downhill. We turned right at a yellow arrow containing the Gritstone Trail sign before turning right again at a yellow arrow which included the GT symbol (106mins). Another yellow arrow and Gritstone Trail sign took us down a flight of steps to the Timbersbrook Picnic Area (108mins)

On reaching a road beyond the picnic area we turned right, passing Weathercock Farm on our right. We then turned left to follow a footpath sign including the GT symbol (112mins). This took us through a series of metal kissing gates (113, 118 and 120mins). After the last of these we went through a wooden gate, over a wooden stile and into a copse (124mins)

Crossing a stone step stile (125mins), we reached a road and turned right, shortly turning left (126mins) into Hoofridge Farmhouse. We exited the premises via two long metal gates and a stone step stile (127mins). We turned right over a wooden stile (130mins) and crossed two more (133 and 135) before going through a metal kissing gate (137mins) and rejoin the Macclesfield Canal.

We turned right and went through a wooden kissing gate before swinging left along a gravel track, Bridge 72, which crossed the canal. We joined the towpath with the canal on our left, going under Bridges 74 and 75 and passing The Queens Head next to Congleton railway station on our right. After going under Bridge 76 (151mins)

Leaving the canal briefly, we used the bridge to reach the far towpath and continued with the waterway now on our right. When we reached an aqueduct over the main road (155mins) our leader realised it was a bridge too far. We retreated to a missed opening, now on our right, and turned right to reach a minor road leading to the main road, where we turned right again and went under the aqueduct (159mins). We were now in Congleton.

It has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age, because Stone and Bronze Age artefacts have been found. It is thought to have been a Roman settlement at one time and became a market town after Vikings destroyed nearby Davenport. Godwin, earl of Wessex, held the town during the Saxon period and it is listed in the Domesday Book as Cogletone.

After the Norman conquest it belonged to the de Lacy family, who granted its first charter in 1272, enabling it to hold fairs and markets. In 1457 the River Dane flooded, destroying many buildings, and the town was rebuilt on higher ground.

Congleton achieved dubious fame in the 1620s when it used funds being saved to buy a Bible to buy a bear instead. It was felt that an aggressive bear suitable for bear-baiting would enhance the town’s reputation on fair days in addition to cock-fighting. This caused Congleton to be nicknamed Beartown. A folk song entitled “Congleton Bear” had the catchy chorus of: “Congleton rare, Congleton rare – sold its Bible to buy a bear.”  It was never heard on Top of the Pops.

Famous inhabitants have included John Bradshaw, mayor from 1637-8, the Attorney General whose name appeared first on Charles 1’s death warrant; “Professor” Stanley Unwin, a comic orator; painter William Ralph Turner; and actress Louise Plowright.

After the aqueduct we passed the Wharf Inn on our left and Congleton War Memorial Hospital on our right before reaching the end of Canal Street and turning left (165mins). Our walk took us the T-junction with The Counting House, a former bank converted into a JD Wetherspoons pub, opposite (173mins). However, after discovering that dogs were unwelcome in both the pub and its beer garden, we decamped to the beer garden of The Bull’s Head next door, enjoying pints of Robbies’ Unicorn for £2-50.

Leaving the pub we turned left, reached a huge roundabout bedecked with flowers and followed a sign for Meadowside Medical Centre (179mins). We reached the Dane on our left and crossed it by a bridge (182mins). This took us into Congleton Park where we paused for lunch (184mins)

Resuming, we exited the park on the left (186mins) and crossed the Dane on our right by a footbridge, reached a road and turned left (192mins). Opposite Barber the butcher’s we turned left through a metal gate into a wood (194mins). We forked right to reach a soccer pitch and a playground beyond it. We left it by heading uphill to the right of the play area (199mins) to enter a modern housing estate.

We turned right at the end of Littondale Close into Malhamdale Road (201mins), turned right uphill to Harvey Road where we turned left and ended our brief visit to suburbia by turning left up a public bridleway (205mins) which brought us for the third time to The Macc Canal. We turned left (208mins), going under Bridges 65-61 where we exited (231mins) and reached a road.

Here we turned left, retracing our footsteps and passing Lighthey Farm on our right before reaching The Robin Hood on our left (238mins). In warm sunshine we enjoyed pints of different cask beers after a warm welcome by the barman, who told us the pub was open all day.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.45am from Bottoms Reservoir at the end of Holehouse Lane, Langley, near Macclesfield. We intend to climb Shutlingsloe and reach the Leathers’ Smithy around 12.20pm for a bracer before returning to our cars at about 2.20pm. We shall then deboot and drive to Sutton Hall, Sutton, Macclesfield, for further refreshment ten minutes later.

Happy wandering !